Playoff execs admit mistake
Plan to play semis on New Year’s Eve doesn’t last long
After intense opposition and declining TV ratings, the College Football Playoff has discontinued its attempt to create a new tradition on New Year’s Eve.
Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said the event’s management committee has decided to change the dates of the semifinals in four of seven years when those games were scheduled for Dec. 31. They now will be played on the preceding Saturday instead. The other three years, New Year’s Eve falls on a Saturday or is designated a federal holiday.
‘‘We looked at the replay,’’ Hancock said, ‘‘and we reversed the call.’’
When the playoff schedule first was set, Hancock spoke of ‘‘changing the paradigm’’ of American culture with the idea that college football could become as much a part of New Year’s Eve as watching the ball drop in Times Square. But TV ratings for the semifinals last season, which were played on New Year’s Eve (a Thursday), dropped 40 percent from the 2014 semifinals, which were played on New Year’s Day.
Although factors might have included ho-hum games and lessened excitement in the second year, ESPN recently presented in-depth data to the management committee that showed the holiday time slot was a major factor in the ratings decline. ESPN is paying $7.3 billion over 12 years for the rights to the playoff.
‘‘We support any decision making the College Football Playoff experience more fan-friendly and available to the widest audience possible,’’ ESPN’s Burke Magnus said in a statement.
The change won’t take effect until the 2018 season. The semifinals this season, which will be played in the Fiesta and Peach bowls, remain on New Year’s Eve. But it’s a Saturday, and playoff officials previously announced the games would begin at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern time, an hour earlier than the 2015 semifinals did.
For the 2017 season, the semifinals will rotate back to the Rose and Sugar bowls and their guaranteed New Year’s Day slots. The semifinals also will be played in the Rose and Sugar — and on New Year’s Day — after the 2020 and 2023 seasons.
In 2018, the semifinals (Cotton and Orange bowls) will be played Saturday, Dec. 29. In 2019, the semifinals (Fiesta and Peach) will be played Saturday, Dec. 28.
The semifinals will be played on New Year’s Eve in 2021 and 2022, but Dec. 31 falls on a Saturday in 2022.
‘‘Obviously, Saturday is a traditional college football day,’’ Hancock said. ‘‘We feel Saturday works.’’
In 2021, when New Year’s Eve falls on a Friday, it’s the designated national holiday for the weekend, which Hancock said should alleviate the concerns from fans who typically work on New Year’s Eve.
In 2024 and 2025, the games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 27, respectively.
Although Hancock said he heard positive reviews from some fans about the timing of the 2016 semifinals, there was more negative feedback.
‘‘I heard, ‘I have to work,’ ‘I wanted to go to a New Year’s Eve party’ or ‘I was at a party, but they wouldn’t let me turn the sound on,’ ’’ Hancock said. ‘‘People love college football, and they’re very opinionated about it. They’re happy to share their opinions. I enjoy hearing their opinions.
‘‘After the study, we just feel like this is in the best interest of fans. They want to experience these games, and we want them to. And these changes for four years will allow that to happen.’’