The 2014 college football season will be different than ever before. This year, college football will end with a 4-team playoff. Here’s what you need to know to hold your own in a conversation about the new playoff.
The Selection Committee
A 13-member selection committee will select the four teams to play for it all.
Who are these members?
Jeff Long
Barry Alvarez
Michael C. Gould
Pat Haden
Tom Jernstedt
Oliver Luck
Archie Manning
Tom Osborne
Dan Radakovich
Condoleezza Rice
Mike Tranghese
Steve Wieberg
Tyrone Willingham
The committee is comprised of one current athletic director from each of the Big Five conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC), former players, coaches, and journalists. The only member without a direct tie to football is former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The committee members will meet up to 10 times per year to vote on the final four teams. They will consider strength of schedule, head-to-head matchups, conference championships, and team records.
The Semifinals
The final four teams selected by the committee will play in two semi-final games. The semifinal games will be a rotation of six major bowl venues (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl). These games will be played on or around New Year’s Day.
#1 will play #4 and #2 will play #3. The winner of each game will proceed to the championship game.
The Championship Game
The National Championship game will be played on the first Monday that is six or more days after the semifinal games.
The result of the National Championship game will also be the start of the team ranked #5 complaining that they could have done so much better. An 8-team playoff will probably be along shortly. The current contract lasts until 2025. No idea if they can expand to eight teams under the current contract, but it’s pretty much inevitable.
There you go. It’s pretty simple really — thirteen people pick who they believe to be the four best teams in college football. Those teams then play some football to prove it.
Logo — College Football Playoff