How a decade of transition led to college football’s new 12-team playoff format

From the very beginning, the brains behind the development and implementation of the College Football Playoff wanted to hit the sweet spot of “a generic name that was catchy,” said playoff executive director Bill Hancock.

One suggestion was “College Bowl,” which was discarded for any possible confusion between the longtime radio and television quiz show of the same name. Another was “College Super Bowl,” ignored for similar reasons.

Officially announced in April 2013, the name was initially mocked — one joke at the time said that Hancock’s dog was named Dog — but has quickly come to define the sport.

“You want a simple, concise brand that tells what the company is,” Hancock said.

The decade-long run of the four-team playoff format that started in the 2014 season has coincided with a financial boom for college football, another round of conference realignment and the massive changes implemented by name, image and likeness deregulation. Amid waves of off-field drama and turmoil, the playoff has been an unquestioned success by virtue of its ability to streamline the chase for the national championship.

Now, starting this season, the Bowl Subdivision will transition to a 12-team format that could firmly establish the playoff as the second-biggest sporting event on the American sports calendar.

“Will the College Football Playoff ever become the Super Bowl? No, there’s only one Super Bowl,” Hancock said. “There’s nothing like it on the planet. But we’re wasting our time if we have that as our goal, to equal the Super Bowl. But we’re already a darn strong No. 2, and we just need to enhance our spot as No. 2.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/decade-transition-led-college-footballs-110352885.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-28 11:03:52

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