The first expanded College Football Playoff is now history, and the Ohio State Buckeyes are the champions, outlasting Notre Dame 34-23.
The average margin of victory in the first two rounds combined was a tick under 17 points, and the only game among the first eight that was suspenseful was Texas’ double-overtime victory over Arizona State. The semifinals were riveting, and the title game at least competitive.
From all of that, my conclusion is that major college football’s postseason tournament still has a long way to go before it even approaches the frenzy that March Madness provokes annually on or off the field—and despite all of the heavily promoted betting options.
In fairness, though, it should be noted that March Madness wasn’t March Madness when the first NCAA basketball tournament—with its then-eight-team field—was played 87 years ago.
For two decades after it began in 1939, the fledgling NCAA tourney was overshadowed by the National Invitation Tournament , even though the latter was only a year older. Back then, winning the NIT was considered reaching the pinnacle of that sport.
Despite the passion exhibited by individual schools’ rabid alumni and loyal other fans, I doubt that the CFP will ever capture the public’s interest the way March Madness has, for several reasons:
1. Size of the field
12 teams compared to, now, 64 (including winners of the First Four eliminations)
It would be pointless to expand the CFP to even half the 64-team Madness field, because there aren’t that many teams that belong on the same fields in any given season. But the football tournament must make these three moves:
enlarge the field to 16;
seed the teams by Selection Committee ranking, guaranteeing the champions of designated conferences a place in the field but not a specified seeding a la Madness); and
make every team play in the first round (no byes, also like Madness).
2. Potential for upsets
Even with eight games in the first round, the likelihood of upsets would be minimal because the top teams simply have more depth.
But in March Madness, No. 9 beats No. 8 almost half the time (45.39%) and even No. 16 has won twice (in 152 tries) against No. 1. That suggests upsets are possible in football.
At the same time, proper seeding would avoid situations such as occurred this year when top-seeded Oregon lost its rematch with No. 8 Ohio State, and defending national champ Georgia, the No. 2 seed, was ousted by No. 7 Notre Dame—both losers playing their first games after not playing for three-and-a-half weeks.
3. Bowl games
Six bowls—Peach, Sugar, Fiesta, Rose, Orange and Cotton—hosted CFP quarterfinal and semifinal games, respectively. Four first-round games were played on campus fields.
But 36 other bowls—with names such as the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, Duke’s Mayo Bowl and 68 Ventures Bowl—were on television between December 14, a week before the CFP’s first round, and January 4, five days before the CFP semis.
If nothing else, these games diverted the attention of hard-core football fans and, to some extent, the media. Some might say the first four games were lost amid the second-rate bowls.
4. Pro football
March Madness dominates television for three weeks because Major League Baseball begins its six-month season within days of The Final Four; pro basketball and hockey playoffs don’t start until mid-April; and the NFL Draft is in late-April.
The CFP, meanwhile, is competing for attention with the National Football League, which is deciding those four teams that will play for Conference championships and berths in the Super Bowl.
Talk about diverting fans’ attention, not to mention newspaper and other media coverage.
About 10 years ago a friend of mine, Terry Frei, wrote a very good book about the first NCAA basketball tournament, titled MARCH 1939 – BEFORE THE MADNESS.
Then, as now with the CFP, deciding which teams to include in the field and where to play the games were thorny issues, which Frei details well.
But there was no TV, and the NFL had only 10 teams (none west of Chicago), the National Hockey League just seven (two of them in Canada). The NBA didn’t yet exist.
The NCAA tournament had only the NIT to overcome.
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Denny Dressman’s 17th book, a collaboration with Kansas City artist Anthony High titled Black Baseball’s Heyday – Capturing An Era in Art and Words, will be published next spring. You can write to Denny at dennydressman@comcast.net.