Yes, Alabama and Clemson will play for a mythical national championship Monday night in San Jose, California at Levi Stadium. And yes, if you want to buy a ticket to the game on a secondary site, such as Stub-Hub, the cost of the ducat will not put you past a hundred or hundred fifty dollars at most. I suspect if you show up to the stadium you can get a ticket for much lower than that a half hour before kickoff.
What a shame that for the most important game in college football this season will be played in front of empty seats, probably thousands of them at the stadium that seats 68,500. Yes, it will look bad on TV Monday night, and the fault belongs directly to the administration of the Final Four playoffs.
Unlike last year when Alabama and Georgia met in SEC country in Atlanta, this game will be played thousands of miles from the homes of the Crimson Tide and Tigers. It is not cheap to get flights and accommodations in this part of the country, and the ticket prices, hotel and air can and will cost upwards of three, four and even five thousand dollars. Only so much football money is available for fans of the two particulars, and as we know, Alabama and South Carolina are not the hotbeds of the rich and famous. After their shorter trips to Miami and Dallas respectfully, just one week earlier these rabid fans are not so rabid when it comes to shelling out the big time bucks.
And to be correct, those 49er season ticket fans (Levi Stadium, home of the NFL’s San Francisco franchise) that might have been required to buy a ticket in a lessor game, were not in on this one. It is a fact that these two schools are not that popular in California, so do not look for the locals to attend. School night, 5:00 PM kickoff on a Monday afternoon? You understand.
With most all areas of this sport of college football not interested and not a participate in this four team tournament, national interest is pathetic. Midwestern, western, and most northern fans just do not give a damn. Even in the south, if you are not from Alabama or South Carolina, your interest is tepid at best. The playoffs will garner somewhere around 28 million viewers some time during the game, but if it is not a good contest, that number will not be better than any of the four previous title games. The numbers are not anything to brag about.
Fans shall hope for one positive, that the game is good and close, worthy of something historic. Yet viewing such a game that you see empty seats in the stadium can and will say more about the system than you might want to know.
Good one college football. Send your two best teams thousands of miles away from your campuses and play in front of the phantom fans of “I just don’t care.”
That is the way I see it sports fans.
I agree not much excitement for this game. But, can’t blame the system so much. Even if BCS was still these two teams may still been 1 and 2. The differences in BCS. Human factor was limited , strength of schedule was important. Today strength of schedules has little input. And personal human feelings pksyvs bigger role. Most conferences except big 12 have 16 teams which means the teams don’t play each other much. Only the Big 12 teams play each other every year. Alabama only played one top 10 team in regular season. (LSU). Their non conference teams were terrible . Clemson as well played few top 10 teams in regular season. But the SOLUTION is teams need to beat Alabama snd Ckemson
Well said…. how about 8 teams in…. regional quarter final (west, midwest, south, east), western semi, eastern semi, national championship played based upon final 2 teams locale ???
Hard part may be to figure out who is in what regional to set up quarter finals… the rest seemingly easier to figure our as games move with the teams remaining as it all progresses. Guess would need 4 super conferences after all. 4 separate weekly rankings (that matter) with national weekly one overall (for discussion purposes). Current selection committee role switch to more of admin function…. let it play out on the field instead…… Just sayin 🙂
read my plan….. college football playoff system….found on this blog…….
well, the crowd might be smaller than it should be….and the national interest in many areas is not that good either….just an observation
Very insightful observation. I didn’t really think about the details of the progression of both teams. I do know, however, hearing from both many “neutral” opinions while we were in Miami, that people are “over” the Alabama v Clemson matchup. We heard the same thing in Dallas at the Big XII game.
Thanks, again for this post.
thank you for reading my blog Jeannie. Appreciated.
I’m not sure where you got your information but if OU had made it into the playoffs the tickets through the university were $600.00 a piece.
currently Stub hub and other sites have tickets for one fifty or less
The love affair with SEC vs ACC in the National Championship game is over. Nobody cares anymore because it is always the same teams in the end. Last year’s insertion of Alabama after Saban’s visit to the committee turned many people off, and the move also illustrated a common bias in the system toward teams from the SEC and ACC. And, as you mentioned, they don’t play anyone during the regular season that might upset their chances at being undefeated. It’s a rigged system. I won’t be watching the game, as I just don’t care. I’d rather watch Wisconsin play UCLA; that’s how much meaning this year’s national championship game has to me.
I just posted on “Nebraska Cornhusker Nation” – “Alabama and Clemson earned their spot in the National Championship game. But, I am tired of watching them so I probably will pass on the game. Maybe go out and watch Mary Poppins.”
I agree with you, their records are not great (strength of schedule), so my interest is waining. I am secretly rooting for Clemson so that the record will be tied 2-2, Alabama vs Clemson in national title games.