There are many complex and multidimensional events in sports. The College Football Playoff is no exception, and while it is not a mega professional sporting event, it is an event that attracts a tremendous amount of publicity and following. The College Football Playoff is a postseason tournament featuring the top four ranked NCAAD-I football teams in the country chosen by a twelve-person human committee. There are two matches played as semi-finals and the winners of the respective matches then play for the national championship. This is only the second year this format has been used; Previously, there were only two teams chosen to play in the title match, which sparked a lot of controversy. Given the many benefits and challenges of this new format, a great deal of planning and manpower is required to make this event run smoothly and in the right direction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The event is very complex and has many components, from the history of the event to the legacy the event leaves behind. Prior to 2014, the NCAA football postseason operated under the BCS format, which used a computerized ranking system to determine which teams played for the national title and various major bowl games. This caused controversy as teams of similar caliber to those selected believed they deserved a place in the final match, having the ability to play just as well as the No. 1 team. 1 or n. 2. In 2003, this controversy came to fruition when two different teams were selected as national champions following the conclusion of the BCS title game, with LSU named champion by virtue of winning the title game and USC named champion by poll AP, which was not contractually obligated to name the winner of the BCS title game as the national champion. The 2004 season also saw five different teams finish undefeated, each deserving the right to compete for the title. Given these controversies, the formula for determining the BCS ranking was revised to strongly favor human polls, rather than computerized ones. rankings. However, even with the overhaul, there was still controversy over the limited number of teams selected for the game, and the clamor for a larger, bracketed tournament increased, culminating in the creation of the College Football Playoff. With a group tournament, concerns arise about the amount of additional matches added to the schedule. Especially in football, each game towards the end of the season has a high probability of injuries, and even two additional games would heavily affect the schedule (Schroeder, 2014). The CFP resolved these dilemmas by limiting the number of additional games to one (a “plus one” system), using existing major bowl games as semifinal matchups. Major "New Year's Six" bowls used by the playoffs include Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA), Orange Bowl (Miami, FL), Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA), Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX), Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) and Peach Bowl (Atlanta, GA). Each year the two semi-finals are rotated between these six, so that each bowl hosts once every three years. In the 2015 semifinals the Rose Bowl hosted Florida State vs. Oregon and the Sugar Bowl hosted Alabama vs. Ohio State. Each of these sites is a major stadium used by NFL teams or built for the sole purpose of hosting the annual bowl game. The final championship game is also hosted in a major stadium, however it is determined by a bidding process similar to that of the Super Bowl. Cities across the countrywith a minimum 65,000 seat stadium they can apply to host the title game (College Football Playoff). In 2015, the location of the championship game was in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The four teams selected for the College Football Playoff are chosen by a 12-person committee. The committee is made up of coaches, student-athletes, university administrators and journalists, along with the current athletics directors (College Football Playoff). These 12 individuals rank the nation's top 25 teams on a weekly basis and, by virtue of who finishes first through fourth, choose who competes in the playoffs. The new system of using a human survey rather than a computerized ranking has had mixed responses. While most prefer a human being to make the decision, there is still a lot of controversy behind such decisions. It is arguable to say that because humans make mistakes, some teams deserved to be selected over others and were “snubbed” from the title competition (Armor, 2014). However, the new system was much more successful in creating a competitive atmosphere late in the season, as "While the BCS' minuscule margin of error sometimes made the months of November feel like a dreary slog to see how few teams would avoid lose, [the CFP] The year offered late-season hope to more than a dozen teams.” (Tracy, 2015) There are also many challenges to the event, some of those challenges could be scheduling, controversial decisions. of the committee and the separation from the old format having good success from the beginning. Scheduling is an issue that the CFP must consider in choosing match dates. While the title match is always the last match of the season, of usually the second week of January, the semi-final games are held on New Year's Eve or New Year's Eve, among potentially another 6-8 bowl games that day. To increase the number of television viewers, the games are scheduled so that not too many of these prime time events occur in the same time slot. As discussed above, there is also a major challenge considering the selection process. Even with two more teams in the CFP Tournament than in the previous BCS format, there are still the same controversies about teams missing the playoffs. The committee must carefully consider which schools are selected in order to create the best tournament possible, both in terms of competitiveness and fairness. These are just some of the challenges the event presents in the future. Another big challenge and extremely important task is security. A large amount of security personnel is required to guard the entire area including the pitch, in the stands and outside the stadium, to keep fans, players and event staff safe while the event is underway , especially with today's growing threats of terrorism or mass shootings. There are numerous stakeholders in the College Football Playoff, including sponsors, players, coaches, fans, staff, schools, team conferences and media outlets. One of the major stakeholders of the event is ESPN, which owns the television and media rights to the playoffs until 2026, after signing a $7.3 billion deal (Nocera, 2015). Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Such a large investment paid off last January, when 85,000 fans and 33.4 million viewers watched the title game and the two semifinals were the second and third most-watched cable broadcasts in the NCAA, 2015).