The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason tournament that decides the national champion of the highest level of US college football, the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The first tournament was held at the end of the 2014 season with four teams. In 2023, the CFP Board of Managers voted to increase the playoff field to twelve teams beginning with the 2024 season and running through at least 2025. Contracts with broadcasters and other major stakeholders expire after 2025. Further expansion is possible in 2026 and beyond.
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: Ohio State Wins National Championship
Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship in 2014.
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: 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: 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: Previous Year's Semifinal Ratings
In 2014, the Rose and Sugar Bowl semifinals had significantly higher ratings than their 2015 counterparts.
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: 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.
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: Implementation of SEC Power Five Requirement
The SEC's mandate for teams to play a Power Five opponent began in 2016.
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.
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: 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: Notre Dame's ACC Membership
Notre Dame became a member of the ACC in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
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: 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.
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.
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.
2024: Approved Implementation Date for CFP Expansion
2024 was set as the implementation date for the expanded 12-team CFP, moving the date up from the previously considered 2026 start.
2024: Implementation of 12-Team Playoff
The 12-team playoff format was officially slated for implementation in the 2024 season.
2024: Twelve-Team CFP Expansion Begins
The CFP expands to a 12-team format for the 2024 season.
2024: Twelve-Team Playoff Begins
The expanded twelve-team CFP format is set to begin in 2024.
2024: 2024-25 CFP Selection Committee Members Announced
The members of the CFP selection committee for the 2024-25 season were announced.
2024: Change in Semifinal Scheduling
With the CFP expansion in 2024, the two semifinal games will be played on back-to-back days instead of the same day.
2025: Second Year of Twelve-Team Format
The 12-team CFP format continues for the 2025 season.
2025: End of Initial Expansion Contract
The current contract for the twelve-team playoff format ends after the 2025 season, with potential for further expansion in 2026.
2025: End of Initial ESPN Contract
The initial contract between ESPN and the CFP for broadcast rights was set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season.
2025: Championship Game Venue Trends
Up to and including the 2025 season, CFP championship games have been played in NFL stadiums, often indoors or in warm-weather cities.
2026: Earliest Implementation Date for Original Proposal
2026 was initially identified as the earliest year for implementation of the CFP expansion before the later decision to expand earlier in 2024.
2026: Potential Further Expansion
Further expansion of the CFP may take place in 2026 when a new contract is negotiated.
2026: National Championship Game Returns to ABC
The National Championship game was slated to return to broadcast television on ABC in the 2026-27 season as part of the new ESPN deal.