Although NFL is considered the most popular American sport, winning the NCAA National Championship Trophy is also the ultimate achievement.
For generations, the notion of a national champion was controversial; with regional bowl games and conference games pitting the best teams against the best available opponents, there was often debate as to who was really the “champion”.
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The origin of the College Football Playoff
This dispute was highlighted by the 2005 USC Trojans, who lost to the Texas Longhorns in the Rose Bowl, ruining their chance to be national champions for the third time
The problem arose when LSU fans pointed out that the Tigers had indeed won the 2003 national championship, and put up billboards around the USC campus to make the point clear.
Ready for a change, the NCAA tightened its belt on the Bowl Championship Series, which had existed but largely been ignored since 1998. It was suspended in 2014 and replaced by the College Football Playoff. And with the new playoff bracket to decide the champion, a trophy was needed.
Value and meaning of the trophy
That same year, the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy was introduced, giving the winner something more substantial than just pride. At 26.5 inches tall and 35 pounds, the oblong-shaped trophy tapers into a full-size football flattened at the top.
Made of 24-carat gold, bronze and stainless steel, the trophy represents a four-strand soccer ball, representing the four teams competing in the playoffs.
The trophy is separate from its 12-inch-tall bronze base, so it can be hoisted. The base alone weighs 30 pounds and is sponsored by Dr. Pepper at a cost of $35 million a year.
The trophy was unveiled on July 14, 2014, is valued solely by its materials at $22,000 and was designed by the design firm Pentagram and manufactured by the fine art foundry Polich Tallix of Rock Tavern, New York.
The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy is awarded to the winner of the College Football Playoff (CFP), the postseason college football tournament that determines the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)