ESPN, NFL lobby for changes in College Football Playoff calendar

Submitted by Baughlieve on

 

Sources say that senior network executives as high up as ESPN President John Skipper are pushing for the change as a way to get better television ratings, but the CFP is unwilling to make such a move because it is committed to the original plan to hold tripleheader bowl games, including the semifinals, on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

“We’ve started a new tradition and we don’t want to back away from it now,” said Bill Hancock, the CFP’s executive director.

Meanwhile, the CFP is facing pressure on another front. The NFL is considering expanding its playoffs and moving one of the new games to Monday night when it would compete directly with the CFP championship.

Sources say NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell initiated a series of high-level meetings with some of the CFP’s most influential commissioners, including the SEC’s Mike Slive and the Big Ten’s Jim Delany. Goodell approached the commissioners to discuss the potential impact an NFL playoff expansion would have on the CFP championship game.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/01/26/Events-and-Attractions/CFP.aspx

MilkSteak

January 26th, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^

One of the reasons I don't care for the NFL is due to the lack of importance of the regular season. Expanding the playoffs would make that so much worse.

 

I wonder how many other people feel this way and would watch the college games even if NFL playoffs were on at the same time?

funkifyfl

January 26th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^

But, I think the NFL has a pretty awesome playoff format. I would edit your statement, so that it says "the first 1/4 of the NFL season doesn't matter" but when you're whittling a field of 16 to 6 (or 32 to 12 for that matter), I think it's safe to say the regular season matters because most (say 5/6 or 10/12) of teams that make the playoffs are usually pretty good (yet flawed) teams. Moreover, giving the top 2 seeds per conference a bye is added incentive for the top teams to keep competing. In other words, I think the NFL's current playoff format identifies the good teams properly, generally keeps the games interesting through the end of the season, and rewards the best teams well.

If they go to 8 per conference, I would agree that legitimately bad teams would make the playoffs (NBA problem) and the best teams would not have sufficient incentive to keep playing those last couple of games (NHL problem). I don't see regular season fatigue, like in MLB, being as much of a problem in the NFL, but if and when they go to 18 games, then it will be a real issue.

Tater

January 26th, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^

If the NFL is going to try and sabotage the Championship Game, here's what the NCAA can do to get them back.  Allow players to take money from whenever they want and change the current draft eligibility system.  They can make it like hockey and say players are always eligible to be drafted.

They can let players choose to sign or come back.  The NCAA has "cooperated" with the NFL on drafts, effectively screwing players over in the process.  It's time to stop kissing the NFL's collective ass and start doing the right thing for players.  

Imagine this scenario: a player is allowed to take endorsements from whoever he wants, just like any college student would be able to.  Devin Funchess gets drafted in the second round and is offered $1 million, but not guaranteed.  Meanwhile, if he returns to Michigan, he has three local endorsement deals and one national endorsement deals waiting that guarantee him $1.5 million for the year.  So, Funchess comes back.

The NCAA wins, the player wins and the NFL has no authority over the player.  Sounds like the ultimate definition of "fair" to me.

TheCool

January 26th, 2015 at 1:06 PM ^

How does that invalidate the regular season? The regular season is about making the playoffs, not the Super Bowl. Once the playoffs start it's a whole new season and the best team on the field wins. By your post the the NFL should go BCS style and nominate two teams to go straight to the Super Bowl and cancel the rest of the playoffs.

gwkrlghl

January 26th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^

You'd be getting 5-7 win teams in the playoffs. Why even play a regular season at that point? Just play a 32 team tournament.

Additionally, Goodell knows a theoretical new round would be crushed by the CFP. He needs to get the CFP moved if he wants to have his extra playoff round

MilkSteak

January 26th, 2015 at 1:02 PM ^

Not really a good argument when a team like the Panthers (7-8-1) have as good of a chance at a championship as both the Patriots and Seahawks despite having a losing record. The fact that a team with a losing record could get into the playoffs at all shows the regular season doesn't really matter.

TheCool

January 26th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^

The Carolina Panthers did not have as good a chance because they didn't have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. That can only be earned by having the best record during the... here it comes..... wait.... wait.... REGULAR SEASON!

The flaw that a division title won in a craptastic division gets a team into the playoffs is bad, but hardly invalidates the entire regular season.

I Like Burgers

January 26th, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^

The main issue here is that the semifinal games are on New Years Eve the next two years. The Alabama - Ohio State game was done at 12:45am ET this year so hosting prime time games on NYE is pretty stupid. Far fewer people will want to go and watch them.

Another thing moving the two semifinal games to Jan 2 would fix is that the seminfinals should be played after the other NY6 games.  There was a nice build up to the Rose and Sugar this year and made the four games before feel a little more important.  Playing the ahead of time will make the games on New Years pretty anticlimatic.



Personally I hope ESPN gets their way because the way the CFB Playoff people have set it up is stupid.

M-Dog

January 27th, 2015 at 12:14 AM ^

I am the epitome of a Michigan football fanatic and a college football fanatic.  But having the games on New Year's Eve evening is going to make it very tough for me to be able to watch the whole thing.  

Unless you are single, New Years Eve is not an evening that you get to just dictate what everyone is going to do, such as watch college football.  There are long-standing events that are not going to just stop happening.

College football on New Year's Day is a tradition and I can watch to my heart's content.  But New Years Eve is already spoken for.  I hope they change this.

Yostbound and Down

January 26th, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^

Roger Goodell has accomplished the rare feat. He's won the triple crown of dickheaddery, defeating David Stern, Bud Selig and Gary Bettman! (I'm not including Silver or the new MLB guy who clearly haven't done anything remotely as dumb as the NFL yet).

Boner Stabone

January 26th, 2015 at 12:03 PM ^

Why not put the CFB National Championship game on a Friday night, instead of a Monday.  I think the ratings would be higher, plus you wont lose the casual viewer on the east coast who may otherwise go to bed early, because of a weeknight.

schreibee

January 26th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^

Friday, NO - Saturday is when College Football is played - that's when the CFP title should be played!

But - the NFL already plays playoff games on Sat night the 1st 2 rounds, so this doesn't change the potential conflict at all. Unless the CFP title gets pushed back all the way to NFC/AFC Championship weekend, by say going up to 6-8 teams! I'm down...

 

Alton

January 26th, 2015 at 12:38 PM ^

The problem with the final four is that the semifinal day should be a weekend; it's hard to program 2 games on a weeknight in a time slot acceptable to both the East and West coasts.  Remember that the end of the second game is 4 and a half to 5 hours after the tip of the first game. 

So when do you have that 5-hour period?  6 to 11 Eastern?  That means a 3:00 semifinal on the west coast.  8 pm to 1 am Eastern?  That is just asking people on the East coast to turn it off after game 1.  So we're stuck with the final four being either Saturday - Monday or Sunday - Tuesday, and I think Saturday - Monday is by far the better option.

Yes, it's for the convenience of TV, but that really means it's for the convenience of the basketball fan.  That's a good thing.

The NCAA hockey committee is considering moving the Frozen Four to Saturday - Monday for the same reason--because it's silly to be playing the first national semifinal on a Thursday afternoon when the ordinary fan can't watch the game.

Yostbound and Down

January 26th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^

I understand this rationale when it comes to programming ongoing series. But this is going to be watched by everyone who is going to watch it no matter where they put it, so why put it on a Monday where you will end up cannibalizing the ratings of the programs that would normally go there? 

And college football is on every Saturday during the season anyways. 

Bottom line I don't think the NFL realizes how huge college football actually is (sound familiar from our coaching search?). The playoff's 3 games are going to be the headliner no matter where they line up in those first couple weeks of January. Adding mediocre playoff games will not change that.

Alton

January 26th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^

When a network moves a TV show to Friday night, it is because the network has no confidence in the show, or doesn't care if it succeeds or not.  Friday night is where TV shows go to die.  There is no way ESPN wants a Friday night game.  Also, bars don't want the championship game on Friday night, because people go out on Friday nights anyway. 

Zarniwoop

January 26th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^

I wouldn't be watching NFL over a high-level college bowl anyways.

That said, it WOULD impact the championship game viewership because most people in this country would rather watch the NFL than their own children.

Hope this isn't a prelude to NFL season expansion OR playoff expansion.

schreibee

January 26th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^

When you say "most people in this country would rather watch the NFL than their own children" don't you mean "every man in this country (and most women) would rather watch the NFL than their own children"?????

The CFP cannot compete with any random NFL game - even that fabled Thursday nighter between Jacksonville & Tennessee. We are on a college football related blog, we have no idea how indifferent many people in this country are to college sports - especially in the largest urban areas. Whatever Goddell wants, Hancock will work around. The sponsors will make sure of it...

schreibee

January 26th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^

Look dude - I LOVE College Football. Not just Michigan football, I love College football. I watch Gameday all the way thru F*ckin Holtz & May every Saturday during the season....then, being as I'm on the West Coast I start looking for late kick games out here. Some amazing Pac-12 games happen after many of you are passed out already on Sat night! ;-)

All that being said, the Rose & Sugar Bowls, and the CFP Final, were not on up against any NFL games, so you cannot say they would've out-rated them. The Rose Bowl ALWAYS gets great ratings, and any game between Bama & ohio would too.

Listen, this argument is pointless - as I said, if Goodell (or whoever replaces him after the Rice tape brings him down) says move your game we want that slot, the game will be moved - the SPONSORS will demand it.

So the question becomes - how to relocate it in a way that makes it look like a positive for College football. Like going to a Saturday the NFL doesn't already play on - the night before the conference title games!

Yostbound and Down

January 26th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^

I don't doubt the games will be moved, but I still think they are much more significant competition for the NFL than most people think. The Rose and Sugar Bowls were "the two highest-rated shows in cable television history."

Now this doesn't include the finale, and true, they weren't head to head against the NFL. But that right there blows every ESPN-era Monday Night Football out of the water. 

All you have to do is look at the massive contract for March Madness as an example for how big college sports is for ratings. Obviously the college playoff won't ever get to be that big in terms of hours of programming but it isn't unrealistic to think it could be competition for the NFL.

trueblueintexas

January 26th, 2015 at 12:07 PM ^

Yes, F*#! the NFL and ESPN. 

With that said, my proposal would be for the CFP to move their game back to Saturday night instead of Monday night. The NFL can have two games during the day on Saturday. Everybody wins.

How is the NFL even considering having a Monday night game in the playoffs? I can't imagine the players or coaches would be on board for that. Less time to recover at the end of a long season and less time for teams to prepare for the most important games.

turtleboy

January 26th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^

Instead of expanding the NFL playoff they should just make a rule that if your team doesn't even break .500 you don't make the playoffs, and the team with the better record gets home field advantage whether they win their shitty division or not.