Kickoff classics, which debuted in the 1990s before the college football regular season expanded to 12 games, "may be an endangered species,” according to Ted Lewis of the Baton Rouge ADVOCATE. An exception is LSU and Florida State meeting in the first Allstate Louisiana Kickoff at Caesars Superdome on Sunday, but this year, only New Orleans and Atlanta are “putting on neutral-site games on opening weekend.” Schools are finding that “fans prefer better nonconference home games” and "are adjusting accordingly.” LSU's presence was “instrumental in securing Florida State,” which in turn “worked with the Florida Citrus Bowl to set up a ‘return’ game" between the two next year in Orlando. Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said, “We’re able to pay both schools handsomely while making sure we have a game that helps our financial situation.” The Sugar Bowl has to “muster all its resources to compete for a spot in the CFP rotation” when the current contract expires after the 2025 season. This is why the bowl is “being cautious about committing to any future opening-weekend games, especially any that would not include LSU” (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 8/29).
GEORGIA'S DISPARITIES: USA TODAY’s Cale Clinton wrote not only will Oregon “receive $500,000 less than Georgia for its involvement" in their Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game ($4.5M to Georgia's $5M), Georgia also was allotted $5.63M "more in tickets to sell" at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. UGA was “given 43,000 total tickets to sell, compared to Oregon's 6,052.” While both schools were given tickets to sell in the lower level, Georgia “received 10,276 more than Oregon in this section” (USA TODAY, 8/31). FORBES.com’s Terence Moore notes Chick-fil-A Kickoff officials switched in recent years from “one of these games every fall to two.” They "invented this whole concept of neutral cities hosting preseason bowl games" in 2008, and their objective was to “entice major college football programs to change their scheduling mindset forever.” The average attendance of Chick-fil-A Kickoff games through the years has been 67,064 (FORBES.com, 8/30). SHAKING IT UP: In Columbia, Chapel Fowler writes the second Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, Monday night’s Clemson-Georgia Tech, will feature a "new seating set-up" at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, specifically, an "empty upper deck." While Georgia and Oregon will play in front of a capacity crowd of 72,000 on Saturday, attendance two days later “will be limited to about 45,000 seats across the stadium’s lower two levels.” Peach Bowl President & CEO Gary Stokan said that Georgia Tech officials proposed the attendance cap after “having a ‘great experience’ hosting UNC in the same set-up last season.” The contest counts as a home game for the Yellow Jackets, who have partnered with Mercedes-Benz Stadium to “host one home game per season there through 2026” in a “Mayhem at MBS” series. As the home institution, GT is “afforded greater influence on ticketing procedures than a team would in a neutral-site game." Georgia Tech reportedly was “planning to use Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s full 72,000-seat configuration for the Clemson game" as late as last year. But the 2021 season “produced their lowest average home attendance” (37,333 per game) since 1989 (Columbia STATE, 9/1).
Iowa AD Gary Barta said that “it appears there is little interest in further expansion" of the Big Ten beyond adding USC and UCLA, and "there will be opposition if it means a revenue drop for membership," according to Scott Dochterman of THE ATHLETIC. Barta: “When we added the two that we added, it made sense. It had a lot of momentum behind it. I’ve not yet heard anything that would get me at Iowa -- I’m just speaking for Iowa -- excited to say, ‘Let’s continue to expand more.’ So, I don’t feel like it’s a hot button. But that’s one person’s opinion. I won’t speak for the conference.” Iowa President Barbara Wilson said that the "focus right now for the Big Ten’s Council of Presidents and Chancellors is how to acclimate USC and UCLA into the league." That group met electronically Thursday morning in a previously planned meeting. Wilson: “Everybody’s talking about more and more, and I think what we’re focusing on is how do we manage bringing (in) these two partners in the next two years?" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/1).
JOIN THE PARTY: Sports writer John Canzano cites sources as saying that the Pac-12 "has fielded 'more than a dozen' inquiries from schools wanting to join the conference." More than 10 other universities "have back-channeled through lawyers and consultants with the conference, exploring the fit and asking questions." But the source said that Pac-12 leadership "has not yet met in-person with any potential expansion candidates." The Action Network's Brett McMurphy recently reported that "two Pac-12 members" -- Washington and Oregon -- "engaged in exploratory discussions with the Big Ten." The compatibility component "is vital." Several universities in various conferences "have hired consulting firms to help with the calculus." The conferences also employ consultants and analysts to "work on their behalf to help gauge the potential fit." The Pac-12 is currently negotiating a new media-rights package and will eventually "present members with a deal to vote on." Before that approval, Oregon and Washington "would ideally want to know whether joining the Big Ten is even a possibility and at what kind of media-rights distribution payout." So might "some other members" (JOHNCANZANO.com, 9/1).
A recent survey commissioned by Playfly Sports in the aftermath of the Big Ten’s addition of USC and UCLA found that 42% of respondents ages 18-34 had a favorable view of conference realignment, with only 10% having an unfavorable view. That’s one of the main takeaways from the survey, which revealed that a quarter of all fans say they will watch even more college sports after realignment -- a number driven by the 18-34 demographic, where that number is nearly 50%. “The main takeaway is that college football specifically and college athletics in general are in a very healthy position, especially with the younger audience,” said Playfly Dir of Research Gregg Liebman. “That bodes well for the future as advertisers try to reach that coveted younger demographic.” Rivalries continue to be the lifeblood of college football. New matchups and the creation of new rivalries are what excite fans the most. But there is some worry about losing historical rivalries, as fans say that disrupting traditional rivalries is what they will miss most regarding realignment. However, only 17% of all fans say that they will miss the emotional connection to their school’s traditional conference.
MORE FINDINGS: Playfly worked with Vision Insights on the Aug. 8 survey of 1,000 U.S. sports fans, the first of several planned projects between the two outfits. Other highlights include:
There is “potentially a key meeting for college football” on Friday as the CFP Board of Managers convenes to discuss expanding the playoff "maybe as soon as 2024 if the 11 presidents and chancellors who comprise the sport’s most powerful group vote on a format that’s unanimously agreed upon,” according to ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. But “good luck" getting that unanimous approval, as "there are a lot of competing agendas here." ESPN's Pete Thamel said the Board of Managers will encounter “newfound ambition colliding with old problems.” Thamel: “The presidents think there’s too much money left on the table, and they want the ... format to change. Twelve teams remains the likely change, but the ‘when’ and the ‘how,’ there’s still a lot of ambiguity and competing interests that makes some sort of definitive resolution (today) hard to predict." There is "some ambition" for a 16-team format, but there are "a lot of commissioners and presidents who are entrenched against it.” Van Pelt: “It’s just so frustrating, because everyone goes to the endgame and says, ‘Look, this is inevitable.’ But it’s how you get there” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 9/1). CBSSN’s Andrew Perloff said the CFP format has "worked for years, but they have an opportunity to quadruple the amount of money they bring in, make all the fans happy, generate even more interest in their sport." So, “why is it talking so long to make the College Football Playoff 12 teams?” (“Maggie & Perloff,” CBSSN, 9/1).
Illinois AD Josh Whitman is apologizing for the school's handling of this past Saturday’s home opener against Wyoming, and promised “a thorough review of what went wrong,” according to Bob Asmussen of the Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE. This comes after "long lines" to get into Memorial Stadium and at concession stands, even though the venue “wasn’t close to full.” Attendance was listed at 37,832 "in a building that seats 60,670,” or 62% capacity. Given “all sorts of lead-up time, it should have been easy to get everyone in and out with no major delays.” Football attendance "has been an issue at Illinois for years," so increasing crowd size "is vital on many fronts." Illinois "needs to make serious cash on football tickets," as the upcoming Big Ten media-rights deal "won’t pay for everything." The last sellout came in 2016. To fill those empty seats, "it is incumbent on the athletic department to give the fans a reason to show up." Of course, "winning is at the top of the list." But "victories alone won’t pack the place." Illinois "needs to make the fan experience much better." The problems at the Wyoming game, "if they aren’t fixed, make it much easier for the fans to pass on being there." Asmussen's "guess is management and employees" at the Sept. 10 home game against Virginia "will go out of their way to see that everything runs smoothly" (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 8/31).
ESPN’s Lee Corso made it clear that he would not use guns as props on the set of "College GameDay" this year, according to Erik Hall of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Kirk Herbstreit, Corso's co-host, posted a video on Thursday ahead of "GameDay" at the West Virginia-Pitt game and asked Corso if he was going to do a headgear pick. Corso said, “The headgear is a panther. Don't tell anybody." Herbstreit asked, "You weren't going to put on the Daniel Boone? That would have given you a chance to get a gun going." Corso: “No guns this year, no guns this year.” He later added, “We don’t want no guns, absolutely no guns.” Herbstreit: “We used to have fun though with the guns.” Corso: "Too bad. Not now. They're not funny, not funny. Serious business" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/1).
GIVE HIM A BREAK: Corso's performance in the Aug. 27 season-preview episode of "GameDay" was heavily criticized on social media, and SI.com’s Jimmy Traina asked, “Can we all give Lee Corso a break?” Traina wrote people do not need to point out the 87-year-old Corso's age every time he’s on TV and "call for the man to be removed from the show that he helped build into one of the most popular sports studio shows of all time.” Traina: “A three-hour show may be a lot for Corso, and maybe his role should be scaled back, can we let the legend go out on his own terms? There is no need to disparage him. And there’s no need to question whether he can still be a valuable contributor to the show” (SI.com, 8/31). Show host Rece Davis earlier this week defended Corso on "The Dan Le Batard Show," noting Corso was "working remotely and live in front of a crowd." Davis: "We don’t typically do the show in different boxes with everybody in remote locations” (N.Y. POST, 8/30).
When we added the two that we added, it made sense. It had a lot of momentum behind it. I've not yet heard anything that would get me at Iowa -- I'm just speaking for Iowa -- excited to say, 'Let's continue to expand more.'
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