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User’s guide to the new College Football Playoff

By WTOP Staff

RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

Major college football finally has a playoff. It’s called the College Football Playoff.

Really.

Here’s how it will work and what you need to know.

THINK BCS

Those involved in putting the playoff together and now managing it cringe when it’s suggested that the new system is BCS 2.0, but to understand how it works, it helps to keep in mind how the Bowl Championship Series worked.

In the BCS, there were four, and then later five games played each season. Only one, the national championship game, had anything to do with the national championship.

The others were glitzy bowl games played in showcase stadiums that — hopefully — had compelling matchups. Six conferences had automatic bids to those games, and other teams could earn automatic entry.

The new system will have a total of seven games, including two national semifinals and a final that will determine the champion. The four other games will be glitzy bowl games played in showcase stadiums that — hopefully — will have compelling matchups. There will no longer be automatic bids for six conference champions, as was the case for the BCS. Now five conferences (the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC and Pac-12) each have guaranteed a spot for their champions in either the semifinals or one of the four glitzy bowls. There will also be a guaranteed spot for the best team from the five FBS conferences (American Athletic Conference, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Conference USA and Mid-American).

PICKING THE TEAMS

A 13-member selection committee will pick the teams to play in the semifinals, and set some of the matchups in those other bowl games. The committee will also release a weekly top 25 starting, Oct. 21. On Dec. 7, the matchups will be revealed.

The committee members:

–Chairman Jeff Long, athletic director, Arkansas

–Barry Alvarez, athletic director, Wisconsin.

–Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, former superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.

–Pat Haden, athletic director, Southern California.

–Tom Jernstedt, former NCAA executive vice president.

–Oliver Luck, athletic director, West Virginia.

–Archie Manning, former Mississippi quarterback.

–Tom Osborne, former Nebraska coach.

–Dan Radakovich, athletic director, Clemson.

–Condoleezza Rice, Stanford professor and former secretary of state

–Mike Tranghese, former commissioner of the Big East Conference.

–Steve Wieberg, former college football reporter, USA Today.

–Tyrone Willingham, former head coach of Notre Dame, Stanford and Washington.

WHERE WILL THE GAMES BE PLAYED?

The semifinals will rotate through six bowl games: the Rose (Pasadena, California), Orange (Miami), Sugar (New Orleans), Fiesta (Glendale, Arizona), Cotton (Arlington, Texas) and Peach (Atlanta). When those games don’t host a semifinal, they will put on one of the glitzy bowls. The semifinals this season will be played in Pasadena and New Orleans.

The championship game will be bid out like the Super Bowl and move all over the country. The first one will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys and the Cotton Bowl.

WHEN?

Three games will be played back-to-back-to-back on New Year’s Eve and there will be another tripleheader on New Year’s Day. Adjustments will be made in the future if Dec. 31 or Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday so as to not conflict with the NFL.

The championship game will always be played on a Monday, at least a week after the semifinals.

This season the semifinals will be on Jan. 1. The Rose will kick off around 5 p.m. EST. The Sugar around 8:30 p.m. EDT. The championship game in Texas will be played the night of Jan. 12.

The Rose and Sugar bowls will always be played on New Year’s Day, so in most seasons the semifinals will be played on New Year’s Eve.

TV

All these games will be shown on ESPN. It reportedly paid about $7.2 billion for the entire package.

WHERE DOES ALL THAT MONEY GO?

About 85 percent of it will go to the Big Five conferences. The other five FBS leagues will split the rest, but don’t feel too badly for them. Most will be making about five times the amount they made with the BCS.

HOW LONG BEFORE THIS SYSTEM CAN BE CHANGED?

The conferences and ESPN worked out a 12-year deal based on a four-team playoff format. So it seems to be locked in for 12 years. But the structure is there for it to grow, so stay tuned.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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