College Football Playoff

College Football Playoff. The College Football Playoff is the annual postseason tournament to determine the Football Bowl Subdivision national champion in American football. It replaced the BCS system in 2014, instituting a multi-team playoff format. The event is administered by the College Football Playoff organization and culminates in a national championship game.

History

The College Football Playoff was established following years of debate and dissatisfaction with the preceding Bowl Championship Series, which relied on polls and computer rankings to select only two teams for its title game. Key figures in its creation included former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and the late ACC Commissioner John Swofford. The decision to implement the playoff was formally announced in 2012 by the FBS conference commissioners and the Notre Dame athletic director, with its first edition held after the 2014 regular season. The move was influenced by the success of the NCAA basketball tournament and the Football Championship Subdivision playoff.

Format

From 2014 through 2023, the format featured four teams selected to compete in two national semifinal games. These semifinals were rotated among six major bowl games: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl. The winners of the semifinals advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship, held at a predetermined neutral site. The participating teams, conferences, and bowl committees share in the substantial revenue distribution from media rights deals primarily with ESPN. This structure maintained a connection to the traditional bowl game system while creating a definitive playoff.

Selection process

A 13-member selection committee, composed of current and former athletic directors, coaches, and other officials, chooses and seeds the four teams. The committee meets weekly during the second half of the season, releasing ranking updates that culminate in the final selection after conference championship weekend. Key criteria include win-loss record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and championships won. There is no automatic qualification, though champions of the Power Five conferences—the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC—have historically been strongly favored. The highest-ranked champion from the so-called Group of Five conferences is guaranteed a berth in one of the New Year's Six bowls but not the playoff itself.

Results

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been the most successful program, winning three championships (2015, 2017, 2020) under coach Nick Saban. Other multiple-time participants include the Clemson Tigers, who won titles in 2016 and 2018 under Dabo Swinney, and the Georgia Bulldogs, who won consecutive championships in 2021 and 2022 under Kirby Smart. The Ohio State Buckeyes won the inaugural event after the 2014 season, and the Michigan Wolverines won the 2023 title. The championship games have been held in venues such as AT&T Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, and SoFi Stadium.

Controversies and criticism

The four-team format has been consistently criticized for its exclusivity, often leaving out one or more Power Five conference champions. Notable omissions include the undefeated Florida State Seminoles in 2014 and the UCF Knights who completed an undefeated season in 2017. The subjective nature of the selection committee's decisions, a lack of transparency in its deliberations, and the significant financial and exposure gap between the Power Five and Group of Five conferences have been major points of contention. Critics, including politicians like Ted Cruz, have also argued the system violates antitrust law by restricting access to the championship.

Future expansion

In response to sustained criticism, the CFP Board of Managers approved an expansion to a 12-team format, scheduled to begin in the 2024 season. The new model will include the six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next six highest-ranked teams, with the top four conference champions receiving first-round byes. First-round games will be played on campus sites, with quarterfinals and semifinals hosted by major bowls. This expansion, negotiated amidst the instability of conference realignment and the dissolution of the Pac-12, aims to increase access and regular-season meaning for more teams and conferences.