The Attendance Issue
Another issue that has been largely ignored by both sides of the playoff debate is attendance. Under the current bowl system, fans of teams that make bowl games have a minimum of two weeks, and often a month or more, to make their travel plans for the game. In most playoff systems, teams will not know their next opponent or the game location until a week in advance. Attendance could also be impacted by colder weather, academic conflicts such as final exams, and students' absence due to holiday breaks during this time of year.
The NCAA Division I Football Championship (the formal name for the FCS playoffs) offers a point of comparison. In the 2010 season, Delaware, a traditional FCS power that is consistently among the division's attendance leaders, averaged 20,684 for its regular-season home games. The Blue Hens won a share of the Colonial Athletic Association title and advanced to the playoffs, ultimately reaching the national championship game. Although they played all their playoff games before the final at home, their attendance took a nosedive. Their attendances for their playoff games were:
- Second round, December 4, 2010 – 13,669 against Lehigh, a school located 80 miles (130 km) from the UD campus.
- Quarterfinal, December 10, 2010 – 8,770 against conference rival New Hampshire. This game was played during UD's final exams period.
- Semifinal, December 18, 2010 – 10,317 against another traditional FCS power, Georgia Southern. This game was played in 27 °F (−3 °C) weather after the semester had ended and residence halls had closed.
These attendance issues were not limited to Delaware. Appalachian State, another traditional FCS power, averaged over 29,000 for its 2010 home schedule—higher than a substantial number of FBS teams. The Mountaineers were unable to draw even 16,000 for either of their two home playoff games. In 2009, eventual national champion Villanova drew only 4,771 for its home semifinal against conference rival William & Mary.
Read more about this topic: College Football Playoff Debate
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