College Football Playoff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids College Football Playoff
In operation	2014–present
Preceded by	Bowl Championship Series (1998–2013) Bowl Alliance (1995–1997) Bowl Coalition (1992–1994) National polls (1936–1991) No contemporary, nationally recognized method: 1869-1935
Number of teams	12
Championship trophy	College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy
Television partner(s)	ESPN (2014–present) ABC (2024–present) TNT Sports (2024–present; sublicensing agreement with ESPN)
Most playoff appearances	Alabama (8)
Most playoff wins	Alabama (9)
Most playoff championships	Alabama (3)
Conference with most appearances	SEC (10)
Conference with most game wins	SEC (14)
Conference with most championships	SEC (6)
Last championship game	2024 College Football Playoff National Championship
Current champion	Michigan
Executive director	Richard M. Clark

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is a yearly knockout tournament. It helps decide the national champion for the top level of college football in the United States. This tournament ends with the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

The CFP started in 2014 with four teams. In 2023, leaders decided to make it bigger. Starting in 2024, twelve teams will compete. This new setup will last at least until the end of the 2025 season.

Before the CFP, there wasn't one main way to pick a national champion. The NCAA didn't officially crown one. The CFP was the first time a major national champion was chosen using a tournament bracket. A group of 13 people picks and ranks the teams. This is different from older systems that used polls or computer rankings.

How the College Football Playoff Works

The College Football Playoff has changed over time. It started with four teams and is now expanding to twelve.

The Original 4-Team Playoff (2014-2023)

From 2014 to 2023, only four teams played in the CFP. These teams were chosen by a special committee. The tournament was a knockout style, meaning if you lost, you were out.

The two semifinal games rotated among six famous bowl games. These were the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. These six games are known as the New Year's Six. The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl always happened on New Year's Day.

The committee ranked the top four teams. The No. 1 team played No. 4, and No. 2 played No. 3. The top team could choose which semifinal bowl game they wanted to play in. This was to make sure they didn't play in a "road" environment. There were no limits on how many teams from one conference could play.

The New 12-Team Playoff (Starting 2024)

The CFP is expanding to 12 teams for the 2024 season. This new format includes some exciting changes:

• The top five champions from major conferences will automatically get a spot.
• Seven other teams will get "at-large" spots. These are the highest-ranked teams left.
• The top four conference champions will get a "bye." This means they don't have to play in the first round.
• Teams ranked 5 through 12 will play in the first round. These games will be at the home stadiums of the higher-ranked teams.
• The quarterfinal and semifinal games will be hosted by the New Year's Six bowl games.
• The championship game will still be played at a different, neutral location.
• The playoff bracket will not be re-ranked after the first selections.
• First-round games will happen in December. Quarterfinals will be around New Year's Day. Semifinals will be about a week later, and the championship game a week after that.

Where the Games Are Played

The CFP games are played at different locations across the country.

First Round Games

In the new 12-team playoff, the top four teams get a break in the first round. The teams ranked 5 through 12 will play their first-round games. These games will be held at the home stadiums of the higher-ranked teams. Sometimes, they might choose another place to play.

New Year's Six Bowl Games

The quarterfinal and semifinal games are hosted by the New Year's Six bowls. These are the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. These are some of the oldest and most famous college football bowl games. They are played every year around New Year's Day.

In the old 4-team system, two of these bowls hosted the semifinals each year. The other four hosted other important bowl games. Now, four of the six bowls will host quarterfinal games. The winners will then play in the two remaining bowls for the semifinals.

The Championship Game

The final game, the College Football Playoff National Championship, is played in a different city each year. Cities bid to host this big event, much like how cities bid for other major sports championships. The stadium chosen must hold at least 65,000 fans. A city cannot host both a semifinal game and the championship game in the same year.

How Teams Are Chosen

A special group called the Selection Committee picks the teams for the CFP.

The Selection Committee

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has 13 members. They usually serve for three years. The committee includes athletic directors from major conferences. It also has former coaches, players, and other sports leaders. They want the group to be balanced from different parts of the country.

The committee's goal is to pick the best teams. They look at many things when deciding.

Who is on the Committee?

The 2023 CFP selection committee members are:

• Chris Ault (retired athletic director and coach)
• Mitch Barnhart (Kentucky athletic director)
• Boo Corrigan (NC State athletic director)
• Chet Gladchuck (U.S. Naval Academy athletic director)
• Jim Grobe (retired football coach)
• Mark Harlan (Utah athletic director)
• Warde Manuel (Michigan athletic director)
• David Sayler (Miami (Ohio) athletic director)
• Will Shields (former NFL player)
• Gene Taylor (Kansas State athletic director)
• Joe Taylor (former coach and athletic director)
• Rod West (former Sugar Bowl president)
• Kelly Whiteside (former college football reporter)

How They Vote

The committee releases its top 25 rankings every Tuesday during the second half of the season. The top four teams are then chosen for the playoff. The committee meets in person many times a year to discuss the teams.

One of the most important things they look at is a team's strength of schedule. This means how tough their opponents were. Other things they consider are:

• Winning their conference championship.
• The team's overall record (wins and losses).
• How they played against other teams they faced directly.
• Other factors like injuries or weather during games.

Unlike older systems, the CFP does not use computer rankings. They rely on the committee's judgment. Committee members who work for a school or have family playing for a school cannot vote for that school. They leave the room during discussions about that team.

History of the Playoff

College football is a very old sport in the U.S. For a long time, there wasn't a clear way to pick a national champion.

Before the Playoff

College football started in 1869. For many years, the winners of different "bowl games" were often seen as champions. But there was no single national champion. This often led to debates about who was truly the best team.

The NCAA, which oversees college sports, created playoffs for smaller college football divisions. But the biggest teams, in what is now called the FBS, kept their bowl game system. Bowl games were very popular and made a lot of money.

Over time, people wanted a clearer way to pick a champion. This led to systems like the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1998. The BCS tried to get the top two teams to play each other in a championship game. It used polls and computer rankings to pick those teams.

However, the BCS often caused arguments. Sometimes, highly ranked teams were left out of the championship game. For example, in 2003, USC was ranked No. 1 in polls but didn't get to play for the title. These problems led to more calls for a playoff system.

Starting the Playoff

In 2014, the College Football Playoff finally began. It was the first time a multi-game knockout tournament was used to decide the national champion. Four teams were chosen by the 13-member selection committee. The Cotton and Peach bowls joined the New Year's Six. The two semifinal games rotated among these bowls. The championship game was played a week later at a different location.

Expanding the Playoff

From the start, many people wanted a playoff with more than four teams. They felt four teams weren't enough to include all the best teams. In 2021, the CFP started looking into expanding to 12 teams.

There were some disagreements about how and when to expand. But in September 2022, the CFP Board of Managers voted to expand to 12 teams. This change will happen for the 2024 season. The new system will include guaranteed spots for top conference champions and more at-large bids.

Impact on Team Schedules

The CFP has made teams think more about who they play. Because the committee looks at "strength of schedule," teams want to play tougher opponents. This helps them impress the committee and get a higher ranking.

Some teams used to play many "weak" non-conference opponents. Now, they are scheduling more challenging games. This might include playing high-profile matchups at neutral stadiums.

Conferences have also changed their rules. For example, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) now requires its teams to play at least one strong opponent from another major conference each year. This helps make their schedules tougher and more impressive to the committee.

Playoff Games and Teams

You can find more details about past games and champions here:

• List of College Football Playoff games
• College Football Playoff National Championship

Teams Selected by Year

The table below shows which teams were chosen for the College Football Playoff each year. Most teams chosen have been undefeated or had only one loss. They were usually champions from the top conferences.

Team Appearances and Wins

This table shows how many times each team has been in the CFP and how they've done.

Appearances by Conference

This table shows how many times teams from each conference have been in the CFP.

TV Coverage

ESPN has been the main TV home for the College Football Playoff.

Past TV Deals (2013–2024)

In 2013, ESPN got the rights to show all six CFP bowl games and the National Championship. This deal was worth about $470 million each year. It lasted until the 2025–26 season.

New TV Deals (2025–2032)

In March 2024, ESPN made a new deal for six more years. This deal is worth about $1.3 billion per year. ESPN will show the four new first-round playoff games. They have also let TNT Sports show two of these games. ESPN will also show two others on ABC.

ESPN will continue to be the place to watch the New Year's Six bowls and the National Championship Game. Starting in 2026–27, ABC will also show the National Championship Game. This means the game will be on regular TV again for the first time since 2010.

TV Viewership

The first College Football Playoff games in January 2015 had huge TV audiences. The 2015 National Championship game was watched by about 33.4 million people. This was the biggest audience ever for a show on American cable TV at that time. It was a big increase from previous championship games.

The semifinal games in 2015 also had many viewers. However, in 2015, the ratings for the semifinals dropped. This was because the games were played on New Year's Eve. Fewer people were home to watch. This drop in viewers led to changes in when future CFP semifinal games are scheduled.

Money and Revenue

The College Football Playoff makes a lot of money from TV rights and other sources.

In 2012, ESPN agreed to pay about $7.3 billion over 12 years for the TV rights. This money is shared among the different college football conferences. The top conferences, called the "Power Five," get about 71.5% of the money. This is about $250 million a year. Other conferences get about 27%, which is around $90 million a year. Notre Dame, which is an independent team, gets about 1%.

Conferences also get extra money for each team they send to the semifinals. They get even more for teams that play in the other important bowl games. The playoff system also gives bonuses for good academic performance by student-athletes.

Who Leads the Playoff

Bill Hancock has served as Executive Director of the CFP since its creation in 2012.

The College Football Playoff is managed by a company called BCS Properties, LLC. Bill Hancock is the executive director. The main office for the playoff system is in Irving, Texas.

Board of Managers

The Board of Managers controls how the CFP works. This group includes presidents and chancellors from the universities involved. They approve budgets and set rules.

Athletics Directors Advisory Group

This group gives advice to the main management committee. They offer ideas on how the system should run. They do not have the power to make final decisions.

Images for kids

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  6 or more appearances

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  3–5 appearances or 3 championships

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  2 appearances or 2 championships

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  1 appearance or 1 championship