College Football Playoff National Championship
| College Football Playoff National Championship | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Stadium | Various |
| Operated | 2014–present |
| Conference tie-ins | Winners of the CFP semi-final bowls |
| Preceded by |
BCS National Championship Game (1998–2013) Bowl Alliance (1995–97) Bowl Coalition (1992–94) |
| 2016 matchup | |
| Alabama vs. Clemson (Alabama 45, Clemson 40) | |
The College Football Playoff National Championship is a post-season college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which began play in the 2014 college football season.[1] The game serves as the final of the College Football Playoff, a bracket tournament between the top four teams in the country as determined by a selection committee, which was established as a successor to the Bowl Championship Series and its similar BCS National Championship Game. Unlike the BCS championship, the participating teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship are determined by two semi-final bowls—hosted by two of the consortium's six member bowls yearly—and the top two teams as determined by the selection committee do not automatically advance to the game in lieu of other bowls.
The game is played at a neutral site, determined through bids by prospective host cities (similarly to the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four). When announcing it was soliciting bids for the 2016 and 2017 title games, playoff organizers noted that the bids must propose host stadiums with a capacity of at least 65,000 spectators,[2][2] and cities cannot host both a semi-final game and the title game in the same year.[3]
The winner of the game is awarded a new championship trophy instead of the "crystal football", which has been given by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) since 1986; officials wanted a new trophy that was unconnected with the previous BCS championship system.[4] The new College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy is sponsored by Dr Pepper, which paid an estimated $35 million for the sponsorship rights through 2020.[5] The 26.5-inch high, 35-pound trophy was unveiled on July 14, 2014.[6]
The inaugural game was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January 12, 2015,[7] and won by Ohio State.
Future sites
The number of cities capable of bidding for the event is restricted due to the 65,000-seat stadium minimum. In addition to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, which was the other finalist for the 2015 matchup,[8] the stadium restriction would limit the bidding to cities such as New Orleans, Glendale, and Pasadena.[2] Other possible future hosts include Orlando, San Antonio, or almost any city with a National Football League franchise, since all but three of the stadiums in that league meet the capacity requirements and, unlike the Super Bowl, there is no de jure restriction on climate. Officials in New York City said they would like to host the game at Yankee Stadium, which hosts the annual Pinstripe Bowl, but it falls short of the attendance limit as it only holds approximately 54,000 fans in its football configuration (a game could still be hosted in the New York metropolitan area, but it would have to be at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey).[2][3]
On December 16, 2013, host selections for the 2016 and 2017 title games were announced. Glendale, Arizona (University of Phoenix Stadium) was selected to host the 2016 game and Tampa, Florida (Raymond James Stadium) was selected to host the 2017 game. Four cities had submitted bids for the 2016 game: Glendale, Jacksonville (EverBank Field), New Orleans (Mercedes-Benz Superdome), and Tampa. Six metropolitan areas had been vying for the 2017 game: Tampa, the San Francisco Bay Area (Levi's Stadium), Minneapolis (U.S. Bank Stadium), San Antonio (Alamodome), South Florida (Sun Life Stadium), and Jacksonville.[9]
The hosts for the 2018, 2019, and 2020 games were announced on November 4, 2015.[10]
- 2018 – Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
- 2019 – Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Clara, California).
- 2020 – Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
Since cities hosting College Football Playoff semifinal games cannot host the championship game in the same year, Pasadena and New Orleans were not eligible for the 2018 game; South Florida and Arlington could not host in 2019; and Glendale and Atlanta were excluded from 2020 consideration. The same exclusions rotate every three years through 2026.[11]
College Football Playoff National Championship results
- For previous championship game results, see BCS National Championship Game (1998–2013), Bowl Alliance (1995–1997), and Bowl Coalition (1992–1994).
| Season | Date | Winner | Loser | Game | Site | MVP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | January 12, 2015 | 4 Ohio State Big Ten Champions | 42 | 2 Oregon Pac-12 Champions | 20 | 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas |
Ezekiel Elliott (offense) Tyvis Powell (defense) |
| 2015 | January 11, 2016 | 2 2015 Alabama SEC Champions | 45 | 1 Clemson ACC Champions | 40 | 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship | University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona |
O. J. Howard (offense) Eddie Jackson (defense) |
| 2016 | January 9, 2017 | TBD | TBD | 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida |
|||
| 2017 | January 8, 2018 | TBD | TBD | 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship | Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia |
|||
| 2018 | January 7, 2019 | TBD | TBD | 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship | Levi's Stadium Santa Clara, California |
|||
| 2019 | January 13, 2020 | TBD | TBD | 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship | Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana |
|||
Records by team
| Team | Appearances | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | Title Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2015 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 2014 |
| Clemson | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | |
| Oregon | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
Records by conference
Conference affiliation as of season of game.
| Conference | Wins | Losses | Win Pct | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Ten | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Ohio State |
| SEC | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | Alabama |
| ACC | 0 | 1 | .000 | Clemson |
| Pac-12 | 0 | 1 | .000 | Oregon |
Broadcasters
Television
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi |
| January 12, 2015 | ESPN | Chris Fowler | Kirk Herbstreit | Heather Cox and Tom Rinaldi |
Radio
| Date | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 | ESPN Radio | Mike Tirico | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Joe Schad |
| January 12, 2015 | ESPN Radio | Mike Tirico | Todd Blackledge | Holly Rowe and Joe Schad |
Local radio
| Date | Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator(s) | Sideline reporter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 11, 2016 | WFFN/WTSK (Alabama) WCCP-FM (Clemson) | Eli Gold Don Munson | Phil Savage Rodney Williams | Chris Stewart Michael Palmer |
| January 12, 2015 | KUGN (Oregon) WBNS-AM/FM (Ohio State) | Jerry Allen Paul Keels | Mike Jorgensen Jim Lachey | Marty Bannister |
See also
References
- ↑ Wolken, Dan (25 April 2013). "Questions and answers for the College Football Playoff". USA Today. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Jerry Hinnen (August 7, 2013). "CFB playoff opens bidding for 2016, '17 championship games". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- 1 2 Brett McMurphy (July 26, 2013). "More bids on future title game sites". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
- ↑ Dennis Dodd (July 23, 2013). "New College Football Playoff will reportedly feature a new trophy". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
- ↑ Anthony Crupi (March 25, 2014). "ESPN Inks Dr Pepper as First Mega-Sponsor of the College Football Playoff Series". Adweek. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ↑ Eric Prisbell, College Football Playoff national championship trophy unveiled, USA Today, July 14, 2014
- ↑ "Arlington to host title game". ESPN. January 7, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
- ↑ Chuck Carlton (April 23, 2013). "Sources: Cowboys Stadium to land 2014 college football national title game on Wednesday". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
- ↑ Eight Communities Submit Bids to Host College Football National Championship Game in 2016 and 2017, College Football Playoff, September 30, 2013
- ↑ Alex Scarborough (November 4, 2015). Football Playoff "Atlanta, Santa Clara, New Orleans land CFP title games for 2018–20" Check
|url=value (help). ESPN.com. Retrieved November 4, 2015. - ↑ Brett McMurphy (Sep 19, 2013). "Cities to bid on '16, '17 title games". ESPN.com.