Yeah, all that and STOP MARGINALIZING OVER HALF THE CFB TEAMS WITH A SILLY PLAYOFF INVITATIONAL
So it has dropped every year since the CFP. Coincidence?
Every sport is dealing with this.
I disagree. Was the BCS really more virtuous than the CFP?
Attendance is down for a host of reasons. The main reason is that there are a lot more viewing options for college football games than there was even a decade ago. If a school is part of a conference network, every one of that school’s games is going to be televised; even the body bag games. I went back and looked at the 2002 UH football schedule and there was only one televised game. 
There comes a point when people decide it just cost too much to go to the game and sit in misery of 100 degrees and sun when they can see the same thing in the comfort of home.When you give away what you sell, free is hard to compete with for the casual fan. Throw in the additional cost and hassle of bringing kids, and you have a problem on your hands.
If you give them a good product on the field, throw in some cost reductions, and schedule games people are interested in and you have a much better chance of bringing in the fans. Let the teams in the cooler areas of the coutry have their games in the day and have the games in the south in the later hours.
Mike - quit talking sense; it is out of style these days!
There are some good ideas and bad ideas in there. But I think money is the biggest factor. Games are just getting way too expensive. The money grab has taken a lot away from college sports. Leave that to the pros. I would be a fan of a revenue cap where anything above a certain point just gets donated to some national scholarship fund for those that can’t afford college.
That is the root of the problem. You the ncaa and the cartel created this. You are making this happen. I will ask everyone on this website a simple question:
What is the point of attending a game if you know before the season starts that your School has no chance to play for the ultimate prize? That is the greatest threat that every media executive has to ask herself or himself. No matter what I will watch my School play. Not every alum or fan feels the same. This downward spiral is only going to get bigger. It is basic marketing. You can have a sequel but when you get to the sixth or eighth version of the same movie you won’t be watching. Sure the Alabama fans are delighted to see their School every year in the cfp but what about the “independent” College football fan? You know the answer.
The cartel wants to control the money? What about the following:
You have 10 conferences that you consolidate to eight conferences with the emphasis of re-creating local rivalries. Independents? Enough with special privileges. Some might argue that Notre Dame was the instigator to this current non sense. You either play or you don’t on an equal level playing field.
That gives you eight conference Champions (including a ranking P5)
You need 16 Teams for a National playoff. That is where the carrot comes in for the cartel. The other eight Teams will come in from P5 established by a ranking.
You know have 16 Teams. That is four weeks after the end of the regular season.
How long does an ncaa football season last? We know the answer.
Everybody wins in this scenario. The fans first and foremost do. Sure you might say money talks everything else is meaningless. The cartel will be making even more money. The media will get more eye balls. The advertisers will get the best demographics available.
The ncaa has a choice. Kill the golden goose or re-create it.
How about stop running up the cost of tuition and fees, and encouraging students to run up large debts? This runs lots of students out of school without graduating but with a bad taste in their mouth, and it leaves young alumni without much disposable income for several years.
College athletics and their rising costs are not tied directly to the cost of tuition and fees going up. Two issues that require different solutions. Both need work though.
FREE BEER.
I’d be interested in seeing the attendance numbers as the season progresses. In other words, the attendance through the first 4-5 games vs the second half of the season. Does it drop off the second half of the season when people know they’re out of the playoff picture? Yes money is tied to everything. Why would you pay high ticket costs if your team had 3-4 losses with no chance making the playoffs.
How about because you love college football in general and your school’s team in particular. In the history of college football, how many teams had fans that started the season thinking their school had a snowball’s chance in hell of making the national championship? Yet they went to the games and supported their teams. This attitude of, if you can’t win it all, what’s the point of even going to a game, is foriegn to my way of thinking.
I’d give you more likes if that was possible
You missed my point Mike and maybe I did not express myself well enough. I will try another way. The ncaa has an FBS Div I for one reason like they do an FCS Div.
The purpose of competing is to win. Even if there is a minute chance of winning the entire thing you as a competitor want to get there. The March madness is a great example. In case we are in it for a games to get the fans together this is called a friendly game or a scrimmage. Prior to the BCS a BYU won a National Championship today they/we can’t. That is unacceptable from just an FBS Div I point of view. We can’t have it both ways. We are either in FBS Div I or not. I completely understand your point of supporting your own School. That is why you are so pumped up when your School comes back from a bad year. The ncaa, cfp, media outlets are slowly killing College Football. We can’t deny it. That is why I am so passionate for a major change.
AMEN Brother!
They should seriously consider adding some shading like the miami stadium or some of the professional baseball stadiums.
I attend UH games because I love the University, not because I believe we have a chance to win a national title.
Of course I would love to have the chance in football while we actually do in hoops, baseball and track.
I am getting old and may never see a national championship, but that is okay as I will continue to come to games as long as my son will put up with me…lol
You’re a good Coog, Butch.
And this isn’t just because we are G5. Plenty of P5 teams have zero chance of making the CFP this year.