Was It Donald Trump, Football Fatigue Or Matchup? Readers Discuss Why They Were Turned-Off By CFP Title Game

There was a strong reaction on social media Wednesday afternoon when the college football playoff ratings were released, with ESPN pulling in an average of 22.1 million fans for the Ohio State vs. Notre Dame CFP championship game. 

While CFP executives had to be thrilled with pulling in that type of viewership, and rightfully so, this year’s game drew three million fewer viewers than the Michigan-Washington championship from last season. This stat alone had some folks scratching their heads over what will occur in the future. But let's be clear, getting 22 million people to tune in to the game is still an impressive number. 

Did it hurt that President Donald Trump had his inauguration on the same day? There was continuing coverage into the night as Trump made his way around Washington, attending numerous celebrations. Maybe it was because I'd been preparing for the game that night, but I was under the impression that the timing of ESPN's kickoff of the game would coincide nicely for viewers wanting to get their football fix. 

As for what the ceiling could look like for college football playoff ratings, Clay Travis made a solid point to me this morning about what a strong number should look like in the future. 

"The ceiling now feels like 30 million (viewers)," Clay responded. "Teams and close games matter a ton too."

I asked readers to email their thoughts on why they decided not to watch the game or why the excitement level was lacking in their eyes. 

There were a lot of mixed responses. So, let's dive into some of these comments. 

‘The Donald Trump Inauguration’, ‘I’m Burnt-Out', ‘Season Is Too Long’

Besides the fact that a lot of what we are watching right now will soon head to more streaming platforms, it was interesting to read some of the responses to why some chose not to watch the CFP title game. The one response that I received the most centered around a lack of excitement about this year's final matchup, even with two storied schools playing for a championship. 

"Hey Trey. I just found it very tough to get excited for the game, especially with those teams playing. I did not feel the hype leading up to it," Kyle from Florida responded. Maybe it's because I am a Miami fan, but there was nothing leading up to the game that got me excited. If anything, it was more of me hate-watching the Buckeyes and Irish."

Did it help that both participating teams were from the Midwest? 

Look, I understand this sentiment, as a number of you pointed out over the past 24 hours. Your team is not playing, or has already participated in a bowl game, and you've officially moved on from the season. 

Donald Trump Coverage Goes Up Against College Football Playoff

As for the all-day coverage of Donald Trump's inauguration, I was skeptical about how much of an impact this would have on the game itself, given that kickoff was at 7:45 ET, which was seemingly the perfect time. But, judging by a good chunk of the responses, this did play a small factor in viewership. 

"Honesty, I was watching Trump celebrating around DC all day. Even that night, I was fixated on the parties that were being shown," Thomas, from Ohio wrote. "I'm a big college football fan, but I found myself flipping back-and-forth between the game and FOX. The whole inauguration was entertaining to me, and when I saw the halftime score, I just tuned out. I didn’t expect Notre Dame to come back in the second half." 

Did the Donald Trump inauguration play a factor in CFP ratings? (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

This is a valid response, and one that is certainly understandable on such a massive day for the country. Look, if I wasn't working all day, I would've watched a good amount of coverage from DC, just from an historical standpoint. 

College Football Fatigue After January 1st Games? 

After starting the season in Ireland with Florida State versus Georgia Tech, it felt like a full calendar year when the national championship game was played. This was a very long season, and one that I think caught up with a lot of college football fans. 

We had so many regular season games that were obviously seen as monster matchups that when the playoffs came around, it felt like it had been months since those games were played. 

Remember the hype for Georgia versus Texas, or Ohio State at Oregon? Those are just two examples, but there was a sense of excitement surrounding these games that I felt was lacking in the postseason. 

There was a point in the postseason where it felt as though excitement dwindled, which is something this new format will have to look at moving forward. 

"Trey, by the time my team was eliminated from the playoff conversation, my excitement level for another month of games wasn’t there," Edward, from Madison, Alabama wrote. "I love the pageantry of the sport, even if Alabama is not playing. But I had a hard time getting excited for our game against Michigan. I was just burnt out." 

This type of response is what has dominated my mailbox over the past 24 hours. Yes, it does feel like the NFL played a part in this, just through the dates alone. With the CFP semifinals having to be played on a Thursday and Friday night, before the NFL took over the weekend, the timing did not help. 

But it takes a lot of effort to get fans outside the Notre Dame and Ohio State fan base to be excited on January 21st about a title game. 

Play The CFP Title Game On A Saturday Night

This has been a complaint of college football fans since the first ever championship game on a Monday night. The CFP is in a rough spot when it comes to television times, especially with the NFL playoffs occurring in the same windows. Could there be some type of conversation with the NFL about helping the game of college football? 

That's going to be a tough sell, even with players participating in the postseason most likely to be playing for your favorite NFL team next season. The NFL is not moving their schedule around to help college football, with wild-card and divisional round games being played on Saturday. 

The perfect solution would be having the NFL play two games in the afternoon, then allowing college football to have the night game, which would be a perfect day of football in my opinion. 

From August to December, college football has Saturday's. That is their day to showcase the sport to audiences across the country, so it would only be fitting if the championship game was played on the same day of the week. 

But overall, I view this season as a massive success, especially with all the premier matchups we were entertained by on a weekly basis. The regular season has never felt more important than it did during 2024, even if you felt playoff-seeding didn’t reflect that. 

So, looking towards the future, there will be a number of topics discussed to help grow the game even further. The conversation will continue in February, as the CFP will hold another meeting with conference commissioners. 

Let me know what you think about the future of college football by emailing me at Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com