College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff
College Football Playoff logo
In operation 2014–present
Preceded by BCS (19982013)
Bowl Alliance (19951997)
Bowl Coalition (19921994)
Number of playoff games 3 (championship game, 2 semifinal games)
Championship trophy College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy
Television partner(s) ESPN (2014–present)
Most playoff appearances Alabama (4)
Most playoff wins Alabama (5)
Most playoff championships Alabama (2)
Conference with most appearances SEC (5)
Conference with most game wins SEC (6)
Conference with most championships SEC (2)
Last championship game 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship
Current champion Alabama
Executive director Bill Hancock
Website collegefootballplayoff.com

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout tournament to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of college football competition in the United States. The inaugural tournament was held at the end of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season.[1] Four teams play in two semifinal games, and the winner of each semifinal advances to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.[2]

The College Football Playoff is not an officially sanctioned championship event by the NCAA, the sport's governing body. The NCAA has never recognized an official national championship for FBS football, instead merely recognizing the decisions made any of a number of independent major championship selectors. Consequently, Division I FBS football is the only NCAA sport in which a yearly national champion is not determined by an NCAA event, nor is an official NCAA national championship awarded.[3][4] Nevertheless, the CFP's inception in 2014 marked the first time a major national championship selector in college football was able to determine their champion by using a bracket competition.

A 13-member committee selects and seeds the four teams to take part in the CFP. [5] This system differs from the use of polls or computer rankings that had previously been used to select the participants for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the title system used in FBS from 1998 to 2013. The current format is a Plus-One system, an idea which became popular as an alternative to the BCS after the 2003 and 2004 seasons ended in controversy.[6][7]

The two semifinal games rotate among six major bowl games, referred to as the New Year's Six: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl.[8] In addition to the four teams selected for the playoff, the final CFP rankings are used to help determine the participants for the other four New Year's Six bowls that are not hosting the semifinals that year. The semifinal games, which take place on the same day, are usually scheduled on Friday, Saturday, or Monday close to or on New Years Day,[9] with flexibility allowed to ensure that they are not in conflict with other bowl games traditionally held on New Year's Day. The National Championship game is then played on the first Monday that is six or more days after the semifinals.[10]

The venue of the championship game is selected based on bids submitted by cities, similar to the Super Bowl or NCAA Final Four. The winner of the game is awarded the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy. Playoff officials commissioned a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous championship systems, such as the AFCA "crystal football" trophy which had been regularly presented after the championship game since the 1990s.[11]

Selection process

Selection committee

The first College Football Playoff selection committee was announced on October 16, 2013. The group consists of 13 members who generally serve three-year terms, although some initial selections served terms both shorter and longer than three years "to achieve a rotation" of members.[12][13]

The current members of the selection committee are:[12][14]

MemberPositionConference affiliation[lower-alpha 1]Recusals[lower-alpha 2]Term expires
Joe CastiglioneOklahoma athletic directorBig 12Oklahoma, MissouriFebruary 2021
Christopher B. HowardRobert Morris University President; former Air Force running backN/ANoneFebruary 2020
Jeff BowerFormer Southern Miss head coachN/ASouthern MissFebruary 2019
Herb DeromediFormer Central Michigan head coachN/ACentral MichiganFebruary 2019
Ronnie LottFormer Southern California defensive backN/AUSCFebruary 2021
Bobby JohnsonFormer Vanderbilt head coach; former Clemson playerN/ANoneFebruary 2019
Scott StricklinFlorida athletic directorSECFloridaFebruary 2021
Rob Mullens (chairman)[16]Oregon athletic directorPac-12OregonFebruary 2019
Todd StansburyGeorgia Tech athletic directorACCGeorgia TechFebruary 2021
Frank BeamerFormer Virginia Tech head coachN/AOklahoma, Virginia Tech[lower-alpha 3]February 2020
Paola BoivinFormer The Arizona Republic reporterN/ANoneFebruary 2021
Ken HatfieldFormer Rice, Air Force, Arkansas and Clemson head coachN/ARice, Air Force, Arkansas, ClemsonFebruary 2021
Gene SmithOhio State athletic directorBig TenOhio StateFebruary 2020
  1. Current or former, athletic department administration only.
  2. Any programs for which members are required to recuse themselves from voting or discussions.[15]
  3. In addition to Virginia Tech, Beamer is recused from Oklahoma because his son Shane is the Sooners' tight ends coach and assistant head coach.[15]

The committee members include one current athletic director from each of the five "major" conferences—ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC—also known as the Power Five conferences.[17][18] Other members are former coaches, players, athletic directors, and administrators, plus a retired member of the media. The goal was for the panel to consist proportionally of current "Power Five" athletic directors, former coaches, and a third group of other voters,[17] excluding current conference commissioners, coaches, and media members.[19] During the selection process, organizers said they wanted the committee to be geographically balanced.[20] Conference commissioners submitted lists totaling more than 100 names from which to select the final committee members.[21][22]

Past members

MemberPositionConference affiliation[lower-alpha 1]Season(s)Replaced by
Michael C. GouldFormer Air Force Academy superintendentN/A2014–15Jeff Bower
Tom OsborneFormer Nebraska coach and athletic directorBig Ten/Big 122014–15Lloyd Carr
Mike TrangheseFormer Big East commissionerThe American2014–15Herb Deromedi
Pat Haden[lower-alpha 2]USC athletic director; former USC quarterbackPac-122014Rob Mullens
Oliver Luck[lower-alpha 3]Former West Virginia athletic directorBig 122014Kirby Hocutt
Archie Manning[lower-alpha 4]Former NFL and Ole Miss quarterbackN/A-Bobby Johnson
Lloyd Carr[lower-alpha 5]Former Michigan coachBig Ten-Chris Howard
Condoleezza RiceFormer Secretary of stateN/A2014–16Frank Beamer
Barry AlvarezFormer Wisconsin coach and athletic directorBig Ten2014–16Gene Smith
Tom JernstedtFormer NCAA executive vice president; former Oregon quarterbackN/A2014-18Ronnie Lott
Steve WiebergFormer USA Today reporterN/A2014-18Paola Boivin
Kirby HocuttTexas Tech athletic director; former Kansas State linebackerBig 122015-18Joe Castiglione
Tyrone WillinghamFormer Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington head coachN/A2014-18Ken Hatfield
Jeff LongFormer Arkansas athletic directorSEC2014-18Scott Stricklin
Dan RadakovichClemson athletic directorACC2014-18Todd Stansbury

The selection of Condoleezza Rice, a former U.S. Secretary of State and Stanford University provost, was met with some backlash within the sport and the media. Critics questioned her qualifications, citing gender and lack of football experience.[28][29]

  1. Current or former, athletic department administration only.
  2. Stepped down October 30, 2015, citing health reasons and instability at USC. Did not participate in 2015 season committee.[23]
  3. Left the committee in 2015, before his term expired, after resigning as West Virginia athletic director to work for the NCAA as executive vice president of regulatory affairs.[24]
  4. Took a leave of absence for health reasons in October 2014 and stepped down in March 2015. Never participated in any committee voting.[25][26]
  5. Left the committee in 2016 before the season started for health reasons. Committee stayed at 12 members rather than replacing him.[27]

Voting procedure

The committee releases its top 25 rankings weekly on Tuesdays in the second half of the regular season. The top four teams are seeded in that order for the playoff.[30] During the season, the committee meets and releases rankings six or seven times, depending on the length of the season (the number of games is consistent, but the number of weeks those games are played over can vary from year to year).[25] The group, which meets at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas,[31] reportedly meets in person up to 10 total times a year.[22]

A team's strength of schedule is one of the most pertinent considerations for the committee in making its selections.[32] Other factors that the committee weighs are conference championships, team records, and head-to-head results,[10] plus other points such as injuries and weather.[33] Unlike the BCS system, the AP Poll, Coaches' Poll, and the Harris Poll, computer rankings are not used to make the selections.[5][17] Advanced statistics and metrics are expected to be submitted to the committee, though like other analytics, they have no formal role in the decision.[34] Committee members are not required to attend games.[31]

Long said the panel considered less frequent rankings, but ultimately decided on a weekly release. "That's what the fans have become accustomed to, and we felt it would leave a void in college football without a ranking for several weeks," he said. Long also noted: "Early on there was some talk that we would go into a room at the end of the season and come out with a top four, but that didn't last long."[35] In analyzing this change in thinking, Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated commented: "The whole point of the selection committee was to replace the simplistic horse-race nature of Top 25 polls – where teams only move up if someone above them loses – with a more deliberative evaluation method. Now the playoff folks are going to try to do both."[36] Addressing the "pecking order" nature of traditional polls, George Schrodeder of USA Today wrote that "if it actually works as intended, we could see volatile swings" from week to week, with lower-ranked teams moving ahead of higher-ranked teams without either team losing (a rarity in traditional polls). Both Long and Bill Hancock, the CFP executive director, say they expect that to happen.[37]

The committee's voting method uses multiple ballots, similar to the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and the entire process is facilitated through custom software developed by Code Authority in Frisco, Texas.[38] From a large initial pool of teams, the group takes numerous votes on successive tiers of teams, considering six at a time and coming to a consensus on how they should be ranked, then repeating the process with the next tier of teams. Discussion and debate happens at each voting step. All votes are by secret ballot, and committee members do not make their ballots public.[35] Each week's ranking process begins anew, with no weight given to the previous week's selections.[37] In this fashion, the committee selects the four teams to compete for the national championship.

Committee members who are currently employed or financially compensated by a school, or have family members who have a current financial relationship (which includes football players), are not allowed to vote for that school. During deliberations about a team's selection, members with such a conflict of interest cannot be present, but can answer factual questions about the institution.[35] All committee members have past ties to certain NCAA institutions,[31] but the committee decided to ignore those ties in the recusal requirements. "We just boiled it down to where we felt this group was fit to its high integrity and would differentiate from those past relationships," Long said.[35] Some football writers, like Dennis Dodd and Mark Schlabach, have said the recusal arrangement isn't transparent or objective, suggesting that members' alma maters and former coaching jobs should be considered disqualifying conflicts of interest.[39][40]

Impact on scheduling

"Strength of schedule will become such an important factor ... that if you want to be under consideration, you need to have a more meaningful schedule than perhaps you've had in previous years."

Tom Jernstedt, selection committee member[41]

Due to the increased emphasis on strength of schedule, teams have considered playing more challenging opponents during the non-conference portion of their schedules. Some teams have traditionally played three or four "weak" non-conference opponents, but wins against such low-level competition are unlikely to impress the committee. For teams on the cusp of making the playoff four, "I think one of the first things the committee will look at is strength of schedule," said selector Oliver Luck.[42]

Teams in the Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 play nine conference games on their twelve-game schedules and thus only have flexibility in choosing their opponents for the three non-league games. Some programs are opting to increase their schedule strength by scheduling high-profile matchups at neutral sites and on weeknights, garnering primetime TV exclusivity.[43][44]

In response to the new playoff system, the Southeastern Conference considered increasing its conference schedule from eight to nine games, with Alabama coach Nick Saban a vocal proponent.[45] According to Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News, "The prevailing opinion among SEC athletics directors: The SEC is difficult enough that there's no need for a ninth game."[46] Some in the conference, like Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin, opined that a nine-game SEC schedule would result in more teams with two losses. Commissioner Michael Slive and Vanderbilt AD David Williams, among others, supported a stronger out-of-league schedule, which would likely impress the committee.[46][47] In April 2014, the league voted to mandate that all SEC teams must play a Power Five foe (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, or independent Notre Dame) in its non-conference slate beginning in 2016. Slive noted this rule "gives us the added strength-of-schedule we were seeking".[45] In 2014, the first year of the College Football Playoff, one team played two opponents from the Power Five, nine of the 14 teams played one Power Five conference opponent and three lower-level opponents (including one FCS school), and four teams did not face a Power Five foe.[43] In the spring of 2015, the SEC decided to count games played against Independents BYU and Army toward its Power Five requirement.

The ACC, whose teams also play eight conference games (plus Notre Dame at least once every three years), also considered moving to a nine-game conference schedule. However, the league opted to stay with the eight-plus-Notre Dame model, stipulating instead that teams would have to play one Power Five school in their non-league slates beginning in 2017, which would include the Notre Dame game or other ACC schools,[48] as will games against another FBS independent, BYU.[49] Despite the push to increase schedule strength, some ACC coaches preferred the scheduling flexibility available with fewer permanent fixtures on a team's slate.[50] Opinion was split among league athletic directors on moving to a nine-game schedule prior to the vote.[51] An SEC expansion to a nine-game schedule would limit the ACC's opportunities to play Power Five non-conference opponents.[52]

Semifinals

The College Football Playoff uses a four-team knockout bracket to determine the national champion. Six of the most historic bowl games—the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl– rotate as hosts for the semifinals.[53] The rotation is set on a three-year cycle with the following pairings: Rose/Sugar, Orange/Cotton, and Fiesta/Peach. The two semifinal bowls and the other four top-tier bowls are marketed as the New Year's Six.[54] Three of these bowls played per day, typically on consecutive days that include New Year's Day.[2] The selection committee seeds the top four teams, and also assigns teams to the at-large bowls (Cotton, Fiesta, and Peach) in years when they do not host semifinals.[55]

The four-team format pits the No. 1-ranked team against No. 4 and No. 2 against No. 3. The seeding determines the semifinal bowl game assigned to each matchup; the No. 1 seed is assigned to the site closest to its campus to prevent it from playing in a "road" environment. There are no limits on the number of teams per conference, a change from previous BCS rules.[2] However, some non-semifinal bowl selections still maintain their conference tie-ins, similarly to the BCS's automatic qualifier berths.[56] A team from one of the "Group of Five" conferences is guaranteed a spot in one of the New Year's Six bowls.[57]

SeasonSemifinalWinnerLoserScoreVenue
2014–15Rose Bowl2 Oregon (12–1)3 Florida State (13–0)59–20Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Sugar Bowl4 Ohio State (12–1)1 Alabama (12–1)42–35Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
2015–16Orange Bowl1 Clemson (13–0)4 Oklahoma (11–1)37–17Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Cotton Bowl2 Alabama (12–1)3 Michigan State (12–1)38–0AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2016–17Fiesta Bowl2 Clemson (12–1)3 Ohio State (11–1)31–0University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Peach Bowl1 Alabama (13–0)4 Washington (12–1)24–7Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
2017–18Rose Bowl3 Georgia (12–1)2 Oklahoma (12–1)54–48 2OT Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Sugar Bowl4 Alabama (11–1)1 Clemson (12–1)24–6Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
2018–19Orange BowlHard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Cotton BowlAT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2019–20Fiesta BowlState Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Peach BowlMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Championship game

Cities around the country bid to host each year's championship game. The playoff group's leaders make a selection from those proposals, in a similar fashion to other large sporting events, such as the Super Bowl or NCAA Final Four. Officials say the championship game will be held in a different city each year, and that bids must propose host stadiums with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators.[58] Under the system, cities cannot host both a semifinal game and the title game in the same year.

SeasonChampionRunner-upScoreVenue
2014–154 Ohio State (13–1)2 Oregon (13–1)42–20AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2015–162 Alabama (13–1)1 Clemson (14–0)45–40University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
2016–172 Clemson (13–1)1 Alabama (14–0)35–31Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
2017–184 Alabama (12–1)3 Georgia (13–1) 26–23 OTMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
2018–19Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
2019–20Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
2020–21Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
2021–22Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
2022–23Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, Inglewood, California
2023–24NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Appearances

College Football Playoff appearances by team

Alabama
Clemson
Georgia
Florida
State
Michigan State
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Oregon
Washington
Teams that have appeared in the College Football Playoff
– 4 appearances, – 3 appearances, – 2 appearances, – 1 appearance
Alabama
Clemson
Ohio State
Teams that have won the College Football Playoff
– 2 championships, – 1 championship
AppearancesTeamWLPct Games
4Alabama52.714Lost 2015 Sugar Bowl
Won 2015 Cotton Bowl (Dec. 2015)
Won 2016 CFP National Championship
Won 2016 Peach Bowl
Lost 2017 CFP National Championship
Won 2018 Sugar Bowl
Won 2018 CFP National Championship
3Clemson32.600Won 2015 Orange Bowl
Lost 2016 CFP National Championship
Won 2016 Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 2016)
Won 2017 CFP National Championship
Lost 2018 Sugar Bowl
2Ohio State21.667Won 2015 Sugar Bowl
Won 2015 CFP National Championship
Lost 2016 Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 2016)
2Oklahoma02.000Lost 2015 Orange Bowl
Lost 2018 Rose Bowl
1Georgia11.500Won 2018 Rose Bowl
Lost 2018 CFP National Championship
1Oregon11.500Won 2015 Rose Bowl
Lost 2015 CFP National Championship
1Florida State01.000Lost 2015 Rose Bowl
1Michigan State01.000Lost 2015 Cotton Bowl (Dec. 2015)
1Washington01.000Lost 2016 Peach Bowl

College Football Playoff appearances by conference

ConferenceAppearancesWLPctChampionships# of teamsTeams(s)
SEC563.66722Alabama (4)
Georgia (1)
ACC433.50012Clemson (3)
Florida State (1)
Big Ten322.50012Ohio State (2)
Michigan State (1)
Pac-12212.33302Oregon (1)
Washington (1)
Big 12202.00001Oklahoma (2)

Broadcasting

The television broadcast rights to all six CFP bowls and the National Championship are owned by ESPN through at least the 2025 season.[59] ESPN then reached 12-year agreements to retain rights to the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl following the dissolution of the Bowl Championship Series.[60] In November, ESPN reached a 12-year deal to broadcast the remaining three bowls, the championship game, as well as shoulder programming such as ranking shows; as a whole, the contract is valued at around $470 million per year, or nearly $5.7 billion for the life of the contract.[61]

Ratings

The inaugural College Football Playoff games in January 2015 generated larger ratings than previous BCS games. The 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship had an 18.9 Nielsen rating[62] and was watched by approximately 33.4 million people, the largest broadcast audience of all time on American cable television (non-broadcast), according to AdWeek. That was a 31 percent audience increase over the previous year's championship game and a 22 percent increase over the BCS title game's best rating on cable (a 16.1 rating in 2011).[63] The semifinal games, the 2015 Rose Bowl and 2015 Sugar Bowl, saw 28.16 million and 28.27 million viewers, respectively.[64] According to ESPN, these games also set (and briefly held) all-time records for cable TV viewership.[65][66]

In 2015, the ratings for the two semifinal games were down from the prior season's equivalents, with the Orange Bowl reaching a 9.7 rating (in comparison to 15.5 for the 2015 Rose Bowl) and the Cotton Bowl reaching a 9.9 rating (in comparison to a 15.3 rating for the 2015 Sugar Bowl). On the online WatchESPN streaming service, excluding 2014 FIFA World Cup games, the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl drew the second and third-largest streaming audiences in the service's history, behind the 2015 national championship. The ratings drops were attributed to the New Year's Eve time slot, as fewer people were at home to watch the game.[67] The decline in ratings was a factor in changes for the scheduling of future CFP semi-final games.[9]

Revenue

In 2012, ESPN reportedly paid about $7.3 billion over 12 years for broadcasting rights to all seven games, an average of about $608 million per year. That includes $215 million per year which was already committed to the Rose, Sugar and Orange bowls,[68] plus $470–475 million annually for the rest of the package.[69] By comparison, the most recent contract with the BCS and the Rose Bowl had paid approximately $155 million per year for five games.[70]

The average revenue to the new system over 12 years is to be about $500 million per year. After $125–150 million in expenses, the Power Five conferences split about 71.5 percent of the remaining money, for an approximate average payout of $250 million a year ($50 million per league) over the life of the contract. The "Group of Five" conferences split 27 percent, about $90 million a year ($18 million per league). Notre Dame receives around one percent, about $3.5-4 million, and other FBS independents get about 0.5 percent of the deal.[71][72]

Extra revenue goes to conferences in contracts with the Rose, Sugar, and Orange bowls, which split revenue 50/50 between their participating leagues.[71] In non-semifinal years, the Rose Bowl's TV revenue would be divided between the Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences; likewise, the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl revenue to its participant conferences. When those bowls are semifinal games, the money is distributed by the playoff system to all FBS conferences.[68] ESPN has paid about $80 million a year each for the Rose and Sugar bowls over 12 years. The Orange Bowl deal is worth $55 million per year.[73] For example, in a non-semifinal year, the Big Ten could receive about $90 million (half of its $80 million Rose Bowl deal plus about $50 million from the playoff system).[71]

Conferences receive an additional $6 million each year for each team it places in the semifinals and $4 million for a team in one of the three at-large bowls; Notre Dame receives the same amount in either scenario. No additional money is awarded for reaching the championship game.[71]

The Power Five conferences and the "Group of Five" have not decided on their respective revenue-sharing formulas, though the SEC initially receives more revenue than the other four Power Five conferences due to its BCS success.[71][72] Reports say the money is to be divided based on several criteria such as "on-field success, teams' expenses, marketplace factors and academic performance of student-athletes."[74] The playoff system awards academic performance bonuses of $300,000 per school for meeting the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate standard of 930.[71] In a hypothetical 14-team conference, $4.2 million ($300,000 x 14) would be allocated to that league, and if only 12 of the 14 members meet the APR standard, then each of the 12 schools would receive $350,000 ($4.2 million / 12),[72] penalizing schools that fall below the threshold.[75]

Leadership

BCS Properties, LLC holds all properties related to the College Football Playoff.[76] Previous BCS commissioner Bill Hancock is the executive director of the playoff organization,[77] with former ACC Senior Associate Commissioner Michael Kelly as COO.[78] Like the BCS, the playoff system's management committee[79] consists of the conference commissioners from the 10 FBS conferences[80] and Notre Dame's athletic director.[21] The playoff system's headquarters is in Irving, Texas.[77]

Board of Managers

According to the CFP website, the system's operations are controlled by the Board of Managers, which consists of presidents and chancellors of the playoff group's member universities. The eleven members have sole authority to develop, review and approve annual budgets, policies and operating guidelines. The group also selects the company's officers.[81]

  • Rodney Bennett – President, Southern Mississippi (C-USA)
  • Anthony Frank – President, Colorado State (Mountain West)
  • Burns Hargis – President, Oklahoma State (Big 12)
  • Jack Hawkins – Chancellor, Troy (Sun Belt)
  • Rev. John I. Jenkins – President, Notre Dame (Independent)
  • Mark Keenum – President, Mississippi State (SEC)
  • Roderick McDavis – President, Ohio (MAC)
  • Max Nikias – President, USC (Pac-12)
  • Harvey Perlman (chair) – Chancellor, Nebraska (Big Ten)
  • Donna Shalala – President, Miami (Fla.) (ACC)
  • Steadman Upham – President, Tulsa (The American)

Athletics Directors Advisory Group

According to the CFP website, the Athletics Directors Advisory Group is appointed by the management committee to "offer counsel" on the operations of the system. As an advisory board, it has no authority in the management of the CFP.[81]

  • Gary Barta, Iowa (Big Ten)
  • Tom Bowen, Memphis (The American)
  • Tom Burman, Wyoming (Mountain West)
  • Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma (Big 12)
  • Jeremy Foley, Florida (SEC)
  • Dan Guerrero, UCLA (Pac-12)
  • Chris Massaro, Middle Tennessee State (C-USA)
  • Terry Mohajir, Arkansas State (Sun Belt)
  • Mike O'Brien, Toledo (MAC)
  • Stan Wilcox, Florida State (ACC)

Criticism

Although being generally well received,[7] the College Football Playoff has been criticized much like its predecessor, the Bowl Championship Series, which had several controversies.[82]

Team selection

Chief among the criticisms was the subjective element of the selection process such as basing rankings on metrics such as strength of schedule and conference as opposed to solely basing rankings on a team's win-loss record.[83][84]

One particular similarity between the old BCS[85] and the current Playoff system is both have been alleged to be biased toward schools, programs and conferences with large financial endowments[86] (being the perceived favoritism with the SEC the most outstanding argument),[87][88] hurting the chances of smaller schools with fewer athletic resources.[89] Undefeated teams from less wealthy conferences can be passed over for teams with losses from richer conferences.[90] For example, in 2017, Central Florida was the only undefeated team in FBS, but was passed over in favor of four 1-loss teams from the "Power-5" conferences. Central Florida went on to defeat Auburn (who had earlier defeated CFP champion Alabama and split a two-game season series with CFP runner-up Georgia) in the Peach Bowl.

Because the tournament has four teams, at least one Power Five champion misses the playoffs every season. However, not all teams selected have been conference winners. In the 2016–17 season, one of the teams selected was Ohio State, who did not qualify to the Big Ten Championship Game. As a result, both the Big Ten and Big 12 champions were not selected for the playoffs. In the 2017–18 season, two of the four selected teams were from the SEC: conference champions Georgia, and Alabama, who lost to SEC runner-up Auburn. Analysts have discussed whether the committee should select conference champions only.[91][92]

Another critique centered around a perceived bias against smaller conferences such as the Big 12 which used to not stage a conference championship game, but was reintroduced for the 2017 season. The American Athletic Conference addressed this issue by adding Navy to its ranks for 2015, bringing its membership to 12 teams, which allowed it to stage a conference championship game under then-current NCAA rules.[93] Starting with the 2016 season, FBS conferences will be allowed to stage football championship games even if they do not have 12 members.[94]

There are opinions labeling the CFP system "just as" or "even more polarizing" than the BCS or the old wire-service poll system.[95][96][97][98] However, most in sports media believe the College Football Playoff Committee got the right foursome for the 2017-18 playoff.[99][100][101]

Selection committee

The qualifications of selection committee members has also been scrutinized. As an outsider to the sports world, Condoleezza Rice was the focus of some criticism. Former Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden opined that the committee's members should be "people who played the game and preferably coached the game".[102] Former Auburn head coach Pat Dye said that "All she knows about football is what somebody told her ... or what she read in a book, or what she saw on television. To understand football, you've got to play with your hand in the dirt". Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese also gained membership on the selection committee despite having never played football in college.[103] Former sportswriter Steve Weiberg and retired U.S. Air Force General Michael Gould are other committee members without significant football playing, coaching or administrative experience.

Scheduling

The semifinal games for the 2015 season were scheduled for December 31; they were expected to have lower television viewership because the date is not a federal holiday, and because the second game faced heavy competition for television viewers in primetime from New Year's Eve specials (such as New Year's Rockin' Eve, which is aired by ESPN's sister broadcast network ABC). Under television contracts with ESPN that predate the College Football Playoff, both the Rose and Sugar Bowl games are guaranteed exclusive TV time slots on January 1 (or January 2 if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday), regardless of whether they are hosting a semifinal game.[104] In an interview with CBS Sports, CFP commissioner Bill Hancock suggested this scheduling issue would "change the paradigm of what New Year's Eve is all about," opining that "if you're hosting a New Year's Eve party, you better have a bunch of televisions around."[105] Although ESPN proposed moving the Thursday, December 31, 2015 semifinal games to Saturday, January 2, 2016, the idea was rejected.[106] The semifinal games' ratings were ultimately down significantly from those of the previous season.[67]

In an effort to reduce the impact of their New Year's Eve scheduling, the 2016 semifinal games, which fell on a Saturday, had earlier kickoff times, at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET respectively. The 2016 Orange Bowl was played in primetime on December 30, 2016, rather than in an early afternoon window on New Year's Eve. Hancock considered the earlier start times to be a compromise to reduce the games' intrusion into New Year's Eve festivities, but reiterated that there were no plans to move the semi-final games from New Year's Eve outside of years where they are hosted by the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.[107][108]

On July 28, 2016, however, Hancock reversed this stance and announced revisions to the scheduling for future College Football Playoff semi-final games. The games were rescheduled so that they will not necessarily be played on New Year's Eve yearly: outside of years when they are hosted by the Rose and Sugar Bowls (where they retain their traditional New Year's Day scheduling), they will now be scheduled primarily on the last Saturday or federally observed holiday of the year. In some years, this date will land on New Year's Eve. In 2021, the games will be played on Friday, December 31, because the day will be observed as a holiday.[9][109]

See also

References

  1. McMurphy, Brett (April 24, 2013). "Football playoff has name and site". ESPN. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Wolken, Dan (April 25, 2013). "Questions and answers for the College Football Playoff". USA Today. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  3. C.N. (14 January 2015). "The business of college football: Undisputed champs in a disputed sport". The Economist. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  4. Dodd, Dennis (24 June 2014). "Fringe benefit of College Football Playoff? No more mythical titles". CBS Sports. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  5. 1 2 Whitley, David (February 8, 2013). "College football playoff selection committee members will need witness protection". AOL.SportingNews.com. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  6. Tim Layden (November 29, 2004). "The BCS Mess". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Pete Thamel (December 31, 2006). "After Much Debate, College Football's Postseason Future Is Still Cloudy". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  8. Cooper, Ryan (2016-12-04). "College football bowls: New Year's Six matchups announced". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  9. 1 2 3 "College Football Playoff tweaks dates in upcoming seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  10. 1 2 Heather Dinch (June 27, 2012). "Playoff plan to run through 2025". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  11. Dennis Dodd (July 23, 2013). "New College Football Playoff will reportedly feature a new trophy". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  12. 1 2 "College Football Playoff Announces Selection Committee". College Football Playoff official website. October 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 18, 2013.
  13. Frequently Asked Questions and Answers About the College Football Playoff Selection Committee Archived 2014-01-26 at the Wayback Machine., College Football Playoff, January 21, 2014
  14. Jeff Long to Serve as Chairman of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, College Football Playoff, October 13, 2013
  15. 1 2 Dinich, Heather (August 27, 2017). "Meet the College Football Playoff selection committee". ESPN.con. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  16. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2018/01/17/oregon-ad-mullens-to-be-playoff-selection-committee-chairman/109543808/
  17. 1 2 3 Matt Hayes (July 17, 2013). "College Football Playoff selection committee to include current ADs". SportingNews.com. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  18. Schroeder, Dave (July 16, 2014). "Power Five's College Football Playoff revenues will double what BCS paid". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014.
  19. Brett McMurphy (May 29, 2013). "Parameters for selectors in place". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  20. "Phil Fulmer eyes selection committee". August 9, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  21. 1 2 Pat Forde (June 18, 2013). "College Football Playoff brass one step closer to establishing selection committee". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  22. 1 2 George Schroeder (Sep 25, 2013). "Playoff selection committee to be set by season's end". USA Today. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  23. "Haden Steps Down". ESPN.com. October 30, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  24. "Oliver Luck joins NCAA". ESPN.com. December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  25. 1 2 Heather Dinich (January 9, 2015). "Bill Hancock, Archie Manning talk playoff". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  26. Hancock Announces Membership Changes to CFP Selection Committee Archived 2015-03-29 at the Wayback Machine., Collegefootballplayoff.com, Mar 27, 2015
  27. "Lloyd Carr resigns from CFP for health reasons". Sportingnews.com.
  28. Stewart Mandel (October 16, 2013). "Condoleezza Rice discusses her role on the selection committee". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  29. Chuck Carlton (October 15, 2013). "How controversial Condoleezza Rice pick will affect Dallas' national championship game". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  30. Brett McMurphy (April 29, 2014). "CFP to release rankings on Tuesdays". ESPN.com. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  31. 1 2 3 George Schroeder (April 3, 2014). "College Football Playoff committee discusses recusals". USA Today. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  32. Stewart Mandel (March 10, 2014). "How could a mid-major qualify for the College Football Playoff?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  33. Jon Solomon (July 17, 2013). "Report: College Football Playoff committee will use current athletics directors". AL.com. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  34. Tom Van Riper (March 1, 2014). "College Football's Playoff Problem". Forbes.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  35. 1 2 3 4 "Playoff committee sets parameters". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  36. Stewart Mandel (April 30, 2014). "College Football Playoff to release polls ... but why?". SI.com. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  37. 1 2 George Schroeder (May 1, 2014). "Playoff decided on field, but questioned everywhere else". USA Today. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  38. Jenni Carlson (December 2, 2015). "How an Oklahoma software developer wound up in the middle of college football's biggest decision". newsok.com. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  39. Mark Schlabach (May 1, 2014). "How to say 'I recuse myself'?". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  40. Dennis Dodd (April 30, 2014). "Flimsy recusal policy puts bull's-eye on playoff selection committee". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  41. Brad Edwards (December 18, 2013). "The playoff's SOS problem". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  42. Stephen J. Nesbitt (March 10, 2014). "Lure of big game alters NCAA football". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  43. 1 2 Ross Dellinger (April 6, 2014). "How Verge Ausberry, LSU approach modern-day football schedules". The Advocate. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  44. Kevin Scarbinsky (February 3, 2014). "Doesn't Auburn know Thursday nights are where top-10 teams go to die?". AL.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  45. 1 2 "SEC sticking with 8-game league football schedule". Associated Press. April 27, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  46. 1 2 Jon Solomon (March 7, 2014). "Majority of SEC ADs favor 8 league football games, but presidents will help as decision nears". AL.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  47. Dennis Dodd (March 3, 2014). "Will the playoff selection committee influence conference scheduling?". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  48. Andrea Adelson and Brett McMurphy (May 14, 2014). "Vote: ACC games as nonconference". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  49. McMurphy, Brett (January 29, 2015). "ACC: BYU to count as Power 5 team". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  50. Heather Dinich (February 6, 2014). "ACC coaches to discuss 9-game schedule". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  51. Heather Dinich (April 29, 2014). "ACC schedule not set; vote looms?". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  52. Jeremy Fowler (April 27, 2014). "ACC watching SEC's 8- vs. 9-game scheduling decision closely". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  53. Tim Tucker (April 18, 2014). "Chick-fil-A Bowl will restore 'Peach' to its name". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
  54. Staff reports (July 22, 2013). "Sources: 'New Year's Six' likely the working title for College Football Playoff's six bowl games". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  55. "College Football Playoff Releases Details of Selection Committee Procedure". College Football Playoff. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  56. The Playoff factsheet, College Football Playoff, January 2014
  57. Stewart Mandel (12 November 2012). "Stewart Mandel: Big East, rest of 'Group of Five' score victory with six-bowl decision". SI.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  58. Jerry Hinnen (August 7, 2013). "CFB playoff opens bidding for 2016, '17 championship games". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  59. "ESPN to televise college football playoff in 12-year deal". ESPN. April 24, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  60. "ESPN Reaches 12-Year College Football Agreement With Orange Bowl". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on January 7, 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  61. "ESPN Strikes Deal for College Football Playoff". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  62. "College Football Playoff final sets ratings record for ESPN, cable TV". Los Angeles Times. January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  63. Chicago Tribune (January 13, 2015). "New college football playoff draws larger TV audience for title game". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  64. "Win for ESPN, but Title Game Is the Real Test". The New York Times. January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  65. Derek Volner (January 13, 2015). "College Football Playoff National Championship on ESPN Delivers Largest Audience in Cable History; ESPN Streaming Record for non-World Cup Programming". ESPN Media Zone. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  66. Bill Chappell (January 13, 2015). "College Football Championship Sets A New Cable Ratings Record". NPR. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  67. 1 2 "College Football Playoff TV ratings drop with New Year's Eve time slots". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  68. 1 2 John Ourand and Michael Smith (November 9, 2012). "ESPN homes in on 12-year BCS package". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  69. Jerry Hinnen (November 21, 2012). "ESPN reaches 12-year deal to air college football playoffs". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  70. Chrise Smith (April 27, 2012). "A BCS Playoff TV Contract Will Be Worth More Than $1 Billion". Forbes. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  71. 1 2 3 4 5 6 George Schroeder (December 12, 2012). "College football playoff revenue distribution set". USA Today. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  72. 1 2 3 Brett McMurphy (December 11, 2012). "Big earnings for power conferences". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  73. Michael Smith & John Ourand (October 15, 2012). "ESPN focuses on BCS, Big East media rights". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  74. Mark Schlabach (June 26, 2012). "Playoff approved, questions remain". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  75. Ralph D. Russo (November 12, 2012). "College football playoff to have 6 games, not 7". Associated Press. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  76. Kercheval, Ben (23 April 2013). "College football's new playoff will be called… 'College Football Playoff'".
  77. 1 2 Vahe Gregorian (July 1, 2013). "As College Football Playoff nears, Bill Hancock readies for change". Kansas City Star. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  78. Michael Smith (November 19, 2013). "ACC's Kelly joins football playoff system". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  79. Stewart Mandel (June 20, 2013). "College Football Playoff crazy to forgo committee 'dry run' in 2013". SI.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  80. Stewart Mandel (April 23, 2013). "Flawed BCS replaced with better, if imperfect College Football Playoff". SI.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  81. 1 2 "Governane". College Football Playoff. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  82. "Lessons of 2011 may still apply to College Football Playoff process". USA TODAY. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  83. Chuck Culpepper (7 December 2014). "College Football Playoff field set but controversy lingers with Ohio State in, TCU snubbed". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  84. Pete Thamel (7 December 2014). "Vague playoff criteria set to cause chaos after Championship Saturday". SI.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  85. Shurtleff, Mark L. (October 1, 2011). "BCS has devolved college football into unfairness, greed". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  86. Fox Sports. "Videos - FOX Sports". FOX Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  87. Michael Bird (6 January 2015). "What the hell happened to the SEC West?". SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  88. "SEC Has Fallen And Can't Get Up". 17 November 2016.
  89. Fox Sports. "Baylor, TCU take it on the chin yet again from CFP committee". FOX Sports. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  90. Will Leitch. "The playoff may still be unkind to undefeated teams". SportsonEarth.com. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  91. Will the Alabama Outrage Spur More Changes to College Football's Format? - Andy Staples, Sports Illustrated, 3 December 2017
  92. College Football Playoff: Alabama Is In, Ohio State Is Out - Marc Tracy, Los Angeles Times, 3 December 2017
  93. Jon Wilner (7 December 2014). "College football: Controversy reigns, as ever, over playoff selections". The Mercury News. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  94. "College football: FBS conferences with fewer than 12 members now able to hold championship game" (Press release). NCAA. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  95. "8 teams the College Football Playoff committee got totally wrong - FOX Sports".
  96. "Is College Football Playoff Committee Losing Its Legitimacy?". 7 November 2016.
  97. "The College Football Playoff has become more controversial than the BCS". Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  98. "Joel Klatt: The College Football Playoff Committee is a joke - THE HERD - FOX Sports".
  99. "Column: 'Bama in, Buckeyes out? CFP selection committee got it right - Chicago Tribune".
  100. "Why the selection committee got it right - ESPN.com".
  101. "College Football Playoff selection committee got it right with Alabama - Washington Post".
  102. Kevin Trahan (27 October 2014). "Tommy Bowden does not think Condoleezza Rice should be on the College Football Playoff committee". SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  103. Cork Gaines (8 October 2013). "People Don't Want Condoleezza Rice On College Football's Playoff Selection Committee - Business Insider". Business Insider. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  104. "College Football Playoff drops ball with 2015 New Year's Eve semis". SI.com. January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  105. Tony Barnhart (January 6, 2014). "Before BCS ends, the whens, wheres, whys of College Football Playoff". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  106. Richard Deitsch (July 2, 2015). "A daunting task: Can the CFP, ESPN change old New Year's Eve habits?". SI.com. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  107. "Orange Bowl game is shifted to prime time on Dec. 30". Miami Herald. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  108. "The 2017 College Football Playoff will still be on New Year's Eve, but it'll start earlier". SB Nation. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  109. "College Football Playoff semis will only be on Saturdays or holidays". SI.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.