If You Build It, Will They Come? Replacing the BCS with a Playoff in College Football

Abstract

Instituted in 1998 to dispel doubts as to college football‟s true national champion, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) has done anything but. Controversy abounds with regard to the legal implications of the system and its mathematical legitimacy. Thus, there is widespread demand among various scholars, members of the media, and college football fans for a playoff. I examine how a playoff might affect postseason attendance in Division I-A (now known as the Football Bowl Subdivision). Using an attendance model built from linear regression analysis, I compare 2005-2009 what-if playoffs with actual bowl attendance. I conclude eliminating all bowls in favor of a playoff dramatically reduces attendance while allowing bowls to coexist with a playoff dramatically increases attendance.