Tag: college football playoff

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; A general overall view of the Allegiant Stadium exterior. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Las Vegas to host College Football Playoff final in ’27

Posted on | by Field Level Media

The College Football Playoff national championship game is coming to Las Vegas in 2027.

The CFP announced Friday that the 2026 season’s champion will be crowned at Allegiant Stadium on Jan. 25, 2027.

“College football fans across the country are going to be thrilled to hear this news today,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff.
“Las Vegas has shown the world they have amazing venues and boundless energy to host an event like the College Football Playoff National Championship in spectacular fashion. I can’t think of a better stage to crown the best team in college football in 2027.”

Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, promised a “truly extraordinary event, both on and off the field.”

“We appreciate the opportunity the CFP has provided us to welcome college football’s greatest athletes and biggest fans for an unmatched national championship experience in the city built for celebration,” Hill said.

Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 34-23 on Monday in Atlanta in the first CFP final with a 12-team format.

Next season’s CFP national championship will take place at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, opened in 2020 and has a capacity for 65,000 fans.

–Field Level Media

Jan 19, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy at a press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CFP format still could be subject to ‘tweaks’ in 2025

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Could more changes be on the way to the College Football Playoff, which hasn’t yet finished its first year with a 12-team field?

There were no major decisions made when the FBS conference commissioners and university presidents convened in Atlanta on Sunday, one day before the national championship game between No. 7 seed Notre Dame and No. 8 seed Ohio State.

But CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters that “it’s possible” for tweaks to be made to the playoff format before next season, though such changes would need to happen “very soon.”

“I would say it’s possible, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not,” Clark said. “There’s probably some things that could happen in short order that might be tweaks to the 2025 season, but we haven’t determined that yet.”

Changes previously needed unanimous approval, but when a new contract kicks in in 2026, that will no longer be the case and the governance structure will favor the two top football leagues, the SEC and the Big Ten.

This year, the field expanded from four to 12, the five highest-ranked conference champions received automatic bids and the four highest-ranked champs were given seeds Nos. 1-4 and first-round byes. The latter piece drew criticism after No. 3 seed Boise State and No. 4 seed Arizona State, representing the Mountain West and Big 12, went one-and-done.

Potential changes in the future may include updating the seeding process or expanding the field yet again.

Clark told reporters that the decision-makers will consider “everything across the board” going forward.

“We’re going to tee them up so that they could really have a thorough look at the playoff looking back after this championship game is done … and then look back and figure out what is it that we need,” he said.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with quarterback Riley Leonard (13) after a touchdown during the first half against the Army Black Knights at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

CFP notebook: Coaches count on veterans to lead Notre Dame, Ohio State

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ATLANTA — Notre Dame and Ohio State have first- and second-year players they hope will make impacts when the teams meet in the College Football Playoff Championship Game on Monday.

The No. 7 seeded Fighting Irish point to cornerback Leonard Moore, named last week the defensive freshman of the year by the Football Writers Association of America, who will go against the No. 8 Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith. With 71 catches for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, Smith was a surprising snub for the award on the offensive side.

But head coaches Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame and Ryan Day of Ohio State said on Sunday that the success of both teams is due to the veterans in the program.

Day can cite defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau and running back TreVeyon Henderson among the dozen seniors or graduate students who opted not to enter the NFL draft for an opportunity to win a championship.

The benefits are many.

“I think just maturity, physical maturity to be able to withstand the length of the season, mental maturity to be able to wipe the slate clean on a week-to-week basis and start a new game plan,” Day said. “And then just the emotional maturity of handling the ups and downs, and certainly we know we’ve had a few of those this year, and being able to steady the boat and get back to work and learn from those and rally the troops. And I think it’s a great example for our young players.”

Freeman relies on his veteran group for leadership, a group that includes offensive lineman Pat Coogan, tight end Mitchell Evans, quarterback Riley Leonard, defensive lineman Howard Cross III and All-American safety Xavier Watts.

“I think young people want to be valued, and that’s important,” Freeman said. “So, I think you’ve also got to show them stories of examples of guys that have stayed the course and have turned into great football players.

“You look at a guy like Xavier Watts that redshirted and moved to wideout his first year and moved to DB his second year and played very little, and then his first year starting was just okay and his fourth year he wins the Bronko Nagurski award (2023 best defensive player).”

–A nod to history

That the game is on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is significant for Freeman, the first Black and Asian American to be the head coach of a team in the FBS national championship. His father is Black and his mother is Korean.

“What I don’t want to do is lump the national championship game with what Dr. King has done for our country,” he said. “January 20th, MLK Day, is about celebrating the life of Dr. King and the impact he’s made on our country. None of that light should be taken away by this national championship game.

“As far as me being the first Black or Asian head coach to be in this game, again, I am grateful. I am so grateful to help represent a lot of guys, especially our players and coaches that look like me. But I’m going to make sure the attention is turned on the team because I’m not in this position without the team and without the other coaches getting the job done.”

–Day dreaming

It’s been well documented that some Ohio State fans have been vocal in their contempt for Day after a fourth straight loss to Michigan on Nov. 30. A championship might quiet some, but not all, of his critics. The players have rallied around their coach.

“Yeah, we’d love to win this for him,” left tackle Donovan Jackson said. “He’s the ultimate competitor. He wants to win games more than anyone else in the building. The stuff he and his family has gone through is ridiculous, in our opinion.

“We understand the magnitude of the games we play, but some of the stuff he goes through, I don’t quite understand. We’re here now trying to win a game, not just for him, but for everybody related to the program in the state of Ohio.”

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith added: “To win this national championship with Coach Day would mean a lot. You see everything he’s been through this year, people saying he should be fired, this and that. …

“I wasn’t here when he first got the head coaching job, but I know this year for sure we’ve definitely got to win this for him.”

–Fan conversion?

Evans has added reason to be excited about the game.

“Obviously, just playing a Natty itself is a pretty surreal experience,” he said. “But playing Ohio State, the state that I’m from, it’s kind of like a full-circle moment.”

He’s from Wadsworth in northeastern Ohio but he wasn’t a Buckeye fan despite his surroundings.

“Everywhere you go, you’re going to see an Ohio State flag in somebody’s front lawn. Go into restaurants, there’s memorabilia, whether it’s a jersey, shoes, you name it, something in there of Ohio State,” Evans said. “So hopefully, I’m trying to turn that tide, put some Notre Dame stuff in people’s places.

“Some people text me, say, ‘I’m rooting for you but rooting for Ohio State.’ It’s one of those type of feelings. Yeah, I’m pretty much deep in Ohio State country where I’m from.”

–Third time the charm?

Why Notre Dame will win: Freeman is in his third season as head coach of the Fighting Irish. Frank Leahy (1943), Ara Parseghian (1966), Dan Devine (1977) and Lou Holtz (1988) all won their first national championships in their third season. Also in their third year, Knute Rockne went 9-0 in 1920 and Brian Kelly was 12-1 in 2012 but lost to Alabama in the BCS title game.

Why Ohio State will win: Since losing the first two games vs. Notre Dame in 1935 and 1936, the Buckeyes have won the past six in the series (1995, 1996, 2006, 2016, 2022 and 2023), including the previous two games on a neutral field at the Fiesta Bowl in 2006 and 2016.

–Craig Merz, Field Level Media

Notre Dame takes the field for the first round of the College Football Playoff between Notre Dame and Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in South Bend.

CFP director: More on-campus playoff games possible

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Future editions of the College Football Playoff could feature more games hosted at campus sites, CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters Saturday.

Clark said FBS commissioners will discuss the idea of potentially playing quarterfinal games at campus sites when the CFP Board of Managers gathers Sunday for its first official meeting since this season’s 12-team playoff began.

“We’ll talk about it for sure,” Clark said. “The campus games were amazing. That atmosphere, and what went on there, and certainly a lot of people are very interested. But the quarterfinals and the semifinals were amazing, too.”

The expanded playoff format debuted this season with four first-round games on campus sites.

Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State each hosted a game and drew praise from fans, media members and coaches for the festive and electric atmosphere each contest delivered.

Those games gave way to the more traditional settings for the playoff, with the quarterfinals and semifinals taking place at New Year’s Six bowl sites. The Fiesta, Rose, Peach and Sugar Bowls hosted the quarterfinals, while the semifinals were played at the Orange and Cotton Bowls.

The New Year’s Six bowl sites exclusively hosted playoff games from 2014-23, and they remain under contract to host playoff games through the 2025-26 season.

However, Clark did not indicate whether another contract for 2026 and beyond is in the works, according to a report by Front Office Sports.

As for now, Clark is unsure how far the conversation about swapping New Year’s Six bowls for campus sites will go on Sunday.

“I don’t know what the appetite is amongst the commissioners, necessarily,” he said.

–Field Level Media

Dec 30, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks helmets with the College Football Playoff (CFP) logo on the Big Ten Network stage during Rose Bowl media day at Sheraton Grand LA. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CFP quarterfinals earn mixed TV ratings

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The new-look College Football Playoff had an average of 16.9 million viewers tune into the quarterfinals on ESPN platforms, a 59 percent jump from the 10.6 million who watched the first-round games.

In its first year with a 12-team field, the CFP has generated plenty of buzz. The most-watched quarterfinal was the Rose Bowl, eighth-seeded Ohio State’s 41-21 drubbing of No. 1 seed Oregon, which averaged 21.1 million viewers.

Still, last year’s Rose Bowl — which was a semifinal game due to the four-team field under the CFP’s previous format — had a larger audience. An average of 27.2 million viewers watched Michigan, the No. 1 seed, edge Alabama, the No. 4 seed, 27-20 in overtime.

In this season’s Peach Bowl, fifth-seeded Texas outlasted fourth-seeded Arizona State for a 39-31 victory in double overtime while drawing an average of 17.3 million viewers. The Sugar Bowl brought in an average of 15.8 million viewers, even after it had to be postponed from Wednesday to Thursday because of a domestic terrorist attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people.

No. 7 seed Notre Dame beat No. 2 seed Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

Sixth-seeded Penn State’s 31-14 win over No. 3 seed Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl was the least-watched quarterfinal, with an average of 13.8 million viewers.

–Field Level Media

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates on the sidelines in the final minute against the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

CFP denies request to flip dates of semifinal games

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The College Football Playoff semifinal games will be played as scheduled, despite a request for an alteration.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey said on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on Thursday that he wanted the CFP committee to flip the dates of the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl.

His request came after the Sugar Bowl, in which Notre Dame defeated Georgia 23-10, was delayed one day after the truck attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people and injured dozens more.

Notre Dame moves on to meet Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9. Ohio State and Texas will play in the Cotton Bowl the following day for a berth in the national championship.

Per ESPN, Sankey was worried the winner of the Sugar Bowl could be at a disadvantage having two fewer days of rest and preparation time than Penn State, which played on New Year’s Eve.

But CFP executive director Rick Clark told ESPN on Friday the schedule will not change.

“We’re not going to flip the games,” Clark said. “The concession we made with the athletic directors was to start the Sugar Bowl earlier — an 18-hour or so delay. We slipped the game 18 hours to ensure we could provide safety and security for teams, coaches, staffs, fans and others involved. (New Orleans) and Sugar Bowl officials were amazing.”

Sankey told Finebaum that the “incredible horrible tragedy” in New Orleans warranted consideration of a change of dates.

“Sometimes just like within a game you have to adapt you have to adjust,” Sankey said.

Clark said such a change would have a wide-ranging impact.

“Logistics are very complicated, disruptive to the other teams involved that have schedules in place, especially Texas and Ohio State,” he said. “Fans have made arrangements already and this creates issues for them. There’s more, but these are some of the major points.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 Rose Bowl college football quarterfinal game at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Coaches pocket big bonuses with CFP semifinal runs

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A berth in the College Football Playoff championship game will be on the line when Texas and Ohio State meet Jan. 10 in one national semifinal, but so will hundreds of thousands of dollars for their head coaches.

Both Steve Sarkisian of Texas and Ryan Day of Ohio State stand to cash in big bonuses with a win at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

According to figures from USA Today, Sarkisian has earned $650,000 so far by qualifying for the semifinal after the Longhorns’ double-overtime win over Arizona State on Wednesday in the Peach Bowl. That’s on top of $250,000 he earned by reaching the Southeastern Conference title game.

Should the Longhorns play in the title game, he’ll earn another $250,000 — and that will be doubled with a win.

As for Day, reaching the CFP semifinal with Wednesday’s Rose Bowl win over Oregon in the quarterfinals has brought him an extra $350,000. If the Buckeyes defeat the Longhorns, he will be guaranteed an additional $150,000 — plus $500,000 more if they win the national championship for a total bonus payout of $1 million.

James Franklin’s Penn State team will face the winner of Thursday’s Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame after their victory over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State and Franklin agreed on a contract amendment in November to account for the revamped, 12-team CFP, and details haven’t been announced. Front Office Sports reported that under the four-team playoff structure, Franklin would have received $400,000 for making the field, $500,000 for a semifinal win, or $800,000 for winning the national championship.

Salary figures for Marcus Freeman, the head coach at Notre Dame, were not available because it is a private school. But at public Georgia, Kirby Smart stands to take home $1.175 million in bonuses should the Bulldogs win the national title. He already has earned $425,000 of that amount.

That’s a lot of money but still far short of the $3 million Jim Harbaugh earned last season for leading Michigan to its first title since 1997.

–Field Level Media

Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo (4) and offensive lineman Leif Fautanu (79) and quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrate during the game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Arizona State Sun Devils at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

No. 4 Arizona State bids to continue stunning season vs. No. 5 Texas in Peach Bowl

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They weren’t expected to win their conference. They certainly weren’t expected to qualify for the College Football Playoff.

Nonetheless, the fourth-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2) have a chance to earn perhaps the biggest win in program history when they battle fifth-seeded Texas (12-2) in a CFP quarterfinal on New Year’s Day at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

The winner will meet either top-seeded Oregon or No. 8 seed Ohio State in a semifinal game at the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 in Arlington, Texas.

Projected last in the preseason Big 12 poll, Arizona State secured an automatic bid to its first CFP with a 45-19 drubbing of Iowa State in the conference championship on Dec. 7.

Despite the Sun Devils boasting 311 fewer all-time victories than the Longhorns, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham doesn’t see the matchup as David versus Goliath.

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Dillingham said. “I would say this is a really good football team that was predicted to win a national championship versus the Big 12 champion. I’m excited to see our guys go out there and compete.”

Riding a six-game winning streak, Arizona State will have rested for 24 days by the time New Year’s Day rolls around, admittedly an obstacle Dillingham’s team will have to overcome.

“Not playing a game for 3 1/2 weeks is definitely a challenge,” Dillingham said. “Especially because we were playing our best football. … We really dominated the end of the season, in my opinion.”

Averaging 34.5 points per game, the Sun Devils’ offense is led by quarterback Sam Leavitt’s 2,663 passing yards and 29 total touchdowns, alongside running back Cam Skattebo’s 1,568 rushing yards and 19 scores.

An upstart Arizona State squad enters Wednesday’s game as nearly two-touchdown underdogs, much due to Texas’ stingy defense, which allows the second-fewest points per game in college football (13.3).

The Longhorns have slipped twice this season, to Georgia, first in a 30-15 home loss on Oct. 19, then in a 22-19 overtime defeat in the Southeastern Conference title game on Dec. 7.

Appearing in its second straight CFP, Texas pulled away from visiting Clemson in the opening round last Saturday to win 38-24. Now preparing for the Longhorns’ second all-time meeting with Arizona State (2007 Holiday Bowl), coach Steve Sarkisian doesn’t take December football for granted.

“To be a part of this game is a fantastic honor,” Sarkisian said. “We’re really proud of the fact that we’ve gotten to this point. We obviously have a ton of respect for Arizona State and the job coach Dillingham has done. They’re a very good football team. We know how hard it is to win the Big 12.”

Last time out, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 202 yards, a touchdown and an interception, but the Longhorns shredded the Clemson defense with 292 rushing yards. Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, paired with Quintrevion Wisner’s 110 yards and two scores.

“We needed to run the ball to beat Clemson, and we’re going to need to run the football to keep advancing in these playoffs,” Sarkisian said. “That’s what playoff football is about. … There’s a lot that goes into the run game. It takes all 11 to run the ball.”

–Field Level Media

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates a touchdown by running back TreVeyon Henderson during the second half of the College Football Playoff first round game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Dec. 22, 2024. Ohio State won 42-17.

CFP games top 10M average, but NFL wins head-to-head

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The NFL won the head-to-head battle for viewers with the College Football Playoff.

Front Office Sports, citing figures from Nielsen, reported Tuesday that the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-19 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday averaged 15.5 million viewers on NBC, more than double the average of 6.4 million people who watched Penn State defeat SMU 38-10 on TNT Sports in the same time frame.

The Baltimore Ravens’ 34-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers drew an average of 15.4 million for Fox Sports, while 8.6 million viewers tuned in to see Texas defeat Clemson 38-24in the College Football Playoff on TNT.

The CFP games returned stronger ratings when they weren’t matched up against an NFL game, however.

Ohio State’s 42-17 victory over Tennessee, played in primetime on Saturday night, averaged 14.3 million viewers on ESPN. The network also saw strong ratings for Notre Dame’s 27-17 win over Indiana on Friday night with an average of 13.4 million.

All four first-round CFP games were played at campus sites. They averaged 10.6 million viewers overall, per Front Office Sports, which noted that figure exceeded the ratings for all but four college football broadcasts this season.

–Field Level Media

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball against the Army Black Knights during the first half at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images

CFP notebook: Notre Dame takes on Indiana’s top-ranked rushing D

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Indiana failed its first test at knocking off a powerhouse when the then-undefeated Hoosiers lost 38-15 at Ohio State on Nov. 23.

Coach Curt Cignetti believes the No. 10 seed Hoosiers (11-1) will be better prepared when they play at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1) on Friday in South Bend, Ind., in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

“I don’t think anyone was happy with the way we came out of Ohio State,” he said. “But I think our guys have learned from that too and we’ll be better in a hostile environment than we were that particular day.”

–Notre Dame’s 10th-ranked rushing attack (224.8 yards per game) will challenge Indiana’s No. 1 rushing defense (70.8 yards).

“It’s always our plan to find a way to run the football,” Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said. “Everything we do kind of builds around that and comes from that to begin with. We’re going to have to have some success on the ground.”

Jeremiyah Love led Notre Dame with 949 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Quarterback Riley Leonard is not far behind at 721 yards and 14 TDs on the ground.

–If the matchup between No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday night comes down to a field goal, Buckeyes (10-2) coach Ryan Day said a decision has not been made between Jayden Fielding, who missed attempts from 38 and 34 yards in a 13-10 loss to Michigan in their last game, and Austin Snyder. He has not attempted a field goal for Ohio State.

“We will make a decision about who gives us the best chance to win and go from there,” Day said.

–Tennessee (10-2) believes it has the maturity and leadership to handle adversity on Saturday.

“There’s going to be ebbs and flows in the ball game, and you’ve got to continue to play and compete,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said. “I think as much as anything, that’s a real credit to the guys that we have in the locker room.”

–Both No. 6 Penn State (11-2) and No. 11 SMU (11-2) had their backup quarterbacks enter the transfer portal. The difference is the Nittany Lions’ Beau Pribula is no longer with the team while Preston Stone will be available for the visiting Mustangs when they play Saturday.

“It’s huge,” SMU coach Rhett Lashlee said. “You keep some continuity. Preston’s played a lot of football, won a lot of games.”

Penn State coach James Franklin said Wednesday that freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has not taken a snap in a game, will back up Drew Allar.

“(Grunkemeyer) has done a really good job and put himself in a position that we have a lot of confidence,” Franklin said.

–Quarterback Quinn Ewers of No. 5 Texas (11-2) practiced this week without a custom ankle brace in preparation for the home game against No. 12 Clemson (10-3) on Saturday. He wore a brace the past two games.

“I think he’s continually getting better,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.

–Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney has the Tigers in the postseason for the seventh time in the past 11 seasons and said he doesn’t care about criticism of him.

“I mean, I’ve been taking shots for 16 years,” he said. “We just keep winning, you know?”

–Field Level Media