How College Football Can Jolt Interest in the National Championship (and Playoff)

Per ESPN, Monday’s National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame was the most-watched college football game of the season. Yet, the ratings dropped significantly—12%—from last year’s title game between Michigan and Washington. Ratings aside, Texas fans will continue to rue the missed opportunity, knowing Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns were just a few plays away from reaching the title game for the second straight year.

[BOOKMARK: Check Inside Texas daily for FREE Texas Longhorns content]

The Longhorns’ season had been over for 10 days and despite lingering heartbreak, I’d mentally moved on from 2024. That’s why I was one of the millions who didn’t watch Monday’s championship. It didn’t matter that it was a clash between two blue bloods with iconic helmets. It didn’t matter that I write about college football for a job. It didn’t matter that it was the inaugural championship of the 12-team playoff era.

Instead, I decided Monday was the right time to introduce my son to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Even if the game had turned into an instant classic like the 2006 Rose Bowl or the 2018 CFP final, I wouldn’t have felt like I’d missed out. That’s a problem. My issue in the broader sport isn’t an issue, I watched the New Mexico Bowl and plenty of Tuesday night MAC-tion this season. But, the 2024 season—and all the hopes and fears that came with it—ended for me when Texas fell short against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

Call me a sore loser if you want, and many would agree, but I wasn’t the only one who turned off the game. The drop in viewership could signal a broader issue with the current format: the CFP final feels too disconnected from the season, coming long after many fans have moved on.

A Second Act When the Curtain’s Already Fallen

The National Championship used to feel like a roaring encore to a concert, like the perfect capstone to the season. Now it feels like a strange second act that starts as the audience is already filing out of the auditorium. 

There are several factors behind this shift—some unavoidable, others fixable. For one, the final is now played later than ever before, deep into the new year. Fans are still adjusting to a calendar stretched by playoff expansion. The game is no longer a climactic moment shortly after New Year’s; it’s now competing with NFL conference championship chatter.

That said, the 10-day gaps between playoff rounds could be reduced to compress the timeline. But even then, a later final is here to stay, and with it, some fans—heartbroken, disillusioned, or just checked out—will continue to move on before the season officially ends.

Three Ways to Revive Interest

If college football wants to restore the intrigue around the championship game and the playoff, it needs to address three issues:

1. Eliminate Stale Environments
   Playoff games need energy, and stale venues kill it—on TV and in person. Texas and Arizona State played a classic in Atlanta, but Mercedes Benz stadium was about 75% full. Now imagine if Quinn Ewers to Matthew Golden on 4th and 13 happened at DKR or on the road as it ripped out the hearts of Sun Devil fans? The first two rounds should always be played on campus. The semifinals? Permanent homes in New Orleans and Miami. And the National Championship? That belongs in the Rose Bowl. Consistency in format will bring about consistency in audience behaviors. Whatsmore the title game should be a celebration of the season, not a funeral. Jerry World? I’m now 0-2 there, and I’m done with that pageantry-sucking vacuum. The Cotton, Peach, and Fiesta Bowls can push back all they want, but it’s time to let them shop their games to other networks or streaming platforms like Prime or Netflix. Yes, opt-outs and transfers will still affect those games, but watching the 15th and 17th-ranked teams square off in the Peach Bowl would still be better than what we’re getting now.
2. Diversify Coverage
   The playoff felt too homogeneous this year, and ESPN’s monopoly on the coverage doesn’t help. I hated how everything felt the same— the format was overpromoted all season before the playoff started, then it left with a whimper. College football needs competition in its media landscape. Imagine what we could get if rival networks pushed each other to improve their coverage, like TNT and ESPN during the NBA playoffs (RIP) or the NFL’s partner networks. A centralized governing body for the sport could help with negotiating rights, but one network controlling the entire playoff until 2032 makes everything feel stale.
3. Keep the Dream Alive
   Starting in 2026, the playoff is likely expanding to 14 teams, with two bye weeks for the SEC and Big Ten champions and more auto-qualifiers for their at-large teams. That’s fine and probably good for Texas. But full exclusion of other conferences and regions would be a death knell for national interest in the sport. Even if the playoff is more invitational than tournament, it needs to maintain the illusion that anyone can get in and hoist the trophy over their head. Every fanbase begins September thinking their team has a chance, even if reality sets in by November. The playoff and the championship are at their best when that cruel reality isn’t laid bare for so many.