College football’s "forced attempt in taking over New Year’s Eve is over after just one year," as CFP Exec Dir Bill Hancock on Thursday "announced all future semifinal games will be played either on Saturdays or national holidays," according to George Richards of the MIAMI HERALD. Last season’s semis -- played at the Orange and Cotton bowls on Dec. 31 -- saw TV viewership drop sharply compared to the previous season's games, which were played on the traditional New Year’s Day spots at the Sugar and Rose bowls. The Rose and Sugar bowls "will continue to hold their remaining three semifinal games on New Year’s Day" (MIAMI HERALD, 7/29). ESPN.com's Heather Dinich noted the dates have "been changed" for the semifinal games in '18, '19, '24 and '25. The semifinals "will remain on one weekday New Year's Eve -- Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 -- which will be the federally observed New Year's holiday" (ESPN.com, 7/28).
CALLING AN AUDIBLE: Hancock said of the change, "We looked at the replay, and we reversed the call.” USA TODAY's George Schroeder notes when the CFP schedule was first set, Hancock spoke of “changing the paradigm” of American culture, with the idea that college football "could become as much a part of New Year’s Eve as watching the ball drop in New York's Times Square." Although factors "might have included ho-hum games and lessened excitement in the event's second year," ESPN, which is paying $7.3B over 12 years for CFP media rights, recently presented in-depth data to the CFP management committee "showing the holiday time slot was a major factor in the ratings decline." The changes "will not take effect until" the '18 season. Although Hancock said that he heard positive reviews from some fans about the timing of the '16 semis, there "was more negative feedback." Hancock: "I heard, ‘I have to work,’ or ‘I wanted to go to a New Year’s Eve party,’ or ‘I was at a party but they wouldn’t let me turn the sound on.'" Schroeder notes there "was no consideration of playing the semifinals on New Year’s Day in seasons when the Rose and Sugar bowls are not hosting" (USA TODAY, 7/29).
BOWLS SEEM HAPPY: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl President & CEO Gary Stokan called the change "a huge win" for college football fans and the Atlanta bowl (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 7/29). Orange Bowl Committee President & Chair Michael Chavies said, "Moving these game dates will be a positive both for the out of town and local fans attending the game, as well as for those viewing on television nationally" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/29). Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Chair Jay McAuley in a statement "praised the move, calling it 'wonderful news for our game.'" He said, "Saturdays are tradition. They are tailor-made for college football. We couldn’t have asked for a better timeslot" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/29).
PRECURSOR TO EIGHT TEAMS? SI.com's Andy Staples wrote the move "reeks of common sense" and "should offer hope for more common sense moves as the playoff moves forward." Eventually, the CFP will need to expand to eight teams -- "because that would be an even better event -- and the bowls will need to be jettisoned from the playoff process entirely in favor of quarterfinal and semifinal games at college stadiums that offer superior atmospheres, require less travel for fans and reward the teams that performed best in the regular season." Eventually, the people who run the playoff "will realize this would make more money for the schools and provide more enjoyment for the fans (customers)." Staples: "After Thursday's decision, I have more faith that they'll come to that conclusion and then act on it sooner rather than later" (SI.com, 7/28). SPORTS ON EARTH's David Ubben wrote under the header, "CFP Makes Needed Schedule Changes." Credit Hancock for "owning up to why this change is happening." Ubben: "Could an eight-team playoff follow soon? ... If TV networks and fans push hard enough, college football has already shown it will bend" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 7/28).
MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLE HILL: SPORTING NEWS' Mike DeCourcy wrote under the header, "Griping Over College Football Playoff New Year's Eve Games Was Just Silly." The whole circumstance was "treated like a calamity on the order of racing a sailboat through a bay filled with sewage." For ESPN, it "did smell rotten." Perhaps because of the scheduling issue, or maybe because the games "were horrendous mismatches." But "none of that is enough to even make one break a sweat." DeCourcy: "It’s not like there’ve never been daytime sporting events on a weekday New Year’s Eve" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 7/28).
