Nicholls AD Roan named to NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee

THIBODAUX, La. − Nicholls State University Director of Athletics Matt Roan has been named to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee. The appointment begins immediately.

“I am excited and honored to serve in this capacity and represent the Southland Conference and West Region,” said Roan. “I look forward to the opportunity to work alongside my FCS colleagues, as well as the national office staff, to provide the very best championship bracket and experience possible for student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”

The committee is responsible for the playoff selections, seedings, and structure of the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Meeting twice a year including the playoff selection weekend in November, the committee selects the 14 at-large teams in the 24-team Championship, while also setting the bracket and determining the Top 8 National Seeds.

Selection weekend coincides with the last playing date of the regular season, Nov. 23. After conference calls throughout the season, the selection committee will meet in Indianapolis to complete the selections for release on Sunday, Nov. 24. Round 1 of this season’s FCS Playoffs begins on Nov. 30.

Roan is one of 10 athletic directors at the FCS level on the committee, which is led by Jacksonville State’s Athletic Director Greg Seitz who is in his first year as chair. The committee also includes athletic directors Thorr Bjorn of Rhode Island, Randy Eaton of Western Carolina, Kent Haslam of Montana, Eugene Marshall, Jr. of Hampton, Kyle Moats of Missouri State, Tim Murray of Marist, Bill Smith of Bryant, and Jermaine Truax of Bucknell.

Roan began his tenure as director of athletics at Nicholls in November of 2016 and has watched Colonel Football transform into a Top 25 program. With an at-large berth in 2017 and the Southland Conference’s automatic qualifier last season, Nicholls reached the FCS playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. The Colonels hosted a first-round game in each appearance and won in the postseason last year for the first time since 1986.

The championship committee will announce a top-10 ranking tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 6, during halftime of the 7 p.m. CT Miami (OH) vs. Ohio game on ESPN2.