(01-04-2016 01:09 PM)YNot Wrote: (01-04-2016 12:47 PM)adcorbett Wrote: (01-04-2016 12:44 PM)YNot Wrote: Stupid and reckless decision to move the PLAYOFF bowls to New Year's Eve.
That is only if you purely look at TV ratings (majority of people on this thread), and don't account for attendance and travel, like the actual bowls do, and the playoff committee does as a result of their influence. There is a reason those bowls were adamant about not playing past new year's day. They have been through it with the BCS, and know how it affects them. Why do people overlook that
Looking at the data, I don't see any information that would say that the Orange, Sugar, or Fiesta bowls are worse off playing after NYD. Travel and attendance has more to do with who is playing in the game.
It still seems stupid and reckless to ignore the TV rating considerations and instead focus on a non-problem.
The problem is, it is NOT under any circuamsrtances, a "non problem." It is a MAJOR problem and the only reason we even have a playoff to begin with. And you cannot look purely at attendance. Who is attending is more important than how many attend.
I say this a lot, but I don't think some people grasp this. To the bowls, the game day live gate is damn near irrelevant. Not really, as they get a good chunk of change for it, but these games are hosted by the local chamnber of commerce or tourism boards (or at least have some connection to it), and they exist PURELY to get thousands of people to travel to their city and spend money, at a time that hotels and tourist attractions everywhere else are mostly deserted. When those reports started coming back and hotel and travel receipts are way down, and the local impact is shrinking by the year, they have a problem. This is not a "non-problem." It is what allowed us to finally get a playoff.
If the Orange bowl could choose between 25,000 fans travelling in from Texas, and 75,000 Miami locals buying tickets, they would take the 25,000 and not think twice. Why do you think the Rose Bowl is so enthralled with the Big Ten? Their alliance with the Big Ten ensures that close to 40,000 people from the Midwest spend the holidays in Pasadena, and it pumps about $200 million into their economy. Hell of a lot more than the $10-$15 million they might pull in on game day.
THAT is why they have bowls, and THAT is why they are demanding their games be played at certain times, to ensure that gravy train is not screwed up. It is also why playoffs were fought against tooth and nail, until the realized the BCS threatened their business, with games played 8-10 days after Christmas, and with teams that don't bring a lot of fans. That is why the agreed to a playoff, in exchange for getting their traditional tie-ins back.
And it all comes down to protecting their games and making sure they are played at a time when people can travel there, and amongst teams who will bring the people to them.