First & Goal: Issue 6

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THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE STADIUM EVENTS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

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ISSUE 6 • OCTOBER 23, 2014

TIME TO DEBATE

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee readies to convene in Grapevine and all eyes will be on the new selection process BY JAIME ARON

PHOTO BY IAN HALPERIN

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hey begin to arrive Sunday, followed by a short ride to the Gaylord Texan. Once they settle into their rooms, they’ll make their way to a meeting space they’ve visited before, one that will become even more familiar in the coming weeks.

This meeting space is a trio of connected rooms, each with a view of the hotel’s enormous atrium.

An outer room serves as an office.

The middle room will be for meals.

Then there’s the conference room, the one that can be described — without exaggeration — as the epicenter of the college football world for the next two months.

This is where those travelers, the 12 members of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee (a 13th member is on a health-related leave of absence for the remainder of the season), will meet. This is where they will debate which teams belong in the top 25, and, most importantly, in what order.

MEDIA MOCK SELECTION: Reporters from around the country met in Grapevine in early October to get a first hand look at how the voting process will work.

four participants in the inaugural College Football Playoff Semifinals, which in turn will determine the participants in the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship, which will be played at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 12.

So, uh, are you ready for some rankings?

Bill Hancock certainly is. As Executive Director of the College Football Playoff, he’s the engineer of this process. And with the process days from being implemented, he wants to make sure fans truly understand how it works … because it’s probably not what you think.

“College Football Playoff officials recently gathered 17 sports reporters from around the country for a mock voting session.”

They’ll do it for real starting this upcoming Monday and Tuesday, and for the five Mondays and Tuesdays that follow. Their big finish comes Sunday, Dec. 7, with the announcement of the final poll, the one that will determine the

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The most common misperception is that each voter will fill out a top 25 and those will be tabulated to form a master list. It makes sense to think that because that is how it’s always been done with the AP poll of sportswriters and the Amway Coaches Poll.

Only, this formula is different.

It more closely resembles the way the NCAA basketball tournament bracket is put together. Since that is a mystery to most fans, some explaining is needed.

Take it away, Bill: “At its core, the philosophy of this program is creating a small number of teams that can be compared against each other. So rather than trying to compare 25 teams against each CONTINUED →

ISSUE 6

OCTOBER 23, 2014

TIME TO DEBATE, CONT.

[A KID’S EYE VIEW]

other, we’re only going to be comparing six teams against each other at a time.

“The committee will talk about each team and then compare the six teams to each other. When they’re finished discussing and analyzing them, they’ll rank the teams and the top three become teams 1, 2 and 3. Then they’ll create another list of six teams and analyze them. The top three from that ranking will become 4, 5 and 6. Then the next group will become teams 7, 8 and 9.”

Thus they’ll be working from the top down, starting at No. 1 and going to No. 25. (Note: After working in threes to get to No. 9, they’ll whittle out groups of four for 10-13, 14-17, 18-21 and 22-25.)

To help fans understand it all, College Football Playoff officials recently gathered 17 sports reporters from around the country for a mock voting session.

They met in the very room at the Gaylord the selection committee will use. They were even assigned spots at the U-shaped table corresponding to the committee member they represented, with several doubling up, of course, to keep the panel at 13 voters.

The major differences were debating for five hours, instead of 20, and using the end of the 2008 season instead of the current lay of the land.

As you may recall, 2008 was when Texas beat Oklahoma, Oklahoma beat Texas Tech and Texas Tech beat Texas, creating a three-way tie atop the Big 12 South. The Sooners won on a tiebreaker and won the league championship game. They were picked to play in the BCS Championship game, CONTINUED →

“SO COOL AND SO SHINY” Visitors to the State Fair got to see the new championship trophy up close — and for many kids it was better than a corny dog with extra ketchup BY MERILL WALL

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hile visiting the State Fair on Columbus Day, 10-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez, 8-year-old Valerie Rodriguez and their parents headed toward the Hall of State to see a collection of items from the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in Waco — things like a uniform worn by Roger Staubach, Doak Walker’s Heisman Trophy and a hockey stick Mike AT THE FAIR: Jake Aron (right) with Luke Michael Modano used for a Ramitzky at the Texas State Fair. milestone goal.

Before climbing the steps to the Hall, they the image with their family and got to see another unique sports friends. memento, a golden trophy whose Budding sports reporter Jake history has yet to be written.

Aron was on the scene as well, This shiny piece of hardware is interviewing Gabriel, Valerie and the new College Football Playoff many more kids after they got to National Championship Trophy, see the trophy up close. and it was right there, on a table “It looks cool!” said Gabriel, in a tent a long pass from Big Tex. who attends Godwin Elementary About 600 people made their way School in Dallas. through that day, getting pictures “Shiny, gold. I like that color,” made with this newest icon in U.S. said 12-year-old Alexis Floyd of Smithfield Middle School in North Richland Hills.

“Awesome,” said 9-year-old Natalie Floyd of Porter Elementary. “(Seeing it was) really, really cool because it is sports. For zero coupons — that’s a football trophy and I’ve never right, for free — they received a been around one of those.” card explaining the easy steps to Raleigh Luxon wore an LSU download their picture. Plenty T-shirt, so it was pretty obvious of selfies and other camerawhich team he wants to see hoist phone pics were taken, too, for the trophy. He also considered those who couldn’t wait to share Oregon and Arizona CONTINUED →

“(Seeing it was) really, really cool because it is a football trophy and I’ve never been around one of those.”

CONTINUED →

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TIME TO DEBATE, CONT.

“SO COOL AND SO SHINY,” CONT.

losing to Florida. Longhorns fans stewed that a fellow oneloss team, one that they’d beaten, played for the title, instead of Texas.

Back then, the BCS computer cranked out Oklahoma at No. 1 and Florida at No. 2. Following intense debate and discussion, the sports reporters-turnedselection committee cranked out a final four of Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Southern California.

State as top contenders. Whoever wins it, he knows he got to take a picture with it before those teams.

“I think it’s very cool to take (a picture with it) before it’s even touched,” said Raleigh, who is 12 and goes to Westwood Junior High in Richardson.

Jake asked several questions that are best answered from a kids’ perspective, such as:

“Under one of the principles, it’s possible to revote, and they revoted not once, but twice. Just to make sure they had the right four teams. And it came out the same on both revotes.”

“The reaction in the room was, `Wow! Look what we’ve done. Are we sure we got it right? Let’s look at those teams again and vote again,’” Hancock said. “Under one of the principles, it’s possible to revote, and they revoted not once, but twice. Just to make sure they had the right four teams. And it came out the same on both revotes.”

Keep in mind the ramifications. This would’ve produced a national semifinal pitting Florida and USC in the Sugar Bowl, and a rematch between Texas and OU in the Rose Bowl.

“Think about that,” Hancock said, laughing. “We won’t have those two teams in a rematch this year, but CONTINUED →

IF THE TROPHY COULD TALK, WHAT WOULD IT SAY?

PRETEND YOU JUST WON THE TROPHY, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY? + “OK trophy, I’ll take you to somewhere.” – Luke Michael Ramitzky, 5, St. Mary’s School + “Greatest thing of my life,” – Reese McNair, 10, Bolin Elementary in Allen + “God bless America!”

– Grant Jackson, 12, McLean Middle School in Fort Worth

+ “Who will win me?”

– Brandon Martin, 11, Bolin Elementary School in Allen

+ “I’m going to keep it for myself.” – Christian Mundy, 10, Nash Elementary

+ “If you’re a winner, you would want me.”

– Andrew Reddick, 11, Mary Moore Elementary in Arlington

+ “I would say thank you to my teammates and thank you to everyone, and congratulations to the other team.” – Christopher Lancaster, 13, Middlebrook School in Wilton, Connecticut

+ “Am I going to break from these little children?”

– Grady Hendrix, 9, Moss Haven Elementary in Dallas + “I’m so cool and so shiny.”

– Tate Gross, 13, Shackelford Junior High in Arlington

The trophy travels the country, visiting a different game every weekend. Look for your chance to get a picture taken with the trophy, too.

KIDS VIEW: Gabriel and Valerie Rodriguez are interviewed by Aron (right).

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ISSUE 6

OCTOBER 23, 2014

something fun will happen, that’s for sure.”

This was the seventh mock debate. Hancock’s staff held four, and the selection committee had two, including a dry run at the Gaylord so they’ll be comfortable in these surroundings come Monday. (Last week, Hancock and crew held their eighth and final mock session, taking it on the road to Bristol, Connecticut, for a demonstration at ESPN.) “I know these sports reporters came away with a great appreciation for the task that is ahead for the committee,” Hancock said.

So did Hancock, who scribbled some notes about possible tweaks to the process. Each run-through has uncovered refinements to be made. The test runs also have validated to him the bigger issue — ­ this process works.

“We’re starting from scratch, but I’m very confident about it,” said Hancock, who was involved in the selection of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship for 16 years, 13 as its director, and then ran the BCS.

ENGINEERING THE PROCESS: CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock has been at the center of developing and refining the selection process.

Monday afternoon, they’ll be familiar with the voting software ­— no show of hands or written ballots; it’s all done electronically, with Hancock overseeing the master tote board — and with each other.

“It’s like the deliberations of a jury,” said Hancock, who described himself as the non-voting foreman.

“Personalities come out. They are already coming out in this group. … These are 12 Type A people, but they’re also Type A people of high integrity. Integrity means listening to people and perhaps disagreeing with them occasionally.

You all say what’s on your mind and once the group reaches a decision, that’s the group’s decision, and you go on to the next question.”

“I think this will be the most scrutinized committee in the history of college sports. And one of the most prestigious committees in the history of college sports.”

The process actually starts Sunday with an email to the 13 voters providing links to all games they may want to watch for research. When they gather

The panel of 12 voters ranges from former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to longtime college football writer Steve Weiberg. It includes former players, coaches, athletic directors, a conference commissioner and a retired three-star general who was superintendent of the Air Force Academy.

“I think this will be the most scrutinized committee in the history of college sports. And one of the most prestigious committees in the history of college sports,” Hancock said. “They understand the importance of the chalice that’s been placed in their hands and the challenge. And they’re ready.

“The horses are in the starting gate. It’s just a matter of holding them back until the bell goes off and the gate opens.”

They’ll be off and running starting Monday.

BOOK A SPEAKER Interested in learning more about the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship and what it means to the North Texas Region? Contact the SEOC about possibly booking a speaker at your next event. To learn more, email Tony Fay at tony@stadiumeoc.com.

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PHOTO BY IAN HALPERIN

TIME TO DEBATE, CONT.