The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy is the ultimate goal of college football teams across the United States. Awarded to the winner of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the trophy represents the highest level of team achievement in the Division 1 NCAA sport. Pentagram has designed the visual identity for the championship, as well as a dynamic and contemporary design for the trophy. Commissioned for the new era of the College Football Playoff, the trophy will be presented on-field to the winner of the Championship Game on January 12, 2015.
The new trophy is designed to be raised in celebration by the winning team. An ascending virtual football, the trophy’s handcrafted gold brackets surround a hardened steel core. The design features a focused football at the center of the base that rises within the trophy to form an actual-size ball. Standing at a total height of three feet, the trophy and base are two integral but separate pieces, so the trophy may be lifted up independently when it is awarded at the championship game.
The trophy design expands on the College Football Playoff visual identity. Two iconic gold brackets represent the coming together of the best teams in the playoff system and form the shape of a virtual football.
The trophy was handcrafted by the master fine art foundry Polich Tallix. Expert craftsmen at the foundry worked for three months, combining cutting-edge technologies with timeless metal casting and finishing techniques to create the trophy.
Handmade from 24-karat gold, bronze, and stainless steel, the trophy is 26.5 inches tall and weights 35 pounds. The base is formed from bronze with a heat-applied and hand-rubbed black patina finish, and is 12 inches high, weighing 30 pounds. When inserted into the base, the total weight of the trophy reaches 65 pounds.
