It's going to be tough asking fans to go to a conference championship, then the Rose, then to Dallas. They should probably play the conference title or semi round of the playoff on campus to make life easier for the fans. You would have to be extremely wealthy to go to all three games.

Unless it's a local team - this is the PAC12

I have been saying this for a while now. If you are an Oregon fan for example, and you think your team has a good chance to play for the national championship, unless you have money to burn and a completely free schedule, why would you spend those resources on the Pac-12 title game or even the national semifinals?

You would save that money and hope to spend it on the national championship game – I know that's what I would do.

(12-05-2014 11:08 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have been saying this for a while now. If you are an Oregon fan for example, and you think your team has a good chance to play for the national championship, unless you have money to burn and a completely free schedule, why would you spend those resources on the Pac-12 title game or even the national semifinals?

You would save that money and hope to spend it on the national championship game – I know that's what I would do.

You'd save your money for the Rose Bowl. Pasadena on New Year's Day >>> Santa Clara on a rainy Friday night.

The PAC is not the SEC. It averages just 53,000 per game. Plus, whereas most SEC teams are an easy drive to Atlanta, the west involves vast distances. Today's game is more than 800 miles from Arizona and 500 miles from Oregon.

That's asking a lot from tepid fan bases to travel so far. They need to play the game at someone's home. Maybe rotate from year to year.

(12-05-2014 11:14 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  That's asking a lot from tepid fan bases to travel so far. They need to play the game at someone's home. Maybe rotate from year to year.

They used to do that, I have no idea why they changed it to a neutral site. I guess they thought they could emulate the SEC.

I don't understand why the Pac-12 changed. The first 3 years of its CCG, it was at the home of the division winner.

What gave them the bright idea to change to a neutral site?

Well, they aren't missing anything; the game sucks.

I think this would be a major problem for an 8 team palyoff and what may prevent it from ever happening.

(12-05-2014 11:29 PM)CoogNellie Wrote:  I have no idea why they changed it to a neutral site.

$$$ from the 49ers, who want to keep their new stadium busy.

I could see, for example, if you're a TCU fan who can only afford one game, skip the Rose Bowl and gamble on making the finale 30 minutes from campus in Arlington.

But it is asking a lot from fans to pay for a bunch of qualifying games in a row which is a big reason 16 is not as feasible as some here think it is.

(12-06-2014 01:17 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  I could see, for example, if you're a TCU fan who can only afford one game, skip the Rose Bowl and gamble on making the finale 30 minutes from campus in Arlington.

But it is asking a lot from fans to pay for a bunch of qualifying games in a row which is a big reason 16 is not as feasible as some here think it is.

It could be if the higher seed got the game at home on campus. This neutral site thing ruined the Missouri-Kansas game.

(12-05-2014 11:29 PM)CoogNellie Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 11:14 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  That's asking a lot from tepid fan bases to travel so far. They need to play the game at someone's home. Maybe rotate from year to year.

They used to do that, I have no idea why they changed it to a neutral site. I guess they thought they could emulate the SEC.

I have a feeling The York Family (Levi's Stadium owners) wanted the extra event to help pay the mortgage. This event also would have been better to have on Saturday afternoon than Friday evening.

(12-05-2014 11:32 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  I think this would be a major problem for an 8 team playoff and what may prevent it from ever happening.

Agree, Fans can only travel so much. That hurts championship games at neutral sites. You might even see it at some first round playoffs now. Many fans have to pick their match ups. A single bowl game worked well, Champion ship game than bowl not so much. What happens when you have Champ game, than 1, 2, or 3 more playoff games at neutral sites to make?

45K attended, about 20K less than Arizona State hosted a year ago.


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Playing Devil's Advocate, the weather was pretty much **** last night. I know California is the center of the PAC conference but I just don't see how having the PAC Championship game in a place like Santa Clara is a good thing. College Football is not a priority there. Specific fans for specific programs, yes but when you bring two out of state teams in during a bad weather night, it doesn't spell success over there.

Santa Clara is down next to San Jose. It is quite a drive for folks up in Oakland and San Fran to make. It is Friday night. They have to deal with traffic to get home after work, make dinner, do their stuff at home and then once again hit that rough traffic and go all the way down to Santa Clara? Yeah that was just a terrible idea. The logistics of it are horrible. The weather made it worse.

(12-06-2014 08:11 AM)goodknightfl Wrote:  

(12-05-2014 11:32 PM)SMUmustangs Wrote:  I think this would be a major problem for an 8 team playoff and what may prevent it from ever happening.

Agree, Fans can only travel so much. That hurts championship games at neutral sites. You might even see it at some first round playoffs now. Many fans have to pick their match ups. A single bowl game worked well, Champion ship game than bowl not so much. What happens when you have Champ game, than 1, 2, or 3 more playoff games at neutral sites to make?

I've been saying this for three years, and people keep trying to debate it. It's most definitely true.

However I me tione don another thread, neutral sites are mostly necessary to sell the premium seats. For example when they sold those seats, they likely work them on a multi year deal (he way major bowls do), so that they've already sold many of the premium seats for next year. You can't do that with a home game scheduled two weeks out. Even if the price paid is less "general admission" fans, the combination of presodl premium seats and local economic boom from hotel and travel money spent, still makes neutral site venues better.