Full History Of College Football Playoff In Timeline From 1936

1936: AP Poll Begins

The Associated Press (AP) began its poll of sportswriters to determine a national champion in 1936.

1936: Start of the Polling Era

The polling era in college football, which led to debates and controversies about national championships, began in 1936.

1950: UPI Creates Coaches Poll

The United Press International (UPI) created the first Coaches Poll in 1950, leading to occasional "split" national championships.

1957: NCAA Organizes College Football Divisions

In 1957, the NCAA organized college football into University and College divisions.

1965: AP Poll Delays Champion Announcement

Starting in 1965, the AP Poll began delaying its national champion announcement until after the bowl games.

1973: Creation of NCAA Divisions I, II, and III

The NCAA created Divisions I, II, and III in 1973.

1974: UPI Coaches Poll Follows AP's Lead

The UPI Coaches Poll also started waiting until after bowl games to declare its champion in 1974.

1978: Division I Subdivided into I-A and I-AA

Division I was further divided into I-A (later FBS) and I-AA (later FCS) in 1978.

1992: SEC Championship Game and Bowl Coalition

The first SEC Championship Game took place in 1992, and the Bowl Coalition was formed, marking early attempts at a playoff system.

1994: End of Bowl Coalition

The Bowl Coalition ended in 1994.

1995: Bowl Alliance Begins

The Bowl Alliance replaced the Bowl Coalition in 1995, continuing the evolution toward a playoff.

1997: Growing Demand for a Playoff

By 1997, public pressure for a true college football playoff had intensified.

1997: End of the Polling Era

The polling era, marked by frequent controversies over national championship claims, ended in 1997.

1998: Bowl Championship Series Inauguration

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) began in 1998, aiming to create a single national championship game by incorporating major conferences and bowl games. The system used a combination of major polls and computer rankings to determine the top two teams.

1998: Start of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS)

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS), the predecessor to the CFP, began in 1998.

2003: BCS Controversy and USC Exclusion

In 2003, a major controversy arose when the BCS rankings excluded USC, the No. 1 team in both major polls, from the Sugar Bowl, leading to a split national championship. This incident resulted in the AP Poll withdrawing from the BCS and adjustments to the BCS formula.

2010: Last Broadcast of National Championship Game on ABC (Before 2026)

Prior to the 2026 return, the last time the National Championship Game was broadcast on ABC was in 2010.

2011: Previous BCS Title Game Rating

In 2011, the BCS title game achieved a 16.1 rating, which was surpassed by the 2015 CFP National Championship.

2012: ESPN Secures CFP Broadcasting Rights

In 2012, ESPN acquired the broadcasting rights for all seven CFP games for $7.3 billion over 12 years, a significant increase compared to previous BCS contracts.

2013: ESPN Acquires CFP Broadcast Rights

In 2013, ESPN secured the television broadcast rights for all six CFP bowls and the National Championship game through the 2025-26 season. The deal was valued at approximately $470 million per year, totaling nearly $5.7 billion.

2013: End of the BCS Era

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era ended in 2013, paving the way for the College Football Playoff.

2013: Formation of CFP Selection Committee

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee was formed in 2013.

April 2014: SEC Strength of Schedule Mandate

In April 2014, the SEC voted to require all teams to play a Power Five opponent in their non-conference schedule starting in 2016, aimed at strengthening their schedules for the CFP.

2014: CFP Semifinals Rotation and New Year's Six

From 2014 to 2023, the CFP semifinals rotated among six major bowl games, collectively known as the New Year's Six.

2014: Four-Team CFP Format and New Year's Six Bowls

From 2014 to 2023, the CFP used a four-team format, with semifinals rotating among the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta, and Peach Bowls, marketed as the New Year's Six.

2014: Previous Year's Semifinal Ratings

In 2014, the Rose and Sugar Bowl semifinals had significantly higher ratings than their 2015 counterparts.

2014: First Bracket Competition for Major National Championship

The 2014 CFP marked the first time a major national championship selector in college football used a bracket competition.

2014: College Football Playoff Debut

The College Football Playoff (CFP) debuted in 2014, introducing a four-team single-elimination tournament. A 13-member selection committee was established to seed the teams, replacing reliance on polls and computer rankings. The Cotton and Peach bowls joined the New Year's Six rotation for the semifinals.

2014: Inaugural College Football Playoff

The first College Football Playoff (CFP) was held in 2014, marking a new era in determining the national champion for college football's highest division.

2014: Ohio State Wins National Championship

Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship in 2014.

January 2015: Inaugural CFP Games Achieve Record Ratings

In January 2015, the first College Football Playoff games set new viewership records, with the National Championship attracting 33.4 million viewers, the largest cable audience ever. The Rose and Sugar Bowl semifinal games also drew record audiences.

2015: American Athletic Conference Expands

In 2015, the American Athletic Conference added Navy to reach 12 teams, enabling them to hold a conference championship game under NCAA rules.

2015: SEC Expands Power Five Definition

In 2015, the SEC expanded its definition of Power Five opponents to include Independents BYU and Army.

2015: CFP Semifinal Ratings Decline

The 2015 semifinal games experienced lower TV ratings compared to 2014, attributed to the New Year's Eve scheduling. However, they achieved high online viewership on WatchESPN.

December 31, 2015: Scheduling Concerns for 2015 Semifinals

The scheduling of the 2015 semifinals on New Year's Eve raised concerns about lower viewership due to competition with holiday programming. A proposal to move the games to January 2nd, 2016 was rejected.

January 2, 2016: Proposed Date Change for Semifinals

A proposal was made to shift the December 31, 2015 semifinal games to January 2, 2016, but was ultimately rejected.

July 28, 2016: CFP Semi-Final Scheduling Revisions Announced

On July 28, 2016, Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, announced changes to the scheduling of future semi-final games. The revisions ensure that the games are not always played on New Year's Eve. Instead, they are generally played on the last Saturday of the year or on a federally observed holiday, except when hosted by the Rose and Sugar Bowls, which keep their traditional New Year's Day date.

December 30, 2016: Adjusted Start Times for 2016 Semifinals

The 2016 semifinal games were given earlier kickoff times to minimize conflict with New Year's Eve festivities, with the Orange Bowl played in primetime on December 30.

2016: NCAA Rule Change for Championship Games

Starting in the 2016 season, the NCAA allowed FBS conferences to hold championship games even without 12 members.

2016: Implementation of SEC Power Five Requirement

The SEC's mandate for teams to play a Power Five opponent began in 2016.

2017: ACC Strength of Schedule Requirement

Starting in 2017, the ACC implemented a requirement for teams to play one Power Five school in their non-league schedules. This includes games against Notre Dame, other ACC schools in non-conference play, or BYU.

2017: CFP Selection Controversy

The 2017-18 CFP selection sparked debate, with some criticizing the system as polarizing, while others praised the committee's decision to include one-loss Alabama over two-loss Ohio State.

2017: Big 12 Reintroduces Championship Game

The Big 12 Conference reintroduced its championship game in 2017, addressing a previous critique of the CFP system regarding bias against smaller conferences.

2018: CFP Semi-Finals Viewership Decline

The 2018 College Football Playoff semi-final games experienced a significant drop in viewership, down 25% compared to the previous semi-finals played on New Year's Day. This decline highlighted the impact of scheduling on audience engagement.

2019: Urban Meyer's Score-Running Controversy

In 2019, Urban Meyer admitted to intentionally running up the score in the 2014 Big Ten Championship to improve Ohio State's playoff chances, criticizing the selection process.

2020: Criticism of CFP Committee's Bias

During the 2020 season, the CFP committee faced criticism for perceived bias against teams outside the Power Five conferences.

2020: Notre Dame's ACC Membership

Notre Dame became a member of the ACC in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

June 2021: CFP Expansion Study Announced

In June 2021, the CFP announced the initiation of a study to explore the expansion of the playoff system to 12 teams. The start date for any changes was contingent upon approval of the proposal.

November 23, 2021: First Group of Five Team in CFP Top Four

On November 23, 2021, Cincinnati became the first Group of Five team to be ranked in the CFP top four.

2021: Cincinnati's American Athletic Conference Membership

In 2021, Cincinnati was a member of the American Athletic Conference.

2021: CFP Semi-Finals Played on New Year's Eve

In 2021, the College Football Playoff semi-final games were played on Friday, December 31, as the day was observed as a federal holiday. This adhered to the revised scheduling format announced in 2016.

2021: NCAA Conference Realignment Impacts Playoff Structure

The 2021–2024 NCAA conference realignment, particularly impacting the Pac-12, influenced the structure of the expanded playoff format, leading to a shift from six to five conference champions and from six to seven at-large bids.

February 18, 2022: CFP Expansion Proposal Rejected

On February 18, 2022, the proposed expansion of the CFP was rejected, primarily due to opposition from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This delayed any potential changes until at least the 2026 season.

September 2, 2022: CFP Expansion Approved

On September 2, 2022, the CFP Board of Managers reversed its previous decision and unanimously voted to expand the playoffs to 12 teams, with the earliest implementation in the 2024 season. This decision followed the announcement of USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, dissolving the resistance to expansion.

2022: 12-Team Playoff Format Approved for 2024

Throughout the fall of 2022, conferences and bowls negotiated the details of the expanded playoff. A key issue was the Rose Bowl's desire for its traditional kickoff time. Ultimately, a 12-team format was approved for the 2024 season. Initially, it included six ranked conference champions and six at-large bids, later modified to five conference champions and seven at-large bids due to conference realignment.

2023: CFP Board Votes to Expand Playoff

In 2023, the CFP Board of Managers voted to expand the playoff from four to twelve teams, effective from the 2024 season.

2023: End of Four-Team CFP and Semifinal Rotation

In 2023, the four-team format and the existing New Year's Six rotation concluded.

2023: Controversial Playoff Selection

The 2023 CFP selection sparked controversy as one-loss Alabama and Texas were chosen over undefeated Florida State, marking the first time an unbeaten Power Five champion was excluded.

2023: End of Four-Team CFP Format

The four-team format of the CFP concluded at the end of the 2023 season.

2023: End of Semifinal Rotation

The rotation of CFP semifinals among the New Year's Six bowls concluded in 2023.

March 19, 2024: ESPN Extends CFP Broadcast Rights

On March 19, 2024, ESPN extended its broadcast rights agreement with the CFP for six years, valued at $1.3 billion annually. This includes the addition of four new first-round playoff games, two of which were sublicensed to TNT Sports, and two simulcast on ABC. The agreement also marked the return of the National Championship Game to broadcast television on ABC starting in the 2026-27 season.