There is "no data" because an extended playoff has only existed for 1 year, but there is certainly evidence. It is very obvious that the networks are driving college football to follow the NFL model. See recent rule changes on clock, extended playoffs, etc. Hell every time Saban points out a flaw in college system he points to the NFL as the gold standard. This is why data on NFL fan behavior is relevant to this conversation.

You are being obtuse and intellectually dishonest by sticking your head in the sand and stating that the existing data of fan behavior from the model that college football is trying to mimic can not be used as evidence to predict future fan behavior. Instead you are going off of emotion and gut feel.

Hell this entire thread is filled with people shouting from the rooftops that the championship games are obsolete and "going the way of the dinosaur" based on emotion while ignoring the fact that the SEC championship and Big 10 championship games had 2x the viewership as the first round of the playoffs?

There is no way FOX and CBS will let the cash cow go so ESPN can have a monopoly on college football post season.

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Posted by RunningJacket

Member since Dec 2008

904 posts

Posted on 4/23/26 at 8:43 am to armytiger96

You are simply wrong. College football fans are different than NFL fans. It’s why you see fans going to stadiums every weekend for teams that have ZERO chance to win anything for decades. In the NFL you choose your team to root for. In college you are either born into a fanbase or attend the school you root for. Sure, you have the bandwagon fans who live in Cali who root for Bama but they aren’t loyal fans who will stick with them when they go 6-6.

You watch - this season college fans will pack stadiums for games that ultimately mean nothing because both teams will make the playoffs. And of course TV numbers will be high for conference championships games because they are standalone games. And even if you are right and in 8 years the regular season becomes meaningless. So what, sports are about playoffs when games matters not when teams are still figuring out their starters,

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