Labar: With College Football and NFL Schedule Changes, is There Such a Thing as Too Much Football Around the Holidays?

By Abby Labar
Sportmoney Columnist

Scheduling conflicts were always top of conversation when discussing the new college football playoff format. Students dealing with class schedules and exams, eliminating late-season injuries and exhaustion, as well as coaches navigating the recruiting trail are all valid reasons to have to closely strategize on the best way to execute this new format. Then there is the NFL.

When the 12-team college football playoff schedule was released, there was a strong reaction in how the NFL responded, trumping the rest of the issues. 

The first round of the College Football Playoff begins on December 20th but three of the first four games will fall on December 21st. The NFL announced two marquee games scheduled for the 21st as well (Texans vs. Chiefs and Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh). The College Football National Championship game is slated for Monday, January 20th, which is during the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. This season there won’t be a conflict, but it is just the beginning of the conversation as this new era of the CFP could bring more scheduling conflicts in the future years to come. 

Some publications have pinned the NFL’s response to this scheduling as purposeful, while others have quoted sources and cited that both sides are working together for the sake of the sport and it was inevitable that this would happen. 

I asked a few friends and colleagues in the industry who cover both college football and the NFL their thoughts on the recent discussion, scheduling conflicts and the reaction. The consensus was that the set of circumstances is unfortunate and not ideal, but there seemed to be more underlying frustration toward the NFL – especially considering the fact that college football is integral in developing and feeding talent to the league.

Ironically and unbeknownst to two of my colleagues that I spoke with, they both mentioned one phrase in their responses to me: “NFL is king.” One went on to say pretty bluntly that “they want to bully anything and anyone that is in its way. They did it to the NBA last Christmas and college football on Thursday nights. They know no matter what they are winning.”

Another friend in the industry echoed a similar sentiment in a more empathetic way toward college football: “I wish, especially in the very first season of the expanded format, that college football would get to have its moment and the spotlight, especially with the first on-campus home College Football Playoff games of their kind. They deserve that.” Now to their point, this season fortunately the NFL isn’t stepping on the toes of too many CFP games. But the one big Saturday, the 21st, is “definitely disappointing for the sport that is the feeder to the NFL.”

Based on a few discussions I had with friends that I consider the “average fan,” though, viewers simply love the idea of more football. It just means a lot more usage of the multi-screen options via some streaming services like YouTube TV for example, or an excuse to purchase another TV for a “man cave.”

But let’s be honest, most of this is happening around the holidays – so you know it’s not going to be as easy said as it is done for families to spend hours in front of a TV, or TVs, taking in all the football action when there is entertaining company and cooking to be done! (Kidding? Maybe?) 

At the end of the day, it’s a new world we are living in that comes with its fair share of pros and cons just like any new concept that is introduced. It will be interesting to follow how both sides continue to work together, or not, in order to try to grow the sport, navigate broadcast deals, and cater to a dedicated audience of football fans.