The College Football Playoffs celebrated their first year of existence with top ratings for both their semifinals games and the National Championship game. Now, ESPN and the NFL are asking for a change.
In the 12-year contract signed by ESPN and the College Football Playoff Committee, an agreement was made to have triple-header bowl games on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, including the CFP semifinals. ESPN executives have been pushing to move the 2015 playoffs games scheduled for New Year’s Eve to January 2, 2016, due to a potential ratings drop.
“We understand and appreciate their interest in this. The fact is that we have started a new tradition of back-to-back tripleheaders on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. We’re not interested in changing for one year, then returning for the next 10. This event has been very well received and we are excited about the future and about enhancing the concept of a ‘holiday within a holiday’ on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said.
The NFL also has something to say about the dates of the college football playoffs. Roger Goodell and the NFL are considering expanding their own playoffs. If they are successful in expanding the NFL playoffs, a Wild Card playoff game would be held on the Monday after the NFL season ends, the same Monday that the CFP National Championship game would be played on. The problem with the direct competition of both games is that both the NFL and CFP have contracts with ESPN to play on Monday nights. ESPN holds the right to NFL Monday Night Football, in addition to the CFP Championship game.
However, a Monday night wild-card playoff game wouldn’t compete with the CFP championship game for at least two more years.
While the CFP committee has stated a change will not happen, this will be interesting to watch over the next few years to see what may come of a possible NFL playoffs expansion as it directly affects the CFP.
Source: ESPN