The NFL Is Going Head to Head With the College Football Playoff, Airing Two Games on the Same Saturday as the First Round
Pro Football Talk — The big news from Monday morning was that the 2024 season begins with the Ravens visiting the Chiefs on NBC. There’s another interesting NBC-related nugget that was announced today.
One of the two Saturday games on December 21 will be televised by NBC and Peacock. It’s an extra game to NBC’s existing package for the 2024 season.
Those games are the result of two games to be played on Wednesday, December 25. The four teams that play on Christmas will play four days early, on December 21.
Well, the first year of the new College Football Playoff schedule is going to produce some fascinating TV ratings discussions, because the NFL isn't backing off the Saturday that will have three of the four first round CFP games. Those will have to compete with two NFL games taking place on the same day.
The NFL was reportedly upset when the CFP released its schedule that included first round games on a Saturday the League has used in the past when there weren't any college games of significance, but now there are and we want that day back. Saturdays are for college football. Once the college season is done and the NFL still has however many weeks left in its soon-to-be 20-game season, play on whatever days you want. But this is a bullshit power play from Roger Goodell to try to prove a point. It's not enough that they're taking Christmas away from the NBA, they have to get December 21, too.
I'd guess that in 2025 and beyond, college football decision-makers look at starting the season a week earlier to avoid this conflict — which really sucks because that's just kowtowing to what the NFL wants — but for at least this year, it is what it is. I don't necessarily anticipate it happening, but I would love nothing more than for at least one of the College Football Playoff games to draw more viewers than the NFL games. Just knowing that the NFL office would be filled with fuming executives would be enough to make me happy. We must band together and protect our Saturdays.