Big Sky commissioner wants to move FCS Championship game back to mid-Dec

[MplsBison]

http://bisonmedia.areavoices.com/?p=90508


I spoke with Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton yesterday as the conference wrapped up its spring meetings in Grand Forks on a variety of topics(you can hear the interview Saturday morning with Jeff and me on 970 WDAY 9-11) and one was about growing the FCS brand and Fullerton mentioned moving the FCS Championship game back to its old timeslot before Christmas. Fullerton’s reasoning for moving the game? The College Football Playoff begins this year with games being played on New Year’s Day in 2015 and eventually New Year’s Eve, with likely expansion from four to eight teams. Also that first Saturday in January is likely to see another NFL playoff game as early as 2016, making for three wild card games on that day. Fullerton believes that the FCS would get swallowed up if they were to remain on that weekend, that’s not to mention the other bowl games that usually are still trickling out then.

The catch-22 of moving the FCS Championship game back to where it used it be on the calendar is that the playoff field is eight teams larger than it was in 2009 (last year it was played on a Friday before Christmas). Fullerton has a solution for that, by starting the season earlier. This year Sam Houston State and Eastern Washington will play on August 23rd on ESPN, a week before everyone else gets going, and Fullerton believes people’s thirst for football will be huge by then and it’s successful, we could very well see more games, possibly up to three on that opening weekend. If that works, then I could envision seeing the game move from January back to mid-December.

[bluehenbillk]

Good points that the FCS NC game has already been challenged with public noteriety & that's been just in general & with the Cotton Bowl in the Metroplex. No you throw in the left-right combo of the Playoff & NFL Wildcard weekend & what's the point? Move it.

[DFW HOYA]

There are five weeks from the last week of the regular season (Nov. 22) to Dec. 27. The playoffs can certainly accommodate that.

[PAllen]

So, you want to start the season earlier huh? Well, let's stop screwing around. Start the season NOW! Give us something to talk about around here. :D

[darell1976]

People's thirst for football starts the day after the NC game. The earlier the better.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

So, you want to start the season earlier huh? Well, let's stop screwing around. Start the season NOW! Give us something to talk about around here. :D

How devilish of you. As little as you post you may be on that number for a while. xlolx

[bluehenbillk]

This year (2015 technically) the NC isn't until Saturday, January 10th. That's buried in the middle of the NFL Playoffs. Ratings disaster....

[Nickels]

This year (2015 technically) the NC isn't until Saturday, January 10th. That's buried in the middle of the NFL Playoffs. Ratings disaster....
It's THAT late now? Damn...

[Lehigh'98]

No good reason to be playing this game in Jan. 2 weeks max from semifinal game will suffice. D2&3 play the week after. Any casual fan loses interest by the time it's played now.

[FargoBison]

I would hate to see it moved, the 2-3 weeks to make travel plans makes it much easier to go. Doubt I would have made it down there if it was just one week to plan.

I doubt ratings will be any different one way or the other. Only way ratings would change is if ESPN/NCAA actually promoted the game.

[Nickels]

I would hate to see it moved, the 2-3 weeks to make travel plans makes it much easier to go.

This is true.

[AmsterBison]

Do not like this idea one bit.

[Bisonoline]

How many students are going to show up a week early?

[Professor Chaos]

If we're talking about attracting the casual fan to FCS football isn't it better to have semifinal weekend the week people are starved for football the most? Give them 2 games instead of 1 and at campus locations where (usually) you'll have a pretty good atmosphere. At least it'll be better than a national title game 6 or 7 days after the semis right around Christmas time. It's so much nicer as a fan of a team in the game to have that extra time. IMO, it's not worth moving it back to get a few hundred thousand more TV sets tuned in (in reality that's probably all it would be).

[aces1180]

This year (2015 technically) the NC isn't until Saturday, January 10th. That's buried in the middle of the NFL Playoffs. Ratings disaster....

You are incorrect...It's Jan. 3.

http://www.stubhub.com/2011-ncaa-division-1-football-championship-tickets/2015-ncaa-division-i-fcs-championship-1-3-2015-9006692/

Edit - Now a FM media member tweeted that the game has been changed to Jan. 10. I was wrong and you were right.

[UNH Fanboi]

He makes some good points. I always liked the Championship game right after the semis in December. Moving everything up also puts the semis into a weekend with little or no FBS competition. One potential problem is that now rounds 1 and 2 would sandwich Thanksgiving. Hopefully a decent number of fans would show up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving weekend seems to be an attendance bust everywhere except Montana. The short lead time for making travel plans is also an issue, but ultimately I think maximizing the number of TV viewers is more important for the overall health of FCS.

[Bisonator]

Why is it so late this year? It should be on the 3rd. First Saturday in January works the best. Get it as far away from Christmas as possible. Allows for more fans, easier travel arrangements, more TV viewers, etc. Moving it back to December is a bad idea IMO.

[Bisonoline]

With the extra game last year we lost a week of down time before the chipper. So may be the 10th would work the best for the teams. Makes no difference to me which weekend it is. If we make that far I will be there. If we dont make it that far I still might go down and enjoy the game and the restaurants. I already have tickets so why not.

[NoCoDanny]

So someone explain this to me as I've never heard of it. After the season the best teams go to a playoff and then a championship game?

[citdog]

After the season the best teams go to a playoff and then a championship game?

Not ALWAYS the BEST teams. The patriot, pioneer, etc etc all get one team in.

[AshevilleApp2]

I would hate to see it moved, the 2-3 weeks to make travel plans makes it much easier to go. Doubt I would have made it down there if it was just one week to plan.

I doubt ratings will be any different one way or the other. Only way ratings would change is if ESPN/NCAA actually promoted the game.

More difficult certainly, but if you want it badly enough you can do it. Montana always represented well in Chattanooga with only a few days to plan.

[AmsterBison]

More difficult certainly, but if you want it badly enough you can do it. Montana always represented well in Chattanooga with only a few days to plan.

Guess it depends on whether you want the TV to show a lot of empty seats or a full stadium (of course, we'll have to see what Frisco draws when NDSU and/or a Texas team is not in the game.) The last Montana championship game had 17,000 in attendance and that was over a week before Christmas, not the weekend immediately prior (which is one of the busiest travel weekends of the entire year.) It still amazes me how well Montana fans traveled though.

Moreover, there is no way that I want two football games going on before students even get on campus. That might be fine for Eastern Washington as a one-time TV deal or for teams with empty student sections, but why even call it's COLLEGE football of that's how it's going to be. It's college football, not minor-league NFL football. Next thing you'll know, the FCS will become so scared of competition for TV games that we start the season in June.

Wish they would have put the game on Jan. 3rd this year.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Not ALWAYS the BEST teams. The patriot, pioneer, etc etc all get one team in.

... Patriot has won playoff games two of the last four years. How'd the Citadel do?

[MplsBison]

I would hate to see it moved, the 2-3 weeks to make travel plans makes it much easier to go. Doubt I would have made it down there if it was just one week to plan.

I doubt ratings will be any different one way or the other. Only way ratings would change is if ESPN/NCAA actually promoted the game.

And so the question must be asked: is it more important to cater the championship game to traveling fans who will attend or more important to cater the championship game to television viewers, getting them the best day and timeslot possible so that the maximum number of people can view on TV?


In my opinion, to say that the championship game should cater more to traveling fans - at this level of college football - is a losing proposition. There are now only a handful of programs that can make it a winning proposition. It's just been the good fortune of the game that NDSU has made it the last three years and has a rabid, traveling fanbase.

But what if it was Eastern Washington vs. Maine?


You have to take off your Bison colored glasses and look at what's best for the sub-division. Not what's best for NDSU fans when the Bison do make it to the championship game.

[MplsBison]

Why is it so late this year? It should be on the 3rd. First Saturday in January works the best. Get it as far away from Christmas as possible. Allows for more fans, easier travel arrangements, more TV viewers, etc. Moving it back to December is a bad idea IMO.

I don't see how it allows for more TV viewers. Explain that one, please.

[kdinva]

So someone explain this to me as I've never heard of it. After the season the best teams go to a playoff and then a championship game?

yes, since 1978 there has been a playoff for 1-AA........Conf. champs get auto bids, plus at larges (just like hoops).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_Football_Championship

[NoDak 4 Ever]

yes, since 1978 there has been a playoff for 1-AA........Conf. champs get auto bids, plus at larges (just like hoops).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_Football_Championship

Kind of like NoCo did in Division II.

[citdog]

... Patriot has won playoff games two of the last four years. How'd the Citadel do?

We'd be 20 year patsy league champs in a row. That's what we'd be.

[AshevilleApp2]

Guess it depends on whether you want the TV to show a lot of empty seats or a full stadium (of course, we'll have to see what Frisco draws when NDSU and/or a Texas team is not in the game.) The last Montana championship game had 17,000 in attendance and that was over a week before Christmas, not the weekend immediately prior (which is one of the busiest travel weekends of the entire year.) It still amazes me how well Montana fans traveled though.

Moreover, there is no way that I want two football games going on before students even get on campus. That might be fine for Eastern Washington as a one-time TV deal or for teams with empty student sections, but why even call it's COLLEGE football of that's how it's going to be. It's college football, not minor-league NFL football. Next thing you'll know, the FCS will become so scared of competition for TV games that we start the season in June.

Wish they would have put the game on Jan. 3rd this year.

Honestly I never worried about the stands as much as the game on the field, so half empty wouldn't bother me. What bothers me more is a long layoff between games. Just preference I guess.

As far as games starting before students are on campus, that appears to be school related. I did a quick check and App classes start on the 18th of August. I realize App doesn't count, just using that as an example. When does NDSU start?

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Honestly I never worried about the stands as much as the game on the field, so half empty wouldn't bother me. What bothers me more is a long layoff between games. Just preference I guess.

As far as games starting before students are on campus, that appears to be school related. I did a quick check and App classes start on the 18th of August. I realize App doesn't count, just using that as an example. When does NDSU start?

Believe me, the locals care. Fewer people at the game mean fewer people in town. It's an amazing weekend, not just a good few hours.

[AmsterBison]

Honestly I never worried about the stands as much as the game on the field, so half empty wouldn't bother me. What bothers me more is a long layoff between games. Just preference I guess.

As far as games starting before students are on campus, that appears to be school related. I did a quick check and App classes start on the 18th of August. I realize App doesn't count, just using that as an example. When does NDSU start?

August 26th at NDSU which is way earlier than when I attended.

[Bisonator]

I don't see how it allows for more TV viewers. Explain that one, please.

Well I personally have more time to watch TV after the holidays then before or during them.

[walliver]

The game is never going to get great ratings, so I don't think TV is a big issue.

Delaying the game a few weeks maximizes the chances for fans to actually attend the game. For many fans, traveling on one weeks notice, rearranging work schedules, booking flights, rental cars, and hotels can be a hassle. Also, moving the game away from the immediate Christmas season may improve the chances of reasonable airfare.

[Nickels]

The game is never going to get great ratings, so I don't think TV is a big issue.

Delaying the game a few weeks maximizes the chances for fans to actually attend the game. For many fans, traveling on one weeks notice, rearranging work schedules, booking flights, rental cars, and hotels can be a hassle. Also, moving the game away from the immediate Christmas season may improve the chances of reasonable airfare.
+ it gives me time to sell my tickets for an insane profit. I hope the Bison make it back the next 2 years.

[AshevilleApp2]

Believe me, the locals care. Fewer people at the game mean fewer people in town. It's an amazing weekend, not just a good few hours.

I'm well aware of how fun the weekend is. Just not in Frisco. I'd also guess that attendance depends on which teams make the final. A Villanova/EWU final isn't likely to draw well whenever it is played.

[AshevilleApp2]

The game is never going to get great ratings, so I don't think TV is a big issue.

Delaying the game a few weeks maximizes the chances for fans to actually attend the game. For many fans, traveling on one weeks notice, rearranging work schedules, booking flights, rental cars, and hotels can be a hassle. Also, moving the game away from the immediate Christmas season may improve the chances of reasonable airfare.

It does have that advantage.

[Green1]

+ it gives me time to sell my tickets for an insane profit. I hope the Bison make it back the next 2 years.


It warms my heart to see another converted Bison fan!!