'Don't touch that trophy, Mr. Hancock', Executive Director says security is tight

I recently had the chance to sit down with Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff in a one-on-one interview at the ACC Kickoff. Typically, an interview like this would be posted for only our PREMIUM subscribers, but it’s just too good not to post here. You can listen to the full audio or check out some quick notes below.

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On his reaction to the news that Southern Cal and UCLA were heading to the Big Ten:

"Well, shock. The same kind of stunned response that fans and reporters give. I don't want to get too specific, but I saw one of those coming with their grant of rights situation. What we have to remember is teams have been changing conferences forever. I'll give you one, in 1926, Oklahoma left, the Missouri Valley Conference-- left Oklahoma State behind. They formed the Big Six, Kansas, Kansas State Iowa State, Nebraska, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Well, it just means more now. But the point is, Oklahoma left them behind 30 years in 1926. Oklahoma State didn't come back into the conference until like 1959. So they were apart like 30 years. So yeah, we don't have Nebraska and Oklahoma playing on Thanksgiving, but college football survived. We don't have Arkansas playing Texas every year-- we might get that back, but college football survived it. It will survive this."

On the geographical friendliness of conferences fading:

"Some of it not near all of it. I drove with my dad in the 50s I'm old, but I drove with my dad. I'm from Oklahoma to go with my dad to see Oklahoma games, and those are some of the great memories of my life."

On the different venues for the College Football Playoff: 

"The first ten years of the championship game will be in different cities-- 10 cities, 10 years. I like that. Your comment bringing up Santa Clara reminded me of my friends from Clemson who drove. You probably know people who drove three days or whatever. And I just said this that's the coolest thing. I wish I could have driven with you because we would have had a blast."

On how many CFB Playoff Championship Trophies exist:

"Well, not very many. We have one on display at our office. Then there's this one that travels, and this one will be at games during the season. Then that'll be the one that actually that we present to the coach after the championship game. You could go up and put a little notch on it. There's a company in Dallas that tours it around that's their job. They've been hired, and that's what they do. They're like nerdy about it: Do not touch that trophy! When I go up there, I'm like, 'Hey, I'm the director.' 'Don't touch the trophy, Mr. Hancock, on penalty of no more cookies.'"

On the CFB Playoff’s impact on communities:

”My wife is a retired high school English teacher. It was really, really, really fun when we started. We knew we wanted a charitable component of CFP. So we got four commissioners together, and we just brainstormed. It was so much fun. What can we do? What needs us? Someone said, 'How about education?' Then someone else said, well, we can't do college because we are a college. Someone else said, 'Hey, K-12.' Then somebody said, 'I got it, teachers.' And what is more important in our country than teachers? I know, you might be biased like I am, but you can't name something that's more important in our country right now than teachers."