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| CFP National Championship Game | |
|---|---|
| Name | CFP National Championship Game |
| Sport | College football |
| First played | 2014 |
| Organizer | College Football Playoff |
| Venue | Various |
| Current champion | Michigan Wolverines (2024) |
| Most titles | Alabama Crimson Tide (3) |
CFP National Championship Game The CFP National Championship Game is the post-season college football bowl game organized by the College Football Playoff to determine the Division I FBS national champion, succeeding the BCS National Championship Game and incorporating participants selected by the CFP Selection Committee and played at rotating neutral stadium sites, concluding the 2014–15 NCAA Division I FBS football season and subsequent seasons.
The CFP National Championship Game evolved from postseason systems including the Bowl Championship Series, the Bowl Alliance, and the Bowl Coalition, arising after debates involving stakeholders such as the University of Alabama, University of Oklahoma, University of Notre Dame, Big Ten Conference, Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, and Pac-12 Conference about replacing the BCS system; influential moments included reports by the College Football Playoff selection committee and governance actions by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and negotiations among the Rose Bowl Game, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl hosts, culminating in the inaugural CFP season finishing with a championship contested after the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship and continued adaptations to scheduling, ranking, and playoff expansion proposals advocated by figures like Deion Sanders, Nick Saban, and executives from the ESPN and CFP Management Committee.
The game features the two top teams from the four-team College Football Playoff bracket determined by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, whose members have included administrators from Big Ten Conference, ACC, SEC, Pac-12 Conference, and former coaches such as Urban Meyer, Kirby Smart, Mark Stoops; teams are seeded based on metrics influenced by head-to-head results, conference championships from Big 12 Conference and American Athletic Conference members, strength-of-schedule considerations involving matchups against programs like Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, and computer-assisted data popularized since the BCS era, with tie-breakers and committee deliberations publicized through press releases by ESPN and statements from the executive director.
Championship games have been staged at AT&T Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, State Farm Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium, and other neutral sites selected through bidding by host cities such as Arlington, Texas, Miami Gardens, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Glendale, Arizona, and Indianapolis, Indiana; the winning team receives the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, a sculpted silver replica displayed in institutional athletic facilities like the University of Alabama athletic department museum, the Clemson Athletics Hall of Fame, and campus locations across programs including Michigan Stadium, Tiger Stadium (LSU), and Notre Dame Stadium.
Memorable finals feature performances by athletes who later became professionals in the National Football League such as Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones, and coaches with legacies in SEC coaching trees like Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney, and Jim Harbaugh; record-setting games include statistical highs in passing yards, rushing yards, and scoring that appear alongside records held by programs like Alabama Crimson Tide football, Clemson Tigers football, Ohio State Buckeyes football, and Georgia Bulldogs football, and individual awards tied to championship performances such as the Heisman Trophy winners who later competed in the CFP final, with box-score milestones archived by organizations like NCAA and media outlets including ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
Television and streaming rights have been primarily held by ESPN, which presents the game across platforms including ABC, cable, and digital services, deploying commentators who have included Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and Chris Fowler and collaborating with production partners such as Disney and rights negotiators from conferences like the Big Ten Conference; coverage strategies encompass pregame analyses referencing programs like College Football Playoff rankings, halftime studios featuring reporters from The Athletic and Sports Illustrated, and international distribution coordinated with broadcasters such as Sky Sports and TSN.
Host cities leverage the championship for tourism and hospitality revenues tracked by municipal partners like the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dallas Convention Center, and Visit Orlando, while participating universities capitalize on increased applications, alumni giving, and merchandising through university foundations and athletic departments such as University of Michigan Athletic Department and Clemson University Athletic Department; cultural resonance appears in popular media mentions on ESPN SportsCenter, appearances by celebrities from Hollywood and the National Football League, and discussions in publications such as The New York Times and Wall Street Journal about the role of major events in American sports culture.
Critiques have focused on perceived inequities among conferences including the Group of Five conferences, debates over playoff expansion proposals advocated by figures in the College Football Playoff leadership, controversies involving officiating and replay reviews in games featuring teams like Alabama Crimson Tide football and Oklahoma Sooners football, and media scrutiny over selection transparency levied by outlets such as The Athletic, ESPN, and USA Today; additional controversies include contract negotiations with broadcasters like ESPN and labor discussions touching on college athlete compensation, name-image-likeness policies influenced by federal proposals and state laws similar to the Name, Image and Likeness movements, and legal scrutiny from institutions and stakeholders including university presidents and conference commissioners.
Category:College football postseason