If you thought the new name for college football's new playoff format was boring – it's called College Football Playoff – then wait until you get a look at the logo possibilities.
College football fans are being given an opportunity to vote for the logo that will be used to represent the College Football Playoff for the next 12 years, starting with the 2014 college football season when the new format comes in to play. Voting is open at the new home site for the playoff. The four options fans have a chance to vote on through April 29 lack creativity and may look like something you would have stored away in your clip art archives in Microsoft Word, but none the less they have generated a buzz already. And when it comes to the mindset of college football's biggest influences and leaders, any sort of buzz is good buzz if the BCS era has taught us anything.
Logo Option 1
Description: Celebrating the highest level of national athletic competition, the collegiate football's white stripes become an integral part of the American flag.
Reaction: Here the CFP is playing off a sense of nationalism, which should never be criticized. Given the timing of the logo release and vote, after everything that occurred last week, this appears to be an early favorite in the running.
It is designed to look like a medal of honor of some sort, with a football hanging from a red white and blue ribbon. Of course, the "College Football Playoff" branding floats beneath the design.
If only we could get Army, Navy or Air Force in to the playoff mix at some point in the future. Don't forget, Navy will eventually be a member of The American. Patriotism all around!
Logo Option 2
Description: Representing the ascent of teams to the playoffs, two gold brackets surround a 'virtual' football, and allude to the championship trophy.
Reaction: This is my personal favorite but it seems to be a bit of an underdog in the early going. It is not the most creative design of course. It is just a golden football, but perhaps that represents a new golden age of college football. It actually kind of looks like two boomerangs lined up next to each other, with some generic black lines in the middle. Perhaps this opens the door for a potential sponsorship from Outback Steakhouse.
No computers, just right. Maybe. We hope.
Like each of the designs, you have the text reading "College Football Playoff" sitting beneath the design.
Logo Option 3
Description: American craftsmanship forged with contemporary design; inspired by the iconic shape of a football and a champion's medal, representing the historic new direction in crowning a national champion.
Reaction: There seems to be some positive feedback about this particular design. The gold medal aspect of the design plays up to the idea of playing to be the best, but it looks like something more suitable for a science fiction theme.
The difference between this logo and the others is that the text reading "College Football Playoff" is actually sitting on top of the design, and is also incorporated in to the actual physical design. This makes it more unique compared to the others in that respect, but will it be enough to stand out enough in the voting over the course of the poll?
Logo Option 4
Description: A star, created by a compass with a football at its center, symbolizes the pinnacle of achievement, and the path teams follow from across the nation to the playoff.
Reaction: If there is one logo that feels like it came right out of a video game, as a reward for unlocking some achievement or goal, this might be it. That said, the fourth and final design actually appears to have some momentum online.
At first I thought each spike would represent each of the conferences participating in this new model, with the SEC and Big Ten being represented by the biggest spikes on the left and right, but then a quick count rejected that idea as there are not enough spikes. Unless we really are not giving the Sun Belt any respect.
So there you have it. A new name and options for a new logo. Still to be determined is where the championship game will be played in 2015 and how the selection committee will be decided Those details should be coming out in the next 48 hours as the commissioners continue to meet out in Pasadena, California.
Which logo do you like the best?
Kevin McGuire is the host of the No 2-Minute Warning podcast. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
