Archie Manning Leaving College Football Playoff Committee for Health Reasons

Former New Orleans Saints quarterback and patriarch of one of football's most famous families, Archie Manning, has announced he's stepping down from the committee that decides the college football championship finalists.

According to ESPN, Manning is is suffering complications from a knee replacement surgery, leaving him unable to travel. He may return to the committee in 2015.

The College Football Playoff Committee is just getting started, and they are supposed to decide which four finalists will vie for the national championship game. One of 13 members on the panel, Manning's absence could result in a tied vote. Officials however, said they would not change their voting procedure, nor would they replace Manning this year. In the event of a deadlock tie, they would simply keep voting until someone changes their minds.

The committee is set to release their first rankings next week, and will do so weekly until finalists are announced Dec. 7. Those four teams will play the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, with the winner going to the championships at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 12.