OCT. 28First ranking

released

BIG GAMES10/11: Oregon

at UCLA10/25: Texas at Kansas State, Arizona State

at Washington, Ole Miss at LSU, South Carolina

at Auburn

NOV. 4Second ranking

BIG GAMES11/1: Stanford

at Oregon, Auburn at Ole Miss, Florida

vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville,

Fla.)

NOV. 11Third

ranking

BIG GAMES11/8: Baylor at Oklahoma,

Notre Dame at Arizona State,

Alabama at LSU, Texas

A&M at Auburn, Ohio State at

Michigan State

NOV. 18Fourth ranking

BIG GAMES11/15:

Nebraska at Wisconsin, Auburn at Georgia,

South Carolina at Florida,

Missouri at Texas A&M

NOV. 25Fifth

ranking

BIG GAMES11/22: USC

at UCLA, Oklahoma

State at Baylor, Louisville at Notre Dame

DEC. 2Sixth

ranking

BIG GAMES11/27: LSU at

Texas A&M11/28: Stanford

at UCLA11/29: Oregon

at Oregon State, Notre

Dame at USC, Auburn at Alabama

DEC. 7Selection Sunday

Final four: The selection committee will compile the final rankings, assign seeds to the top four teams and select the teams for the other four top bowls.

Talking playoffsOut with the BCS computers, in with 13 selectors who will decide which teams make the Final Four

THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SELECTION COMMITTEEThe 13-member panel will rank the top 25 teams beginning Tuesday, Oct. 28, replacing ESPN’s Sunday BCS weekly reveal. The panel will select the top four teams for the playoff semifinals and the eight teams for the other four top-tier bowls.

Jeff Long (chairman)Athletic director at Arkansas

Barry AlvarezAthletic director, Hall of Fame coach at Wisconsin

Lt. Gen. Mike GouldFormer superintendent U.S. Air Force Academy

Pat HadenAthletic director, former star quarterback at USC

TomJernstedtUO grad (’67) is a former NCAA executive vice president

Oliver LuckAthletic director, former quarterback at West Virginia

ArchieManningFormer Ole Miss star and all-pro quarterback

TomOsborneAthletic director, Hall of Fame coach at Nebraska

Dan RadakovichAthletic director at Clemson

CondoleezaRiceFormer U.S. Secretary of State is a Stan-ford professor

UNDERSTANDING THE SELECTION PROCESSNew era: College football fans finally get to say R.I.P. to the Bowl Championship Series. Thirteen selectors will now determine which teams will play for the national championship.

Members of the College Football Playoff committee don’t even need a Ph.D. in mathematics from M.I.T. to serve.Gang of 13: The plug has been pulled on the complicated BCS standings, which used computers to spit out the

numbers that sent Oregon to the Fiesta Bowl and Nebraska to the national title game in 2001. A selection committee — which includes a former U.S. secretary of state, current athletic directors, legendary coaches and even a sports writer —

will choose four teams for the playoff.Decision day: The committee will release its first ranking on Oct. 28 and will ultimately pick college football’s Final Four based on some of the criteria used for the wildly popular

NCAA Tournament every March — strength of schedule, win-loss record, head-to-head results, conference championships and injuries. So Oregon’s coaches might want to speak up the next time one of their key players goes down.

AUG. 27First game: Abilene Christian at Georgia State opens the college FBS Division 1-A season. Expected big games on opening weekend include Texas A&M at South Carolina, Clemson at Georgia and LSU vs. Wisconsin (in Houston).

DEC. 31The undercard: Three of the six top-tier bowls, called the “New Year’s Six,” will be played on New Year’s Eve. This year, those bowls will be the Peach, Fiesta and Orange.

THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SELECTION COMMITTEEThe 13-member panel will rank the top 25 teams beginning Tuesday, Oct. 28, replacing ESPN’s Sunday BCS weekly reveal. The panel will select the top four teams for the playoff semifinals and the eight teams for the other four top-tier bowls.

CondoleezaRiceFormer U.S. Secretary of State is a Stan-ford professor

JAN. 12, 2015National championship: Winners of the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will meet at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the first national title game under the new format.

The College Football Playoff semifinals: The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will be played on New Year’s Day, with the winners advancing to the title game. The

last of the six big bowls, the Cotton Bowl, also will be played.

MikeTrangheseFormer Big East commissioner led BCS in 2003-04

SteveWiebergFormer college football reporter for USA Today

TyroneWillinghamFormer coach at Stanford, Notre Dame and Washington

DEC. 31The undercard: Three of the six top-tier bowls, called the “New Year’s Six,” will be played on New Year’s Eve. This year, those bowls will be the Peach, Fiesta and Orange.

TICKET PRICESBring a fat wallet: While the cheapest face-value tickets are priced at $450 each, premium-seat tickets start at about $1,900.

JAN. 1, 2015

THE TROPHYNo more crystal: The new 35-pound national championship trophy glitters with 24-karat gold, bronze and stainless steel, and features a design that is the shape and size of an actual football at its apex.

p More onthe Web

at collegefoot-ballplayoff.com

Graphic by Tom Penix/

The Register-Guard

WHAT IF THERE HAD BEEN NO BCSMemory lane: Did Oregon’s appearance in the 2011 BCS Championship game make up for the snub in 2001 when the second-ranked Ducks were dubbed fourth best by the computers? Of course not, so here’s a look back at what the BCS era might have been with a playoff system.

1998

1. Tennessee 2. Florida St.

3. Kansas St. 4. Ohio St.

1999

1. Florida St. 2. Virginia Tech

3. Nebraska 4. Alabama

2000

1. Oklahoma 2. Florida St.

3. Miami 4. Washington

2001

1. Miami 2. Nebraska

3. Colorado 4. Oregon

2002

1. Miami 2. Ohio St.

3. Georgia 4. USC

2003

1. Oklahoma 2. LSU

3. USC 4. Michigan

2004

1. USC 2. Oklahoma

3. Auburn 4. Texas

2005

1. USC 2. Texas

3. Penn St. 4. Ohio St.

2006

1. Ohio St. 2. Florida

3. Michigan 4. LSU

2007

1. Ohio St. 2. LSU

3. Virginia Tech 4. Oklahoma

2008

1. Oklahoma 2. Florida

3. Texas 4. Alabama

2009

1. Alabama 2. Texas

3. Cincinnati 4. TCU

2010

1. Auburn 2. Oregon

3. TCU 4. Stanford

2011

1. LSU 2. Alabama

3. Oklahoma St. 4. Stanford

2012

1. Notre Dame 2. Alabama

3. Florida 4. Oregon

2013

1. Florida St. 2. Auburn

3. Alabama 4. Michigan St.