“The goal is not to be the Super Bowl. The goal is to be more collegiate than that.”
— Arkansas AD Jeff Long, chairman of the CFP selection committee
“Why try to be like the Super Bowl or the Final Four? Be different.”
— Former Chick-fil-A CMO Steve Robinson
“The private events, exclusive dinners and hospitality had a Super Bowl-esque feel in the days leading up to the game. The buildup was certainly Super Bowl-esque. On game day, though, it was very much a college crowd, whereas the Super Bowl is a predominantly corporate crowd.”
— Larry Mann, executive vice president, rEvolution
“It feels a lot like a Final Four experience, but it has to become its own thing over time. I could see it being a blend of the two: the Final Four and the Super Bowl. The Final Four, you have multiple games over multiple days. Here, you have one tentpole, so it can’t be totally replicated. Also, it’s a different day of the week, so that gives it a different feel than the Super Bowl. … It’s also a lot less corporate than the Super Bowl and a lot more collegiate, which is great. That’s a big reason we’re involved in it.”
— Drew Iddings, director of promotions and planning, Hershey
“I’m not sure that being like the Super Bowl is an objective, but if that winds up being a result, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. That means the whole world is watching.”
— Ray Anderson, Arizona State athletic director and former NFL executive
“It’s great when people talk about the game being like the Super Bowl from an aspiration standpoint, but we don’t think of it as the Super Bowl. Everyone wants to retain what’s special about college football, like the Taco Bell student sections, not only at the games, but also at the Lenny Kravitz concert. That’s what makes it unique.”
— Rob Temple, ESPN’s senior vice president, sports management group
— Compiled by Michael Smith
