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College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff Chronology

  • With the fourth Bowl Championship Series (BCS) four-year term set to conclude after the 2013-2014 season, the commissioners began creating a process for considering possible formats for the future. These discussions occurred during teleconferences October 4 and 12. The Presidential Oversight Committee members addressed the matter further in their in-person meeting in Denver on November 14.

  • During the winter and spring, the commissioners and presidents spent countless hours evaluating the many pros and cons of numerous possible formats. These formats ranged from returning to the old bowl system with no attempt to match the top two teams, to continuing the BCS, to creating a multi-team tournament.

    The commissioners met in person on January 10 in New Orleans, February 21-22 and March 26 in Dallas and several times by teleconference. They affirmed a commitment to protect college football’s regular season, the best in sports, and to preserve the bowl tradition and the bowl experience for student-athletes. Further, they focused on the realities of the academic calendar and options related to where the games should be played. They self-imposed a deadline of the summer of 2012 to decide what changes to propose to the presidents.

  • At a meeting in Hollywood, Florida, the commissioners took both an eight-team and a 16-team playoff off the table. They prepared a small number of four-team options for discussion in the conference meetings to be held in May. They discussed in detail the advantages and disadvantages of various ways to rank or qualify teams.

  • The commissioners met in Chicago to report on the consensus regarding the playoff that was developed during their recent conference meetings.

  • Meeting in the Sullivan Room at the InterContinental hotel in downtown Chicago, the commissioners voted unanimously to recommend a four-team playoff for 12 years beginning in 2014-2015, with a selection committee choosing the participating teams.

  • Meeting at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, D.C., the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee members voted unanimously to submit legislation to the NCAA Board of Directors that would allow two institutions to participate in two postseason games each year—thereby creating what eventually would be named the College Football Playoff. The presidential group adopted the format and policies that had been recommended by the commissioners on June 20. The NCAA would approve the proposal in August.

    The presidents and chancellors also endorsed:
    • Rotating the Playoff Semifinals among six bowl sites and playing the national championship game at neutral sites under the management of the conferences;

    • Creating a selection committee that would rank the teams to play, giving all the teams an equal opportunity to participate. (among the factors the committee would be instructed to value were win-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and whether a team is a conference champion);

    • Playing the Playoff Semifinals New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day;

    • Creating “Championship Monday” by setting the date of the national championship game on the first Monday in January that is six or more days after the Playoff Semifinals;

    • Establishing the new format to cover a 12-year term, from the 2014-15 season through the 2025-26 season;

    • Distributing revenue from the playoff according to a formula that (a) rewards conferences for success on the field, (b) accommodates teams’ expenses, (c) acknowledges marketplace factors, (d) rewards academic performance of student-athletes, and (e) eliminates the “automatic qualification” designation.

  • The commissioners agreed to select the host for the first national championship game only, and to choose future hosts later.

  • In a Denver meeting, the presidents and chancellors unanimously approved the format that called for a stand-alone national championship game and Playoff Semifinals rotating evenly among three contract bowls and three other bowls over the 12 years. The group also took the following actions:
    • Adopted a revenue-distribution plan and agreed to review it after four years to determine whether the allocations should be revised;

    • Agreed that the academic pool would be distributed through the conferences or processed directly to the independent institutions;

    • Guaranteed a spot in one of the six bowls to the highest-ranked champion from the Big East (later became the American Athletic), Conference USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Sun Belt conferences, as determined by the selection committee, when such champion does not qualify to play in one of the Playoff Semifinals;

    • Confirmed that the media rights would cover 12 national championship games, 24 Playoff Semifinals and 24 host bowls;

    • Supported the concept of not having a title sponsor for the national championship game;

    • Decided that the Rose and Sugar bowls would host Playoff Semifinals in the same year; Orange Bowl and Host 1 in the same year; and Host 2 and Host 3 in the same year.

    • Agreed that the champion of a contract-bowl conference that is displaced by the Playoff Semifinals will play in one of the host bowls;

    • Voted to create a limited liability corporation (LLC) to manage the event, with the presidents and chancellors serving as the Board of Managers.

  • The Presidential Oversight Committee named Bill Hancock Executive Director. Hancock had been Executive Director of the BCS for three years. He had become BCS administrator in October 2005.

  • Michael Kelly was named Chief Operating Officer.

  • The group and ESPN reached an agreement in principle for ESPN to present the games for 12 years on an exclusive basis across its platforms. The agreement included the national championship game and Playoff Semifinals, as well as other bowl games that would be a part of the rotation to host the Playoff Semifinals.

  • During a meeting in Miami, the commissioners unanimously agreed that the new event would launch with Playoff Semifinals on January 1, 2015, in the Rose and Sugar bowls. The group also agreed that the Orange Bowl and a yet-to-be-named bowl would host the Playoff Semifinals in the second year. The hosts in the third year were also yet to be named.

  • Hancock and Kelly opened a temporary headquarters in the Conference USA suite of offices at 5201 N. O’Connor Blvd. in Irving, Texas.

  • Reid Sigmon was named Chief Financial Officer.

  • The management committee unanimously agreed to implement a philanthropic program when the new structure began. It also decided that the new event warranted a new trophy.

  • CFP Administration, LLC, a limited liability company, was organized to manage the administrative operation of the College Football Playoff. Under its operating agreement, members of the company were the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame. The company would be governed by a board of managers, consisting of a university president or chancellor nominated by each member. Day-to-day operations of the company were to be managed by a management committee, consisting of the FBS commissioners and the Notre Dame athletics director.

  • The name “College Football Playoff” was adopted for the new event and was announced in a news conference in Pasadena. Also, the group invited fans to choose the logo through an online voting process.

  • Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was named to host the first national championship game of the new era. Also, the Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl and Peach Bowl were selected to be part of the Playoff Semifinal host rotation. The management committee established the following Playoff Semifinal rotation: year 1 – Rose and Sugar; year 2 – Orange and Cotton; year 3 – Peach and Fiesta. Also, it was agreed that, for the sake of consistency, the name of a bowl participating in the arrangement should include specific wording, either traditional or descriptive of the local culture, in addition to the title sponsor’s name.

  • The management committee formulated plans for the selection committee, including, (1) it would be comprised of no more than 18 members; (2) each conference would be invited to nominate prospective members; (3) the management committee would choose the members and their terms, and also the chair; (4) committee members would not receive honoraria but would receive expense reimbursement; (5) members would serve three-year terms, with selected individuals’ terms being two or four years initially until a rotation were achieved; and (6) members would not be eligible for re-election after their terms expire.

  • Some 101,670 fans participating in an online ballot chose the “gold football” as the CFP’s official logo. It received 38 percent of the vote, compared with 25 percent, 24 percent and 13 percent for the other three candidates.

  • The board agreed to locate the headquarters for CFP Administration LLC in Irving, Texas, at 545 East John Carpenter Freeway, in The Summit building. The office would open August 5.

  • The management committee decided several matters related to the selection committee, including: (1) members would fall into one of five classifications, including sitting athletics directors, and persons with experience as coaches, student-athletes, administrators and journalists; (2) persons currently working for media agencies, or serving as commentators in any media, are not eligible to serve; (3) five slots would go to athletics directors from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12; (4) each nominee for the selection committee must be approved by unanimous consent of the management committee; and (5) selection committee members would not be expected to attend games in person and the CFP would not reimburse expenses for those who do attend games.

  • Membership of the first selection committee was announced at a news conference at the CFP headquarters in Irving, Texas. The 13 members were Barry Alvarez, athletics director, Wisconsin; Mike Gould, former superintendent, Air Force Academy; Pat Haden, athletics director, Southern California; Tom Jernstedt, former NCAA executive vice president; Jeff Long (chair), vice chancellor and athletics director, Arkansas; Oliver Luck, athletics director, West Virginia; Archie Manning, former student-athlete, Mississippi; Tom Osborne, former athletics director and coach, Nebraska; Dan Radakovich, athletics director, Clemson; Condoleezza Rice, former provost, Stanford; Mike Tranghese, former commissioner, Big East conference; Steve Wieberg, former journalist, USA Today; and Tyrone Willingham, former head coach, Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington.

  • The board of managers authorized creation of the CFP Foundation.

  • The selection committee met for the first time, at the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C. The members reviewed the proposed protocol and conducted an exercise on assigning teams to bowl sites.

  • Arizona and Tampa Bay were named to host the national championship games in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

  • The CFP honored former Southeastern Conference commissioner Roy Kramer during pregame festivities at the final BCS national championship game in Pasadena.

  • Applications for the first College Football Playoff random ticket drawing began being accepted. Fans could apply for tickets to attend the national championship game January 12, 2015.

  • It was determined that the selection committee would compile rankings seven times during the season, including selection Sunday. The rankings were to be announced Tuesday evenings beginning October 28. Also, the selection committee’s recusal policy and voting procedures were announced.

  • The group formally launched its philanthropic initiative, Extra Yard for Teachers, to honor and support teachers nationally and in the communities that host the College Football Playoff National Championship.

  • Ticket prices for the 2015 national championship game were adopted: club seating, $650; general seating, $450; student seating, $200; standing-room-only, $200.

  • The new College Football Playoff National Championship trophy was unveiled.

  • The CFP conducted mock selection exercises with representatives of the media, and, two weeks later, with ESPN announcers, producers and directors. In later years, it would add exercises for other groups, such as athletics directors, representatives of bowls, conference offices and other partners.

  • The selection committee convened at the Gaylord Hotel in Grapevine, Texas, and issued its first rankings.

  • The selection committee selected Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State to compete in the first College Football Playoff.

  • In the first CFP semifinals, Oregon defeated Florida State and Ohio State defeated Alabama.

  • The management committee and Board of Managers unanimously agreed to defray costs for student-athletes’ parents or guardians to travel to the site of the CFP National Championship.

  • Ohio State defeated Oregon in the first CFP National Championship at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

  • Texas Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt was named to the selection committee, replacing Oliver Luck, who had taken a position in the NCAA national office.

  • Former Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson was named to the selection committee, replacing Archie Manning, who had stepped down.

  • Sports Business Journal named the College Football Playoff its “event of the year.”

  • Noting that the Army-Navy game would be played six days after the CFP selection day, the management committee unanimously agreed that, if the Army-Navy result may affect Army’s or Navy’s placement or seeding in a Playoff Semifinal or one of the other bowls that the committee would fill, only the pairings that affect Army or Navy would be delayed so the committee can consider the result of the Army-Navy game.

  • Britton Banowsky was named Executive Director of the CFP Foundation.

  • In light of a new NCAA policy allowing it, the management committee and board of managers unanimously agreed to defray costs for student-athletes’ parents or guardians to travel to the sites of the Playoff Semifinals in addition to the national championship game.

  • The CFP selected Atlanta; Santa Clara, California; and New Orleans to host the national championship games at the conclusion of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 regular seasons, respectively.

  • C. Max Nikias, president of the University of Southern California, was named chair of the board of managers.

  • Jeff Bower, Lloyd Carr, Herb Deromedi and Rob Mullens were appointed to the selection committee.

  • Kirby Hocutt was named chair of the selection committee.

  • The management committee moved the Playoff Semifinals in years 5, 6, 11 and 12 of the CFP rotation to Saturdays. With the adjustment, all Playoff Semifinals through 2026 would be played on Saturdays or holidays.

  • Frank Beamer, Chris Howard and Gene Smith were appointed to the selection committee.

  • The CFP chose Miami, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Houston to host the national championship games at the conclusion of the 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 regular seasons, respectively.

  • The management committee named Rob Mullens chair of the selection committee. Paola Boivin, Joe Castiglione, Ken Hatfield, Ronnie Lott, Todd Stansbury and Scott Stricklin were appointed to the committee.

  • Andrea Williams became the CFP’s chief operating officer after Michael Kelly was named athletics director at the University of South Florida.

  • The board of managers unanimously elected Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum as its chair.

  • Terry Mohajir, Ray Odierno and R. C. Slocum were appointed to the selection committee.

  • The management committee appointed University of Iowa athletics director Gary Barta to the selection committee, replacing Gene Smith, who had stepped down.

  • The CFP Foundation board supported the concept of a new initiative, “Go Teach,” to encourage student-athletes to enter the teaching field when they graduate from college.

  • The management committee named Gary Barta chairman of the selection committee. Tom Burman, Rick George and John Urschel were appointed to serve on the committee.

  • The management committee addressed the COVID-19 pandemic and concluded that it was too soon to make decisions about the 2020-21 CFP games, given the uncertainty of the situation.

  • The management committee moved selection day from December 6 to December 20 after a number of conferences moved their championship games to December 12 and 18-19. In addition, the management committee announced that teams would arrive at the the Playoff Semifinals and national championship game two days before the game—i.e., Saturday before a Monday game. The other New Year’s Six bowls adopted a similar schedule for the 2020-21 bowl season.

  • The management committee added one additional year to the term of Paola Boivin’s service on the selection committee. Boivin was originally scheduled to rotate off the committee after the 2021 national championship game.

  • The CFP suspended for one year Playoff Fan Central, Playoff Playlist Live! and other in-person events traditionally held the weekend leading up to the national championship game because of the pandemic.

  • The selection committee’s first meeting of the season was moved to November 23-24.

  • The management committee announced that marching bands and spirit squads would not participate in the 2020-21 games. Further, it supported the principle that student-athletes’ family members should be allowed to attend all CFP games.

  • The CFP and Tournament of Roses announced that, given the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Southern California, the Playoff Semifinal previously scheduled to be played at Rose Bowl Stadium would be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 4 p.m. CT January 1, 2021.

  • Mitch Barnhart, Boo Corrigan, Chris Del Conte, Will Shields and Joe Taylor were appointed to the selection committee.

  • The management committee appointed Georgia State athletics director Charlie Cobb to the selection committee, replacing Terry Mohajir, who had taken the athletics director job at the University of Central Florida.

  • At its annual spring meeting, the management committee heard a report from the working group that had been considering options for possible future formats. The group was reminded that any ultimate decision about formats would be made by the board of managers.

    After the same meeting, Hancock said the CFP intends to return to the traditional pageantry of college football for the CFP games in 2021-22.

  • An internal working group appointed by the CFP management committee presented a proposal to change the current four-team CFP format to a 12-team event. The four members of the working group (Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson, and Notre Dame Athletics Director Jack Swarbrick) presented their recommendation during a virtual meeting of the full management committee after meeting over a two-year period to discuss possible new formats.

  • The management committee appointed former Notre Dame tight end/linebacker Rod West to the selection committee, replacing General Ray Odierno, who stepped down for health reasons.

  • Meeting at the Big Ten Conference office in Chicago, the management committee reviewed and discussed the working group’s proposed 12-team playoff format. The management committee unanimously agreed to ask the board of managers to authorize feasibility assessments and the solicitation of feedback from groups that would include student-athletes, athletics directors, faculty, coaches, university presidents and chancellors, bowls and ESPN about the details of the 12-team proposal.

  • – Meeting in Dallas, the board of managers heard a presentation from the management committee about the recommendation for a 12-team format. The board authorized the management committee to review the proposal with their constituents (e.g., presidents, athletics directors, faculty, coaches and student-athletes) during the summer.

  • The management committee appointed former head coach Tyrone Willingham to the selection committee to complete the final year of the term of R.C. Slocum, who stepped down for health reasons.

  • The management committee appointed Kansas State athletics director Gene Taylor to the selection committee, replacing Chris Del Conte.

  • Byron Hatch became the CFP’s chief operating officer after Andrea Williams was named Chief Experience Officer for the Utah Jazz.

  • The management committee announced COVID-19 policies for the upcoming postseason. If a team was unavailable to play in a Playoff Semifinal, the game would be declared a forfeit and its opponent would advance. If both teams were unavailable to play, the game would be declared a “no contest” and the winning team from the other Playoff Semifinal would be declared the CFP National Champion. If three teams were unavailable to play in the Playoff Semifinal games, the remaining team would be declared the CFP National Champion. If a team’s unavailability was determined after the Playoff Semifinals, the national championship game may be rescheduled to no later than January 14. If one team was able to play and the other was not and the game could not be played, then the team that was unable to play shall forfeit the game and the other team would be declared the CFP National Champion.

    Other policies included teams having the option to arrive on site no later than two days before their bowl game, attendance at bowl events will be optional, news conferences being virtual, non-essential personnel would not have access to the playing field, each institution using the COVID-testing arrangement that it used during the regular season, and each conference agreeing to accept the other conference’s testing protocol.

  • The management committee named Boo Corrigan chairman of the selection committee. Chet Gladchuk, Jim Grobe, Warde Manuel and Kelly Whiteside were appointed to the selection committee.

  • Meeting remotely, the board of managers accepted a recommendation from the management committee to continue the current four-team playoff for the next four years, as called for in the CFP’s original 12-year plan.

  • The CFP announced Miami as the host of the 2026 national championship game at the conclusion of the 2025 regular season.

  • The CFP announced Atlanta as the host of the 2025 national championship game at the conclusion of the 2024 regular season.

  • The CFP Board of Managers unanimously voted to expand the current four-team playoff into a 12-team playoff. The new format, consistent with a proposal the board of managers reviewed in the fall and winter of 2021-22, was to begin for the 2026 college football regular season. The board tasked the CFP Management Committee with assessing the possibility of beginning the expanded playoff in either the 2024 or 2025 regular season.

  • The CFP Board of Managers unanimously agreed to begin the newly-expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in the postseason after the 2024 regular season. The first round in 2024 will take place the week ending Saturday, December 21, at either the home field of the higher-seeded team or at another site designated by the higher-seed institution (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7, and No. 9 at No. 8.) The 2024 quarterfinals will take place in the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls, while the Cotton and Orange bowls will host the Playoff Semifinals. The 2025 quarterfinals will take place in the Cotton, Orange, Rose and Sugar bowls, while the Fiesta and Peach bowls will host the Playoff Semifinals. The national championship games will be played January 20, 2025, in Atlanta, and January 19, 2026, in Miami.

  • Chris Ault, Jennifer Cohen and David Sayler were appointed to the selection committee.

  • The CFP announced the game dates and bowl assignments for the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. The new schedule is as follows:

    2024 Season
    • First Round (On-Campus)
      • Friday, December 20, 2024: One Game (evening)
      • Saturday, December 21, 2024: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon and evening)
      Quarterfinals
      • Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening)
      • Wednesday, January 1, 2025: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl Game (late afternoon) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening)
      Semifinals
      • Thursday, January 9, 2025: Capital One Orange Bowl (evening)
      • Friday, January 10, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (evening)
      CFP National Championship
      • Monday, January 20, 2025: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

    2025 Season
    • First Round (On-Campus)
      • Friday, December 19, 2025: One Game (evening)
      • Saturday, December 20, 2025: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon and evening)
      Quarterfinals
      • Wednesday, December 31, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (evening)
      • Thursday, January 1, 2026: Capital One Orange Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl Game (late afternoon) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening)
      Semifinals
      • Thursday, January 8, 2026: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening)
      • Friday, January 9, 2026: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (evening)
      CFP National Championship
      • Monday, January 19, 2026: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • College Football Playoff (CFP) Executive Director Bill Hancock announced that he will step down when his contract expires February 1, 2025.

  • The management committee appointed University of Utah athletics director Mark Harlan to the selection committee, replacing Jennifer Cohen who stepped down because of her new duties as athletics director at the University of Southern California.

  • Lieutenant General Richard M. Clark was named the new executive director of the CFP, replacing Bill Hancock, who is retiring in January 2025.