The playoff schedule is the part of expansion I knew I was going to hate

[mcdawg22]

I love the idea of more college football and I knew the NFL and networks would not budge for obvious reasons. But it still sucks some of the most meaningful games aren’t played on Saturdays. I guess the good news is the championship game is on a Federal Holiday.

College Football Playoff: Why 2024, 2025 dates in new expanded format are doomed to fail | Sporting News

The CFP announced a confusing mixture of Friday, Thursday, Tuesday and Monday games to get through its new 12-team format for 2024 and 2025. There is a solution for 2026 and beyond.

www.sportingnews.com

 

[ronpolk]

I don’t mind… gives something to watch when NFL games aren’t on. College football does not want to go head to head with NFL.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I see nothing about it that will be 'doomed to fail'.

#1, college will never be bigger than the NFL;
#2, college fans will watch the playoff no matter when it's played. At that level, it's about the games, not the spectacle of a college football Saturday. That is for the regular season.

Author of the article doesn't understand college sports.

 

[AstroDog]

Just think.....if we were to barely make the playoffs, we'd get to go play at Tuscaloosa or Athens for our first game.....or something similar to that. Exciting huh? However, college does need to move the season back 2 weeks by starting in mid to late August. Use the existing bowls at neutral sites to play ALL the games.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I see nothing about it that will be 'doomed to fail'.

#1, college will never be bigger than the NFL;
#2, college fans will watch the playoff no matter when it's played. At that level, it's about the games, not the spectacle of a college football Saturday. That is for the regular season.

Author of the article doesn't understand college sports.

The doomed to fail wording is a little silly but it’s not a great schedule for the playoff.

NFL is king of football and gets all the eyeballs and yes there’s college football fans but there’s also football fans and they’ll pick one or the other. It’s not ever good to go up against the NFL.

 

[MagnoliaHunter]

Just think.....if we were to barely make the playoffs, we'd get to go play at Tuscaloosa or Athens for our first game.....or something similar to that. Exciting huh? However, college does need to move the season back 2 weeks by starting in mid to late August. Use the existing bowls at neutral sites to play ALL the games.

mid/Late August? Unless everyone one built indoor statdiums with a/c, we would have players dropping like flies.

 

[Del B Vista]

Remember when the powers that be said we couldn't have a playoff because it would force players to miss too much class? Now, they're playing a national championship game on Jan. 20. To me, that's the biggest problem, the playoffs take waaay too much time. That's what happens when bowls somehow seem to have all the power.

 

[aTotal360]

I'm more pissed about the second game of a doubleheader starting at 8pm.

 

[Cantdoitsal]

I've always thought an 8 team playoff would be better which would make this game day / time easier to manage. 1-4 Hosting 5-8 would be much more exciting 1st round games IMO. I don't like the thought of a high profile regular season game with top ranked teams having less to do with the Natty. I don't want the loser thinking, "well we'll get another shot at a neutral site bowl game. "... College Football is the best regular season in all of sports due to those marquee matchups with huge Natty ramifications.

 

[The Peeper]

Just think.....if we were to barely make the playoffs, we'd get to go play at Tuscaloosa or Athens for our first game.....or something similar to that. Exciting huh? However, college does need to move the season back 2 weeks by starting in mid to late August. Use the existing bowls at neutral sites to play ALL the games.

Its hot enough for games in September but now you want to back it up into August?

 

[Dawgg]

The author gets a few things right and a lot of things wrong...

Right:
1. Going head to head against the NFL is a bad idea, but I'm not sure it's avoidable in the first round without going to weekdays, which the author is adamantly against later in the article.
2. That Thursday Jan 9 night game is going to be a difficult travel date. It's right after people are going back to work and kids are going back to school.
3. New Year's Day is perfect for the Quarterfinals.

Wrong:
1. Worrying that "the night before" a playoff game is going to hurt because talking heads will be talking NFL and not college. This is the difference between being a normal fan and being inside the media bubble and inflating its importance.
2. Worrying that the Thursday Jan 9 night game is going to be a bad night for TV. No NFL competition since the playoffs are getting up and going.
3. Worrying that MLK Day January 20 is a bad night for travel and television for the NC. Again, the playoff being a day before or a day after aren't going to hurt the NC. It's been played on a Monday for years now; at least now it will be on a holiday at the end of a 3 day weekend. He mentioned last year's ratings drops from the semis to the NC, but that had a lot more to do with the participants than the scheduling.
4. Saying that you should put your best showing up against the NFL head to head. No, you shouldn't. You're going to lose that battle, might as well lose it big. It's better to have low ratings for AAC champ Tulane playing Big 12 Champ Oklahoma State in the first round than have low ratings for a name sponsored NY6 Bowl matchup between SEC Champ Georgia and whoever loses between Michigan and Ohio State.
5. Moving the season into mid-August. Yeah, that's great for the Big Ten, but I think I would rather get kicked in the nuts than sit in any SEC stadium mid-August before about 8 pm.
6. It's not doomed to fail. Even if it's changed significantly the next year, the 2024 season was always presented as a 'pilot' season with tweaks and changes impending over the following seasons.

Also, the author is a tennis-playing Vanderbilt grad. His opinions on college football are highly suspect to begin with.

 

[JackShephard]

Maybe he's right. Either way, I'm just surprised the NFL remains that popular. It's honestly the most boring brand of football there is right now. Commercials, kick-off, commercials. 7 play drive, punt, commercials. 6 play drive, FG, commercials, kick-off, commercials. Back when I used to watch the NFL, I usually just ended up taking a nap.