College Football Playoff & ESPN

[donovan]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... w-year-eve

It is all about ratings. The article indicates that it is the day the semi-final games are played. Without disparaging any team, it will be never when the College Football Playoff admits it is not the day the games are played but the teams they have artificially chosen to play. Fans can not be fooled. They know the games they want to see. Clemson v Oklahoma and Alabama v Michigan State has no appeal to the casual fan that makes up the majority of the ratings. Why would anyone west of the Mississippi care about these games. Not saying they were not the teams that should be there, just they do not have an appeal. Why would the Northeast care?

What excites the overall population is regional football. Teams they can see on the nightly news and wear their jersey's and act like they are interested. Think anyone wore an Alabama jersey to work if they did not live in Alabama? College football does not get it. It not about football.

There are many examples of where sports popularity is not about the sport. The Olympics. All we care about is if our country is doing well. Great sports movies are never about the sport. Rudy, Pride of St. Louis, Bull Durham, Miracle, Rocky, etc.

You would think ESPN would get it. Disney certainly knows it is not about the rides, it is about the experience and wishing upon a star.

[billybud]

1. New Year's Eve is not a good time for a college playoff semi, for a World Series game, or a World Cup game....people are out celebrating...having a late dinner, partying,

2. ESPN does not seed these teams they only televise the games...the CFP Committee...Pat Haden, Barry Alvarez, Condi Rice, Archie Manning and the like do.

3. There are other problems...
.......The Big Ten and PAC 12 insist that the Rose Bowl will always be played on January 1....to hell with any other bowl considerations. The SEC and Big 12 also press for the Sugar Bowl to played on January 1.

......We have the unfortunate circumstances of having conferences "own" bowls...Big 10 and PAC 12 the Rose, SEC and Big 12 the Sugar, etc. All bowls should be open to seeding without conference affiliation.

[donovan]

All bowls should be open to seeding without conference affiliation.

I am glad you're awake. On this issue, we are as far apart as the geography that separates us. On the important 'stuff,' we might be neighbors.

[Spence]

I am and have always been on the side of tradition. I like the Rose on New Years Day. I also hated the playoff games on New Years.

[billybud]

Tradition...originally the Orange, Sugar, and Rose Bowls played on New Year's Day...before the 32 bowl era.

The problem with tradition is that the Big Ten wants to control what is "tradition".

[billybud]

And..if you want to go to the real "traditional" Rose Bowl..you would go to what it was...the pitting of a team from the west vs a team from the east....

Teams like Notre Dame, Alabama, Tennessee, Duke....played in the prewar Rose Bowls.

The Orange Bowl used to be open and not contracted to conferences...the first bowl game to be televised in prime time was the Alabama vs Texas 1964 game.

[donovan]

Personally, I do not want to go back to "Real" tradition. That would confuse my thinking with facts. The problem is with the South where the belief seems to be that their traditions "'Trump" everyone else's.

....and as a real note and thought, I am saddened that my grandchildren have been left with a society where violence permeates every aspect of our lives. Our language, entertainment, politics, religions, sports, the list goes on, accelerate uncivil behavior. I was heartened to hear the speakers in Baton Rouge express it was time to get back to changing our hearts and consistent pleas for allowing God in our lives. Football traditions are not that important, but there are traditions we need to get back.

[Derek]

Personally, I do not want to go back to "Real" tradition. That would confuse my thinking with facts. The problem is with the South where the belief seems to be that their traditions "'Trump" everyone else's.

....and as a real note and thought, I am saddened that my grandchildren have been left with a society where violence permeates every aspect of our lives. Our language, entertainment, politics, religions, sports, the list goes on, accelerate uncivil behavior. I was heartened to hear the speakers in Baton Rouge express it was time to get back to changing our hearts and consistent pleas for allowing God in our lives. Football traditions are not that important, but there are traditions we need to get back.

Truth spoken! Except for the SEC part.

[Spence]

Tradition...originally the Orange, Sugar, and Rose Bowls played on New Year's Day...before the 32 bowl era.

The problem with tradition is that the Big Ten wants to control what is "tradition".

\

The Big Ten wants to control their tradition.

[billybud]

But when that tradition impedes someone else's tradition?

[donovan]

But when that tradition impedes someone else's tradition?

You have war. But that may not be the question here. It may be Modernity versus Tradition. I suspect in today's values, follow the money.

[Spence]

But when that tradition impedes someone else's tradition?

So the Big Ten should acquiesce to accommodate another conference's tradition? Why should their tradition be put above the Big Ten's? Isn't that conference impeding the Big Ten's then? It seems to me that the Big Ten has given up several of their traditions to be part of modern playoff model. Why not have Notre Dame do the same? The ACC is the latest conference to bow down to the fighting Irish.

[Derek]

1. New Year's Eve is not a good time for a college playoff semi, for a World Series game, or a World Cup game....people are out celebrating...having a late dinner, partying,

2. ESPN does not seed these teams they only televise the games...the CFP Committee...Pat Haden, Barry Alvarez, Condi Rice, Archie Manning and the like do.

3. There are other problems...
.......The Big Ten and PAC 12 insist that the Rose Bowl will always be played on January 1....to hell with any other bowl considerations. The SEC and Big 12 also press for the Sugar Bowl to played on January 1.

......We have the unfortunate circumstances of having conferences "own" bowls...Big 10 and PAC 12 the Rose, SEC and Big 12 the Sugar, etc. All bowls should be open to seeding without conference affiliation.

1. I agree
2. Yes
3. I like the Jan 1st games because everyone is off and no one is going anywhere since they "have a headache" from last night.

I like the old bowl lineups simply for the "tradition" of it.