Don't know how the Orange will do on Dec. 30, but the Jan. 2 games are bound to have disappointing ratings given that they'll be two days after the semifinal games.

But hey, the CFP assures us that all is well and their popularity is amazing!

http://www.collegefootballplayoff.com/pr...-years-eve

Orange Bowl in prime time on Fri., Dec. 30

Peach and Fiesta are semifinals on Dec. 31, one at 3 pm and the other at 7 pm

Cotton, Rose, Sugar on Mon. Jan. 2 because NFL has Sun. Jan. 1

The new date is odd. Living here during the Big 8 era, the Orange Bowl was the affiliated bowl. If memory serves, that was ALWAYS a new years day game. Odd to see it in the Holiday Bowl-ish time slot. A downgrade of prestige?

Yes, all hail the CFB. All is well.

{sigh}

(03-07-2016 01:00 PM)All Rams All The Time Wrote:  The new date is odd. Living here during the Big 8 era, the Orange Bowl was the affiliated bowl. If memory serves, that was ALWAYS a new years day game. Odd to see it in the Holiday Bowl-ish time slot. A downgrade of prestige?

Yes, all hail the CFB. All is well.

{sigh}

Shows the power of the National Football League...NYD Six Bowl Games are now spread through 4 days....

I'd have rather had them all on Dec. 31.

http://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articl...r-kickoffs

The Dec. 31 semifinals will start an hour earlier than they did last season and the Orange Bowl will now be played in prime time on Friday, Dec. 30, instead of during the day on Dec. 31.

CFP executive director Bill Hancock said Monday that coverage of the first game on ESPN will start at 3 p.m. Eastern. The second game will start at 7 p.m. ET. The semifinals will be played in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, and the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Which game starts first will be determined on Dec. 4, when the semifinal matchups are set.

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College Football Playoff officials broke from the original plan by moving the Orange Bowl off New Year's Eve. The initial schedule for the CFP had two tripleheaders scheduled for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day throughout the 12-year contract with ESPN. That would have given a late-morning kickoff to the Orange Bowl, which has traditionally been played at night.

After the 2017 season, the semifinals will move back to the Sugar and Rose bowls on New Year's Day.

"As we committed earlier this year, we have looked at the landscape for the upcoming season and are confident that this change will make it easier for more fans to watch the games on television and also will benefit fans who will attend the games in person," Hancock said. "The semifinals will be played on Saturday for the first time. The Capital One Orange Bowl will be in an evening time slot, which is its tradition."

The other three marquee bowls that are part of the playoff rotation — Cotton, Rose and Sugar — will be played Monday, Jan. 2, as previously scheduled, because Jan. 1 will fall on an Sunday dominated by NFL games.

(03-07-2016 01:39 PM)Zombiewoof Wrote:  I'd have rather had them all on Dec. 31.

They decided to start the semifinals an hour earlier in hopes that the TV ratings would be better than they were last season. If the Orange Bowl was on Dec. 31 before the 3 pm ET semifinal, they would have started it at 11 am ET. Maybe the powers-that-be decided that playing in prime time on Dec. 30 was better than starting at 11 am on the 31st.

With the Dec. 30 and 31 games, the bowls are choosing better ticket sales and more hotel room sales over the better TV ratings that they would get if they played the semifinals after Jan. 1. ESPN gets burned because they're locked into paying top dollar to the CFP for 10 more years even if the CFP chooses the worst dates and times for TV every year.

It's only a matter of time before the SF get flexed into permanent Saturday slots, with the other spoils going to NYD... or not in the case of the Orange next year. The ratings were comically bad last year and the organizers felt the heat from the networks and fans. Now they have to adapt.

Actually, this makes sense. Odds are you will see this more in the future. The noon slots were terrible for the NY6 bowls. Look for the 11 am Slots to become available to smaller bowls on NYE.

To me, I rather see the Gator, Liberty and Music City on at 11am NYE. Provide viewers a choice of which games to watch that day prior to the Semi Kick-off.

Could see Fiesta, Peach or Cotton move to the Prime Time Slot the day before as well when Orange is a SEMI. In addition, look for Disney to move from ESPN to ABC for more viewers..

I still think the Semi's should be NYE Prime Time 2-3 and NYD 1-4 Prime Time.

(03-07-2016 09:51 PM)RUScarlets Wrote:  It's only a matter of time before the SF get flexed into permanent Saturday slots, with the other spoils going to NYD... or not in the case of the Orange next year. The ratings were comically bad last year and the organizers felt the heat from the networks and fans. Now they have to adapt.

wrong. because in about half the years, the Saturday after New Years is Wild Card Saturday, and they are not going to put games on the Saturday before New Years because that's too close to Christmas.

(03-08-2016 11:37 AM)msm96wolf Wrote:  Actually, this makes sense. Odds are you will see this more in the future. The noon slots were terrible for the NY6 bowls. Look for the 11 am Slots to become available to smaller bowls on NYE.

To me, I rather see the Gator, Liberty and Music City on at 11am NYE. Provide viewers a choice of which games to watch that day prior to the Semi Kick-off.

Could see Fiesta, Peach or Cotton move to the Prime Time Slot the day before as well when Orange is a SEMI. In addition, look for Disney to move from ESPN to ABC for more viewers..

I still think the Semi's should be NYE Prime Time 2-3 and NYD 1-4 Prime Time.

They are NEVER going to have the sf on different days. NEVER. Provides too much of advantage for the team with the extra day of rest. Also there's this little thing called the Sugar Bowl, the SEC would say FU to moving off of that day.

TV ratings for the playoff games sucked on New Years Eve, they should be better on 12/30. You will not get people to give up their NYE parties to watch football no matter how good it is.