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College football allows itself to be outflanked by NFL on Thanksgiving
TL;DR
College football faces challenges from the NFL, particularly during Thanksgiving and December playoffs. The College Football Playoff's scheduling conflicts with NFL games have worsened the situation.
Key points
- College football struggles with NFL competition during Thanksgiving.
- CFP's first round conflicts with NFL games in December.
- College football plays on the third Saturday of December.
- Proposed changes to CFP scheduling have not been implemented.
College football has had an NFL problem for a long time, and one could say it has gotten worse, not better, with the passage of more years and decades. Consider the following points:
December
First, the expansion of the College Football Playoff means college football's first big playoff weekend has conflicted with NFL Saturdays in December. The NFL cannot play games on the second Saturday of December, but college football has so far refused to put the first round of the CFP on that day. College football has stupidly chosen to play on the third Saturday of December. It's such an obvious fix to make, but college football hasn't yet made it.
January
The conflict with the NFL has also occurred in January, when college football has been unwilling to play its national championship game on a Saturday because of the NFL playoffs. The solution here is to wait until the NFL's conference championship weekend -- Sunday games only -- to play on Saturday. Again, college football has been unwilling to do something that would reduce conflict with the NFL.
This brings us to our newest college football NFL problem: Thanksgiving scheduling.
NFL strikes first
The NFL is scheduling a Thanksgiving Eve game this year. The Green Bay Packers will play the Los Angeles Rams on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving Day.
College football caught flat-footed again
College football could have put games on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving but refused to act. If college football fans are frustrated about the NFL getting in college football's way, it has to be said that in this case, it's not really the NFL's fault. College football did not respond or adjust to new realities.
College football Wednesday
Obviously, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving wouldn't feature an elite college football rivalry such as Michigan-Ohio State, Auburn-Alabama, or USC-UCLA, but it could certainly involve a second- or third-tier rivalry such as Louisville-Kentucky or North Carolina-NC State. Plenty of people would watch while they prepare their turkeys and pies. It's just so ridiculous that college football never did something about this.
Reflections of a larger problem
College football just isn't being nimble about scheduling in the modern age. It is taking forever to eliminate conference championship games and replace them with bubble play-in games for the playoff. College football also isn't scheduling early-morning games (10 or 11 a.m. Eastern) on a regular basis to give smaller schools an exclusive TV window. College football should be playing occasional Sunday games at 5:30 or 6 Eastern when the late NFL window is dead and has very few interesting games.
College football's next chance to do something
Where college football still has an opportunity to do something: August Sunday scheduling. The NFL doesn't start until September. College football should have a quadrupleheader on multiple August Sundays to take advantage of that barren part of the sports calendar.
College Football Playoff changes
Moving to a 24-team CFP would force college football to start its regular season earlier. This could be the catalyst for playing more Sunday August football, more August football in general, and doing things differently to be less in conflict with the NFL.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: NFL schedules Thanksgiving Eve game while college football stumbles
Q&A
How does the College Football Playoff scheduling conflict with the NFL?
The College Football Playoff's first round is scheduled for the third Saturday of December, conflicting with NFL games that cannot be played on the second Saturday.
Why is college football's playoff schedule considered problematic?
The scheduling is seen as problematic because it leads to conflicts with NFL games, which could affect viewership and fan engagement.
What changes have been suggested for the College Football Playoff schedule?
It has been suggested that college football should move the first round of the CFP to the second Saturday of December to avoid conflicts with the NFL.
What impact does the NFL have on college football during Thanksgiving?
The NFL's presence during Thanksgiving can overshadow college football, drawing viewers away from college games and impacting their popularity.
