It seems like there has to be a response every time Nick Saban answers a question, especially when that answer bucks public opinion. He’s earned those rebuttals, though. You don’t become as accomplished as he is in any particular field without, to some extent, having knowledge of how the sausage is made.
The question this time involved what he learned during the first year of the College Football Playoff, and while you might expect his answer to involve something about preparation, or some form of coach speak, that isn’t what we got.
“I learned what I feared the most would happen. All the attention, all the interest would be about the four teams in the playoffs,” said Saban. “By having a playoff we would minimize the interest in other bowl games, which I think is sort of what happened and I hate to see that for college football.”
The Alabama Coach even went so far as to suggest the sport do away completely with half measures. “Maybe we need to go one way or the other. Either have bowl games or have playoffs, but not try to have both.”
I’ll admit I was a little taken back by that quote. Of course the playoff would minimize interest in other games. It’s a playoff. As in, more than one game that isn’t just a glorified exhibition. Meaningful games alway draw more interest.
But the data says otherwise.
The Data
Of the 35 bowl games that have been around longer than just this season, there was an average increase of 0.4 points in their TV rating between 2013 and 2014. Even if you exclude all six bowls that are included in the new playoff, and the championship game, there was still an increase of 0.13 points in rating.
To Saban’s credit, three of the bowls that hurt the most in rating drops were the Fiesta, Orange, and Peach. But all you have to do is look at who played in those games during the 2013-14 postseason to get your explanation; UCF, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. All three rank in the top five in enrollment.
On top of all of this, even the four newest bowls, all added this past season, performed at least 0.5 points higher in the TV ratings than the worst performer from 2013. (Heart of Dallas Bowl, 0.2)
And critics may point to the wavering attendance numbers from bowl games to support Saban’s argument, but as long as games are played in Hawaii and the Bahamas, I won’t be convinced that attendance is all that important to game sponsors.
The Long Response
Perhaps even more damning to Saban’s position is the response from Arkansas AD and Chairman of the College Football Playoff, Jeff Long.
Long, a nearly universally respected entity in college athletics, didn’t hold back his frustration with the Alabama coach’s assertion that bowl games were suffering. “I think sometimes coaches, particularly those at the highest level, I’m not sure how aware they are of what is really going on out there in the real world,” jabbed Long. And he has a point.
How often have were read anecdotes about Saban’s single-minded preparation before a big game? It’s even been noted that he eats the same salad for lunch each day during the season in order to eliminate wasted time deciding what to eat. Despite his titanic status in the sport, being the highest paid coach by about $2 million, are we really to expect that Nick Saban is familiar with the TV numbers, attendance, and coverage of bowl games his team won’t be involved in?
Anytime Saban comments on a subject, especially when his remarks are controversial, it’s assumed that he is an authority on the matter, or in some cases has an ulterior motive. But maybe this time he is just expressing an uninformed opinion on a subject that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“They keep adding bowl games. And I think the television interest for the games is higher than ever before,” Long reiterated. “So I’m not sure [the playoff] is having that effect.” Apparently Saban isn’t sure either.
Feature image via C. Cook/USA TODAY Sports
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