College Football Playoff announces plans to avoid New Year’s Eve conflicts
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The College Football Playoff organizers have conceded that playing the semifinals on New Year’s Eve during the work week will not work. A new plan has been announced to schedule the games on Saturdays or holidays.
USA Today first reported the developments Thursday:
Playoff executive director Bill Hancock told USA TODAY Sports the event’s management committee has decided to change the dates of the Playoff semifinals In four of seven years when those games were scheduled for Dec. 31. They now will instead be played on the preceding Saturday. The other three years, New Year’s Day falls on Saturday or is designated a Federal holiday.
The change will first be noticed in 2018. The calendar works out so that the 2016 semifinals, the Fiesta and Peach bowls, will be played on New Year’s Eve because the day is a Saturday. In 2017, the semifinals rotate back to the Sugar and Rose bowls, both contractually guaranteed to be played on New Year’s Day.
Hancock cited practical fan concerns when speaking to USA Today – work, New Year’s parties, access to the broadcast sound outside one’s home – but the primary motivating factor was likely ratings:
Overnights: 9.9 for Cotton and 9.7 for Orange. Last year's semis were 15.5 for the early game and 15.3 for the late one.
— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) January 1, 2016
The CFP schedule through 2025-26, which can be viewed here, shows some games will be played as early as Dec. 27 under the new Saturday plan.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
