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NCAA Unveils New Patches for College Football Playoff First Round Games

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As you are likely all aware, the College Football Playoff (CFP), which has been in existence since 2014, has expanded this year to a twelve team format, after including just four teams the previous decade.

From 2014 through 2023, the two semi-final games rotated among the six New Year’s Day bowl games: the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. That’s all changed for this season. The 12-team CFP format now includes a first round of playoffs separated from bowl games. The first round will consist of seeds 5 through 12 playing one another at the home stadium of the better seeded teams, or another venue of their choice. Then, the quarter-final and semi-final games will consist of the New Year’s Six bowl games, with a national championship game after that.

The first four games of the CFP will be played next Friday and Saturday, which means that for the first time, four teams will be playing mid-December home games. The CFP was already going to be a big deal — but having post-season, first round games played in the home stadiums of Texas, Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame had to be serendipitious for the selection committee, as well as for the fans of the Longhorns, Buckeyes, Nittany Lions and the Irish.

Here’s a look at the final CFP bracket.

In the past, when only four teams met in the CFP, each team wore a special patch with the year (not the season) the CFP was played. The NCAA has maintained a consistent look for the logo over the years. That logo was only worn for the final game of the CFP (the semi-finals featured regular Bowl patches).

But now that there is a new “first round” of playoffs, that means a new patch for the eight teams involved. The patch features the CFP football logo, with the words “PLAYOFF” atop “FIRST ROUND,” as well as a “Presented by AllState” ad at the base of the patch.

The teams involved in this first round next week are beginning to show the patch off on the jerseys the teams will wear for the games.

Here are some looks at the patches on the first round teams:

CLEMSON

TENNESSEE

OHIO STATE

INDIANA

Once the first round of playoffs is complete, the semi-final and quarter-final rounds of the playoff are hosted by the New Year’s Six: the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. For the quarter-final, the host bowls will be the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl. Those games will be played on December 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025. The semi-final bowl games are the Orange Bowl (game to be played January 9, 2025) and Cotton Bowl (played January 10, 2025).

In past years, playoff teams wore traditional bowl patches for their semi-final bowl games, then changing to the “year” patch for the CFP final game. It is expected this year the patches will follow the same format (Bowl patch for quarter- and semi-finals, “year” patch for final game).

I’m not in love with the new “First Round” patch, since it includes the extra bit of advertising (which is already present on Bowl patches), but that horse left the barn years ago. If the patch were sans-advert, I’d like it more. It’s not terrible, by any means, and since these first round playoff games aren’t “Bowl” games, the NCAA figured they need something on the jersey, since it is a post-season game.

Your thoughts?

 
  
 
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Comments (1)

    A nitpick, the NCAA does not award or administer the FBS College Football Playoff.

    This quirk in administration is why some teams claim shared titles. The BCS and College Football Playoff are run by the conferences to crown a champion (and make tons of ad revenue doing it).

    Even without the ad, the patch just looks clunky to me. Why not just use the patch template they’ve used the last 10 years?

    Got to get that ad in their. We don’t have enough during the game and on and around the field. More please

    This confirms that Ohio State isn’t wearing their playoff throwbacks then, right? That’s a standard jersey it is going on.

    I think tOSU is wearing all red, so red jersey and red pants. I have not seen or heard of the jersey being non-standard?

    Thank goodness we have a patch! Lord knows, those poor kids would have been running around silently wondering “Wait, I thought the season was over?!?” Thank you Allstate!

    If the patch had the logo and “Playoffs” only it would be ok. Having the words “First Round” is unnecessary. We know it’s the first round.

    Just opening it up to an ad space. I mean, it’s already an ad but they are testing the waters to have the whole patch an ad.

    And just think, the Indiana-Notre Dame winner will get to have a second jersey with Allstate on it! Allstate should be bound for giving those players some extra cash for cluttering their CFP jerseys.

    Since I have seen these on Ohio State’s social media, I see this as a natural evolution of the NCAA patches in the post season. It’s still unnecessary. I think this is how they “soften” the insertion of uniform ads.

    Additionally, the Nike teams aren’t wearing the “diamond” version of the swooshes as they did in playoffs past, maybe that changes when they get to the semifinals.

Comments are closed.