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College football needs a true scheduling revolution
TL;DR
The American Football Coaches Association has voted for a 24-team College Football Playoff and the elimination of conference championship games. These changes would require a significant overhaul of the college football schedule, potentially moving the season start to early August.
Key points
- AFCA voted for a 24-team College Football Playoff
- Proposal includes eliminating conference championship games
- Season conclusion would move to early January
- Significant schedule changes would be necessary
- College football season may start in early August
The American Football Coaches Association made news recently. The AFCA membership voted to express its preference for a 24-team College Football Playoff, the elimination of conference championship games, and the conclusion of each season in early January. None of this is binding. It does not amount to a policy change for college football. However, it does reflect the desire of most coaches for reform. If we accept that these changes are coming, college football scheduling will need to adjust.
Change would be forced
If college football does go to a 24-team CFP with an early-January conclusion to the season, the sport can't make minor tweaks. It will have to significantly change its schedule. If the season is going to end roughly two weeks earlier (January 8-13 instead of January 22-27) but the playoff is going to be much larger (24 teams compared to the current 12), we are not talking about a one-week adjustment here or there. No. College football will have to move its schedule up a whole month into early August.
August Sundays
Before the NFL starts in September, college football would be wise to create made-for-TV games in domes or in moderate climates and put them on Sundays in August. Fans hate the neutral-site games, but they're played in domes for a reason in the early part of the season. Players can't and shouldn't be subjected to sweltering heat outdoors. A dome solves that problem. ESPN and Fox will love the added inventory on Sundays. Keep in mind that ESPN no longer has Sunday Night Baseball. The door is wide-open to August Sunday football.
Weeknights in August
ESPN and Fox (and NBC, and CBS) will love weeknight programming in the middle of August, too. Night games will shield players from heat -- at least to an extent -- and early-season games can be played in milder climates such as Seattle (Washington Huskies) or Eugene (Oregon Ducks) instead of extremely hot places such as Tempe, Arizona (Arizona State Sun Devils).
Additional innovations
August's heat can create early-morning weekend games at 10 a.m. Eastern in the MAC and Sun Belt, or at noon Eastern (9 a.m. Pacific, 10 Mountain) in the Mountain West and Pac-12. Smaller conferences can get exclusive-window games to showcase their product. August can become a playground for schools, conferences, and TV networks to display more of the product.
Longer season without more games
Here's the paradox of going into early August for college football scheduling: The season wouldn't be longer in terms of the number of games, just in terms of the length of time between opening day and the day of the national championship game. Starting the season in early August would mean more weeks off during the season, not more games. Players, in fact, would need more rest during a season. Getting at least two if not three off weeks would do that. It's a line of thought college football has largely ignored but now needs to confront if a 24-team playoff arrives.
No conference championship games
If there are no conference championship games, those games get swapped out for bubble play-in games. We're not adding games to the schedule, only trading them. Teams that finish first or second in their conferences would not play these games; teams that finish fourth, fifth or sixth would play in them.
What the new schedule should look like
We can allow for some flexibility here and there, but broadly viewed, this is generally what a new college football schedule should look like with a 24-team playoff and a title game in early January:
Week 1 at the start of August for half of college football. Week 2, the second weekend of August, for the other half. Everyone gets one of the two weeks off to build in rest and recovery.
Normal weekends start in Week 3, the third weekend of August. This means Week 5 is Labor Day weekend most years. If every team gets three weeks off during the season, however, the season will run longer. Week 16 arrives in early-to-mid-November.
The bubble play-in games and Army-Navy will be on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. One bubble play-in game might move to that weekend's Friday slot.
First-round playoff games in the new 24-team field will be on Thanksgiving weekend.
The second round of the CFP will be the first Saturday of December. This is the Round of 16. The first round is the Round of 24.
The quarterfinals of the CFP will be on the second Saturday of December, to avoid competition with the NFL. Remember: The NFL cannot currently play on the first two Saturdays of December by law.
The CFP semifinals will be on New Year's Day. The title game will be on a Saturday night, one to one and a half weeks later. Boom. Done. Problem solved.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: College football can't hide from the need for major schedule changes
Q&A
What changes did the American Football Coaches Association propose for college football?
The AFCA proposed a 24-team College Football Playoff, the elimination of conference championship games, and an earlier season conclusion in January.
How would a 24-team College Football Playoff affect the schedule?
A 24-team playoff would require college football to start its season a month earlier, likely in early August, to accommodate the expanded playoff format.
Why are college football coaches advocating for scheduling reforms?
Coaches are advocating for reforms to better align the playoff structure with the season schedule and to enhance the overall competitive landscape of college football.
What is the timeline for the proposed changes in college football scheduling?
If implemented, the changes would likely see the college football season starting in early August and concluding in early January, significantly altering the current schedule.
