Bill Hancock is the first executive director of the College Football Playoff, a four-team format that was created in 2012 as a way to crown a champion that's determined on the field and not by polls. Hancock discusses the business behind this year's championship match-up, an all-Southeastern Conference affair between the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama, the third and fourth seeds, respectively. The game is scheduled for Jan. 8 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Hancock also discusses the media contracts and sponsorship that drive the revenue of college athletics, and whether there's a widening gap between the marquee programs in the so-called Power 5 conferences and the others.
Hancock was the first full-time director of the NCAA Final Four, the first executive director of the Bowl Championship Series and, currently, the first executive director of the College Football Playoff. He led the conference commissioners and university presidents in creating the playoff. He spent 16 years with the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, 13 as its director. He's also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee staff at 12 Olympics
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