Monday night, Bill Hancock, the commissioners of the 10 FBS conferences, and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick got together to discuss the fact that the new college football playoff is called the College Football Playoff. Here's what we learned:
Yes, it's the College Football Playoff.
And yes, it probably could have been worse:
Three dozen possibilities for name were out there.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 23, 2013
They had a video.
"The College Football Playoff. You can't get that more straightforward than that." Umm, yeah. Nailed it. The video follows it up with exciting highlights from various BCS games, I guess to show how flawed the system used to be?
You can vote on things.
The website is CollegeFootballPlayoff.com. It features a helpful countdown to the beginning of the playoff - only 617 days, you guys - and lets us vote on the logo choice. Here are the four logos:
People will make fun of them. You want descriptions?
1. Football stuck in thumb piano2. Football eye of Sauron3. Football tweezers 4. Football Minesweeper BOOM collegefootballplayoff.com
— edsbs (@edsbs) April 23, 2013
Wait, you want actual descriptions? Guh, here goes:
No. 1: Celebrating the highest level of national athletic competition, the collegiate football's white stripes become an integral part of the American flag.No. 2: Representing the ascent of teams to the playoffs, two gold brackets surround a 'virtual' football, and allude to the championship trophy.
Wait, wait, wait, hold up.
It alludes to the championship trophy? During the press conference, BCS head Bill Hancock said this:
We haven't finalized the discussion of the trophy yet.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 23, 2013
Maybe that's true, maybe they haven't finalized the logo yet, or maybe this is one of those silly little slipups where something gets out too soon. I guess don't be too surprised if the crystal football we all know and love turns into a gold-bracketed football.
Back to some more logo descriptions.
No. 3: American craftsmanship forged with contemporary design; inspired by the iconic shape of a football and a champion's medal, representing the historic new direction in crowning a national champion.No. 4: A star, created by a compass with a football at its center, symbolizes the pinnacle of achievement, and the path teams follow from across the nation to the playoff.
That's a star? Voting's open until Monday.
More stuff we learned at the presser.
Bill Hancock is really hammering home the idea that they're taking back New Year's Day/Eve with the semifinals:
"We think we're going to change the paradigm for New Year's Eve in this country." --Hancock.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 23, 2013
Or maybe he doesn't?
"I don't subscribe to the take-back-New-Year's theory." --Hancock.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 24, 2013
Hancock sort of made a joke at the BCS' expense:
RT @jimmy_burch: Omitting B & S >> RT @mcmurphyespn: "There are 2 letters not associated w/(new) name" Bill Hancock about former BCS name
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) April 24, 2013
But he defends its legacy:
"I'm still adamantly defending the BCS. History will show the BCS did wonderful things for cfb. But it's time for a new direction." Hancock
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) April 23, 2013
On the four teams:
"We think the four-team playoff doesn't go too far, it just goes the right distance." - Executive Director, Bill Hancock #4ward
— CFB Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) April 24, 2013
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