“College Football Playoff” is the new name for the upcoming 4-team college football playoff, which begins after the completion of the 2014 regular-season.
That’s it. College Football Playoff. It’s simple and to the point. Other rumored names such as “National Championship Series” didn’t make the cut.
“We decided to call the playoff what it is - the College Football Playoff. We think the new playoff will be the most dynamic improvement to college football in a generation. Certainly it’s what the fans want. We also invite everyone to vote online to select the logo and help us kick off the new College Football Playoff,” said Bill Hancock, the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff.
As Hancock said, and we reported on Twitter earlier today, fans can vote for their choice for the new College Football Playoff logo (see options below). The new logo will become the official mark of the event through the 2025-26 season.
The official website of the College Football Playoff is www.collegefootballplayoff.com and you can follow them on Twitter @CFBPlayoff.
The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl were previously announced as the host sites for the first national semifinal games on January 1, 2015.
The winners of the semifinals will advance to the College Football Playoff Championship Game on Monday, January 12, 2015. The site of the game will be announced Thursday, but it is expected to be Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Listed below is the rotation for the playoffs beginning after the 2014 regular season and continuing through the 2025 season.
| Year | Host Bowls and National Semifinals | Championship Game |
| 2014-15 | Wed., Dec. 31 and Thurs., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 12 |
| 2015-16 | Thurs., Dec. 31 and Fri., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 11 |
| 2016-17 | Sat., Dec. 31 and Mon., Jan. 2 | Mon., Jan. 9 |
| 2017-18 | Sat., Dec. 30 and Mon., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 8 |
| 2018-19 | Mon., Dec. 31 and Tues., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 7 |
| 2019-20 | Tues., Dec. 31 and Wed., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 13 |
| 2020-21 | Thurs., Dec. 31 and Fri., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 11 |
| 2021-22 | Fri., Dec. 31 and Sat., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 10 |
| 2022-23 | Sat., Dec. 31 and Mon., Jan. 2 | Mon., Jan. 9 |
| 2023-24 | Sat., Dec. 30 and Mon., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 8 |
| 2024-25 | Tues., Dec. 31 and Wed., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 13 |
| 2025-26 | Wed., Dec. 31 and Thurs., Jan. 1 | Mon., Jan. 12 |