College Football Playoff

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

College Football Playoff
In operation2014–present
Preceded byBowl Championship Series (1998–2013)
Bowl Alliance (1995–1997)
Bowl Coalition (1992–1994)
Number of playoff games3 (championship game, 2 semifinal games)
Championship trophyCollege Football Playoff National Championship Trophy
Television partner(s)ESPN (2014–present)
Most playoff appearancesAlabama & Clemson (5)
Most playoff winsAlabama & Clemson (6)
Most playoff championshipsAlabama & Clemson (2)
Conference with most appearancesSEC (7)
Conference with most game winsSEC (9)
Conference with most championshipsSEC (3)
Last championship game2020 College Football Playoff National Championship
Current championLSU
Executive directorBill Hancock
WebsiteCollegeFootballPlayoff.com

The inaugural tournament was held at the end of the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was won by the Ohio State Buckeyes, who defeated the Oregon Ducks in the championship game.[2] After the first season, the playoff was dominated for several years by two teams, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers; they faced each other in the championship game three times, and in one other year they met in the semifinals.

A 13-member committee selects and seeds the four teams to take part in the CFP.[3] 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.[4][5]

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.[6] 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,[7] 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.[8]

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 (as the AFCA was contractually obligated to name the BCS champion as the Coaches Poll champion).[9]

As the NCAA does not organize or award an official national championship for FBS football (instead merely recognizing the decisions made by any of a number of independent major championship selectors), 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.[10][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]

As of March 2020, the members of the selection committee are:[12][14]

Member Position Conference affiliation[lower-alpha 1] Recusals[lower-alpha 2] Term expires
Gary Barta (chair)Iowa athletic directorBig TenIowaFebruary 2022
Paola BoivinFormer Arizona Republic reporter, current Arizona State faculty memberN/AArizona StateFebruary 2021
Tom BurmanWyoming athletic directorMWWyomingFebruary 2023
Joe CastiglioneOklahoma athletic directorBig 12OklahomaFebruary 2021
Rick GeorgeColorado athletic directorPac-12ColoradoFebruary 2023
Ken HatfieldFormer Rice, Air Force, Arkansas and Clemson head coachN/ANoneFebruary 2021
Ronnie LottFormer USC defensive backN/ANoneFebruary 2021
Terry MohajirArkansas State athletic directorSun BeltArkansas StateFebruary 2022
Ray OdiernoFormer Army Chief of StaffN/ANC StateFebruary 2022
R. C. SlocumFormer Texas A&M coach and interim athletic directorSECArizona State, Texas A&MFebruary 2022
Todd StansburyGeorgia Tech athletic directorACCGeorgia TechFebruary 2021
Scott StricklinFlorida athletic directorSECFlorida, Mississippi StateFebruary 2021
John UrschelFormer Penn State offensive tackleN/ANoneFebruary 2023
  1. Current or former, athletic department administration only.
  2. Any programs for which members are required to recuse themselves from voting or discussions, generally due to the committee member or an immediate member of their family being employed by a school or being on the coaching staff or administrative staff of a school.[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.[16][17] 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,[16] excluding current conference commissioners, coaches, and media members.[18] During the selection process, organizers said they wanted the committee to be geographically balanced.[19] Conference commissioners submitted lists totaling more than 100 names from which to select the final committee members.[20][21]

Past members
MemberPositionConference affiliation[lower-alpha 1]Season(s)Replaced by
Barry AlvarezWisconsin athletic director and former head coachBig Ten2014–16Gene Smith
Frank BeamerFormer Virginia Tech head coachACC[lower-alpha 2]2017–20John Urschel
Jeff BowerFormer Southern Miss head coachN/A2016–19Terry Mohajir
Lloyd CarrFormer Michigan coachBig Ten—[lower-alpha 3]Chris Howard
Herb DeromediFormer Central Michigan head coachN/A2016–19Ray Odierno
Michael C. GouldFormer Air Force Academy superintendentN/A2014–15Jeff Bower
Pat HadenFormer USC athletic director; former USC quarterbackPac-122014[lower-alpha 4]Rob Mullens
Kirby HocuttTexas Tech athletic director; former Kansas State linebackerBig 122015–18Joe Castiglione
Christopher B. HowardRobert Morris University President; former Air Force running backN/A2017–20Tom Burman
Tom JernstedtFormer NCAA executive vice president; former Oregon quarterbackN/A2014–18Ronnie Lott
Bobby JohnsonFormer Vanderbilt head coach; former Clemson playerN/A2015–19R. C. Slocum
Oliver LuckFormer West Virginia athletic directorBig 122014[lower-alpha 5]Kirby Hocutt
Jeff LongFormer Arkansas athletic directorSEC2014–18Scott Stricklin
Archie ManningFormer NFL and Ole Miss quarterbackN/A—[lower-alpha 6]Bobby Johnson
Rob MullensOregon athletic directorPac-122017–20Rick George
Tom OsborneFormer Nebraska coach and athletic directorBig Ten/Big 122014–15Lloyd Carr
Dan RadakovichClemson athletic directorACC2014–18Todd Stansbury
Condoleezza RiceFormer United States Secretary of StateN/A2014–16Frank Beamer
Gene SmithOhio State athletic directorBig Ten2017–19Gary Barta
Mike TrangheseFormer Big East commissionerThe American2014–15Herb Deromedi
Steve WiebergFormer USA Today reporterN/A2014–18Paola Boivin
Tyrone WillinghamFormer Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington head coachN/A2014–18Ken Hatfield

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.[27][28]

  1. Current or former, athletic department administration only.
  2. Beamer is listed as being affiliated with the ACC because he was employed by Virginia Tech in a non-coaching role during his CFP committee tenure.
  3. Left the committee in 2016 before the season started for health reasons. Committee stayed at 12 members rather than replacing him.[22]
  4. Stepped down October 30, 2015, citing health reasons and instability at USC. Did not participate in 2015 season committee.[23]
  5. 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]
  6. 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]

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.[29] 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,[30] reportedly meets in person up to 10 total times a year.[21]

A team's strength of schedule is one of the most pertinent considerations for the committee in making its selections.[31] Other factors that the committee weighs are conference championships, team records, and head-to-head results,[8] plus other points such as injuries and weather.[32] Unlike the BCS system, the AP Poll, Coaches' Poll, and the Harris Poll, computer rankings are not used to make the selections.[3][16] Advanced statistics and metrics are expected to be submitted to the committee, though like other analytics, they have no formal role in the decision.[33] Committee members are not required to attend games.[30]

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."[34] 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."[35] 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.[36]

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.[37] 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.[34] Each week's ranking process begins anew, with no weight given to the previous week's selections.[36] 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.[34] All committee members have past ties to certain NCAA institutions,[30] 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.[34] 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.[38][39]

Selections by year

To date, 21 of the 24 teams selected for the College Football Playoff have been undefeated or 1-loss conference champions from Power Five conferences. Two 1-loss Power Five teams have been selected without playing in their conference championship game. One undefeated independent team has been selected. No teams from the "Group of Five" conferences or with two or more losses have been selected.

SeasonSelectedNot Selected
P5 – ChampionP5 – Other 0/1-loss teamsP5 – ChampionP5 – Other 0/1-loss teamsG5 – Ranked Champion
2014–151 Alabama (12–1)
2 Oregon (12–1)
3 Florida State (13–0)
4 Ohio State (12–1)		5 Baylor (11–1)
6 TCU (11–1)		20 Boise State (11–2)
2015–161 Clemson (13–0)
2 Alabama (12–1)
3 Michigan State (12–1)
4 Oklahoma (11–1)		6 Stanford (11–2)5 Iowa (12–1)
7 Ohio State (11–1)		18 Houston (12–1)
2016–171 Alabama (13–0)
2 Clemson (12–1)
4 Washington (12–1)		3 Ohio State (11–1)5 Penn State (11–2)
7 Oklahoma (10–2)		15 Western Michigan (13–0)
24 Temple (10-3)
2017–181 Clemson (12–1)
2 Oklahoma (12–1)
3 Georgia (12–1)		4 Alabama (11–1)5 Ohio State (11-2)
8 USC (11-2)		6 Wisconsin (12–1)12 UCF (12–0)
2018–191 Alabama (13–0)
2 Clemson (13–0)
4 Oklahoma (12–1)		3 Notre Dame (12–0)6 Ohio State (12–1)
9 Washington (10-3)		8 UCF (12–0)
21 Fresno State (10–2)
2019–201 LSU (13–0)
2 Ohio State (13–0)
3 Clemson (13–0)
4 Oklahoma (12–1)		6 Oregon (11–2)17 Memphis (12–1)
19 Boise State (12–1)
20 Appalachian State (12–1)

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[40]

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.[41]

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.[42][43]

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.[44] 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."[45] 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.[45][46] 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".[44] In 2014, the first year of the College Football Playoff, one team (Georgia) 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.[42] 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,[47] as will games against another FBS independent, BYU.[48] Despite the push to increase schedule strength, some ACC coaches preferred the scheduling flexibility available with fewer permanent fixtures on a team's slate.[49] Opinion was split among league athletic directors on moving to a nine-game schedule prior to the vote.[50] An SEC expansion to a nine-game schedule would limit the ACC's opportunities to play Power Five non-conference opponents.[51]

Semifinals
Main article: List of College Football Playoff games

The College Football Playoff uses a four-team knockout bracket to determine the national champion. Six bowl games—the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl– rotate as hosts for the semifinals.[52] 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.[53] Three of these bowls played per day, typically on consecutive days that include New Year's Day.[1] 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.[54]

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 chooses its bowl game 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.[1] However, some non-semifinal bowl selections still maintain their conference tie-ins, similarly to the BCS's automatic qualifier berths.[55] A team from one of the "Group of Five" conferences is guaranteed a spot in one of the New Year's Six bowls.[56]

SeasonSemifinalWinnerLoserScore AttendanceVenue
2014–15Rose Bowl2 Oregon (12–1)3 Florida State (13–0)59–20 91,322Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Sugar Bowl4 Ohio State (12–1)1 Alabama (12–1)42–35 74,682Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
2015–16Orange Bowl1 Clemson (13–0)4 Oklahoma (11–1)37–17 67,615Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Cotton Bowl2 Alabama (12–1)3 Michigan State (12–1)38–0 82,812AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2016–17Peach Bowl1 Alabama (13–0)4 Washington (12–1)24–7 75,996Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Fiesta Bowl2 Clemson (12–1)3 Ohio State (11–1)31–0 71,279University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
2017–18Rose Bowl3 Georgia (12–1)2 Oklahoma (12–1)54–48 2OT 92,844 Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California
Sugar Bowl4 Alabama (11–1)1 Clemson (12–1)24–6 72,360Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
2018–19Orange Bowl1 Alabama (13–0)4 Oklahoma (12–1)45–34 66,203Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Cotton Bowl2 Clemson (13–0)3 Notre Dame (12–0)30–3 72,183AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2019–20Peach Bowl1 LSU (13–0) 4 Oklahoma (12–1) 63–28 78,387 Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Fiesta Bowl3 Clemson (13–0) 2 Ohio State (13–0) 29–23 71,330 State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Championship game
Main article: College Football Playoff National Championship

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.[57] Under the system, cities cannot host both a semifinal game and the title game in the same year.

SeasonChampionRunner-upScore AttendanceVenue
2014–154 Ohio State (13–1)2 Oregon (13–1)42–20 85,689AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
2015–162 Alabama (13–1)1 Clemson (14–0)45–40 75,765University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
2016–172 Clemson (13–1)1 Alabama (14–0)35–31 74,512Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
2017–184 Alabama (12–1)3 Georgia (13–1) 26–23 OT 77,430Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
2018–19 2 Clemson (14–0) 1 Alabama (14–0) 44–16 74,814 Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
2019–20 1 LSU (14–0) 3 Clemson (14–0) 42–25 76,885 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
2020–21 Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
2021–22 Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
2022–23 SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
2023–24 NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Appearances
For the list of College Football Playoff National Champions, see College Football Playoff National Championship.
Alabama
Clemson
Oklahoma
Ohio State
Florida
State
Georgia
LSU
Michigan State
Notre
Dame
Oregon
Washington
Teams that have appeared in the College Football Playoff
5 appearances, 4 appearances, 3 appearances,
2 appearances, 1 appearance
Alabama
Clemson
LSU
Ohio State
Teams that have won the College Football Playoff
2 championships, 1 championship

Appearances by team
App Team CH W L Pct Year Results
5 [[Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]] 2 6 3 .667 2014 L Sugar
[[2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2015]] W Cotton
W Championship Game
2016 W Peach
L Championship Game
[[2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2017]] W Sugar
W Championship Game
2018 W Orange
L Championship Game
5 [[Clemson Tigers football|Clemson]] 2 6 3 .667 2015 W Orange
L Championship Game
[[2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2016]] W Fiesta
W Championship Game
2017 L Sugar
[[2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2018]] W Cotton
W Championship Game
2019 W Fiesta
L Championship Game
4 [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma]] 0 0 4 .000 2015 L Orange
2017 L Rose
2018 L Orange
2019 L Peach
3 [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]] 1 2 2 .500 [[2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2014]] W Sugar
W Championship Game
2016 L Fiesta
2019 L Fiesta
1 [[LSU Tigers football|LSU]] 1 2 0 1.000 [[2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season|2019]] W Peach
W Championship Game
1 [[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon]] 0 1 1 .500 2014 W Rose
L Championship Game
1 [[Georgia Bulldogs football|Georgia]] 0 1 1 .500 2017 W Rose
L Championship Game
1 [[Florida State Seminoles football|Florida State]] 0 0 1 .000 2014 L Rose
1 [[Michigan State Spartans football|Michigan State]] 0 0 1 .000 2015 L Cotton
1 [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] 0 0 1 .000 2018 L Cotton
1 [[Washington Huskies football|Washington]] 0 0 1 .000 2016 L Peach

Appearances by conference
ConferenceAppearancesWLPctChampionships# of teamsTeam(s)
SEC794.692†33Alabama (5)
Georgia (1)
LSU (1)
ACC664.60022Clemson (5)
Florida State (1)
Big Ten423.40012Ohio State (3)
Michigan State (1)
Big 12404.00001Oklahoma (4)
Pac-12212.33302Oregon (1)
Washington (1)
FBS independents101.00001Notre Dame (1)

† The 2018 Championship Game featured SEC teams Alabama and Georgia. The SEC has a record of 8–3 (.727) in games against other conferences.

Broadcasting

The television broadcast rights to all six CFP bowls and the National Championship are owned by ESPN through at least the 2025 season.[58] 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.[59] 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.[60]

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[61] 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).[62] The semifinal games, the 2015 Rose Bowl and 2015 Sugar Bowl, saw 28.16 million and 28.27 million viewers, respectively.[63] According to ESPN, these games also set (and briefly held) all-time records for cable TV viewership.[64][65]

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.[66] The decline in ratings was a factor in changes for the scheduling of future CFP semi-final games.[7]

Revenue

In 2012, ESPN reportedly agreed to pay 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,[67] plus $470–475 million annually for the rest of the package.[68] By comparison, the most recent contract with the BCS and the Rose Bowl had paid approximately $155 million per year for five games.[69]

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.[70][71]

Extra revenue goes to conferences in contracts with the Rose, Sugar, and Orange bowls, which split revenue 50/50 between their participating leagues.[70] 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.[67] 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.[72] 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).[70]

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.[70]

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.[70][71] 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."[73] The playoff system awards academic performance bonuses of $300,000 per school for meeting the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate standard of 930.[70] 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),[71] penalizing schools that fall below the threshold.[74]

Leadership

BCS Properties, LLC holds all properties related to the College Football Playoff.[75] Previous BCS commissioner Bill Hancock is the executive director of the playoff organization,[76] with former ACC Senior Associate Commissioner Michael Kelly as COO.[77] Like the BCS, the playoff system's management committee[78] consists of the conference commissioners from the 10 FBS conferences[79] and Notre Dame's athletic director.[20] The playoff system's headquarters is in Irving, Texas.[76]

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.[80]

  • 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.[80]

Criticism

Although being generally well received,[5] the College Football Playoff has been criticized much like its predecessor, the Bowl Championship Series, which had several controversies.[81]

Team selection

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 (although both teams had two losses, while Ohio State only had one). 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.[82][83]

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.[84] Since the 2016 season, FBS conferences have been allowed to stage football championship games even if they do not have 12 members.[85]

There are opinions labeling the CFP system "just as" or "even more polarizing" than the BCS or the old wire-service poll system.[86][87][88][89] However, most in sports media believe the College Football Playoff Committee got the right foursome for the 2017-18 playoff inasmuch as it included Alabama, a one-loss team excluded from its conference championship on a tiebreaker, instead of Ohio State, a two-loss conference champion.[90][91][92] None of the commentators who agreed with the selection made any reference to the exclusion of undefeated UCF, a Group of Five team with a perfect season and a record that was thus better than all four CFP teams, which each had lost once.

In 2019 Urban Meyer, head coach of the national champion 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, said that he intentionally ran up the score against Wisconsin in the Big Ten conference championship to help his team be chosen for the playoff. Criticizing the subjectivity of the selection process, Meyer said that he left the starting lineup in the game despite Ohio State being ahead 45-0 in the third quarter—not resting the starters and risking their health, and poor sportsmanship—because "I don't think the 'eye test' and 'people think' is going to get enough to bump TCU and Baylor". He continued, "I had a job to do, and that was to get Ohio State in the playoff. Do I think that's right? That's wrong", proposing a selection system based on defined criteria.[93]

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".[94] 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.[95] 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.[96] 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."[97] Although ESPN proposed moving the Thursday, December 31, 2015 semifinal games to Saturday, January 2, 2016, the idea was rejected.[98] The semifinal games' ratings were ultimately down significantly from those of the previous season.[66]

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.[99][100]

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.[7][101] Viewership of the 2018 semi-finals were down by 25% over the previous semi-finals, which were played on New Year's Day.[102]

Eight-team playoff proposal

A common suggestion is for the playoff to expand to an eight-team format, guaranteeing all five major conference champions a spot along with the highest ranked "Group of Five" champion. The remaining two spots would be at-large selections awarded to the next two highest ranking teams. The seed pairings would be ordered to fit the playoff format, with 1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.

NCAA coaches were polled and asked if they were in favor of a larger playoff system. More than half of the coaches (53 percent) from the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12) who voted chose an eight-team playoff, compared with 33 percent for the four-team model.[103] CFP executive director Bill Hancock said his group is committed to only four teams for the next 12 years, and "there has been no discussion of expanding."

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See also

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