College football once again preempting Times Square in dropping the ball

Move over, One Times Square.

College football will once again drop the ball before you do.

It took years, plenty of discussion and many bad outcomes for the sport to finally adopt a playoff system.

And now we have it. But for the love of God, why must the semifinals be played on New Year’s Eve?

When the College Football Playoff semifinals – featuring Alabama vs. Washington (3 p.m.) in the Peach Bowl and then Clemson vs. Ohio State (7 p.m.) in the Fiesta Bowl – kick off Saturday many people will likely be preoccupied.

Some folks will be hitting the liquor store, others will likely be making last-minute purchases so they have the perfect outfit for the big night out, and yes, some of us just might be working.

And even if some people decide to multi-task, perhaps by watching the Tigers-vs.-Buckeyes tilt while “pre-gaming” – for those of you late to the party, that means kicking a few back before heading out for the night (via taxi, Uber or designated driver, I hope and strongly suggest!) – there’s a chance they won’t remember much of what they saw anyway.

After all, the ratings for the CFP semifinals took a free fall last season when played on New Year’s Eve, dropping by 36 percent from the year before, when the semis were played on New Year’s Day.

One day can make that big of a difference.

In fact, New Year’s Day is easily the best day for the games. Being a holiday, most people are off work and hardly anything is open. Also, many people are hungover from the night before and simply want to lie around and watch TV. What better is there to watch than high-stakes college football games?

Others probably just want an excuse to get away from playing board games with family members who’ve overstayed their welcome as the holiday season comes to an official close.

Seems to be win-win situation for all.

Next year will be a nice reprieve as the semis return to Jan. 1. In 2018 they’ll be on Dec. 29 (not too bad), in 2019 they are scheduled for Dec. 28 (again, not too bad) and in 2020 we’re back to New Year’s Day.

But don’t get too comfortable. In 2021 and 2022 they move back to New Year’s Eve.

In 2023 the semis return to New Year’s Day and then will be held Dec. 28 and Dec. 27, respectively, in 2024 and 2025.

That is, of course, if the system runs the course of its 12-year agreement.

Who knows? In a perfect world we’ll have a playoff with a much bigger bracket by then.

One can dream, right?

Picking the semifinals

Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Washington: I don’t expect much of a contest in this one. Alabama’s defense is like nothing Washington has seen before. You’re not in Pac-12 country anymore, Huskies. ’Bama takes this one, 34-10.

Fiesta Bowl: Clemson vs. Ohio State: This game promises to be much more entertaining. But just seems to be something missing with the Tigers this season; I just can’t put my finger on it. Therefore, I’m taking the Buckeyes, 30-27.

On tap

The prestigious Beach Ball Classic, a boys basketball tournament, tips off Monday and runs through Saturday at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. … The Coastal Carolina men’s basketball team begins Sun Belt play Saturday with a visit to Texas-Arlington (5:30 p.m.). … The CCU women’s basketball team also begins Sun Belt play by taking on UT-Arlington on the road (3 p.m.). … The Clemson men’s basketball team hosts UNC-Wilmington (7 p.m. Wednesday) before beginning ACC play at Wake Forest on Saturday (noon). … The South Carolina men’s basketball team plays at Memphis on Friday (9 p.m.). … The Carolina Panthers wrap up the 2016 season with a trip to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox). … The College Football Playoff semifinals are Saturday, with Alabama facing Washington at 3 p.m. in the Peach Bowl (ESPN) and Clemson playing Ohio State at 7 p.m. in the Fiesta Bowl (ESPN). … There are 21 other bowl games this week. The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Bowl featuring Mississippi State vs. Miami (Ohio) is set for 11 a.m. Monday (ESPN), followed by the Quick Lane Bowl (Boston College vs. Maryland) at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2) and Independence Bowl (N.C. State vs. Vanderbilt) at 5 p.m. (ESPN2). On Tuesday The Heart of Dallas Bowl (Wake Forest vs. Temple) is at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN), followed by the Holiday Bowl (Minnesota vs. Washington State) at 7 p.m. (ESPN) and Cactus Bowl (Boise State vs. Baylor) at 10:15 p.m. (ESPN). On Wednesday the Pinstripe Bowl (Northwestern vs. Pittsburgh) is at 2 p.m. (ESPN), followed by the Russell Athletic Bowl (Miam vs. West Virginia) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN), Foster Farms Bowl (Indiana vs. Utah) at 8:30 p.m. (Fox) and Texas Bowl (Kansas State vs. Texas A&M) at 9 p.m. (ESPN). On Thursday the Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl (South Florida at South Carolina) is at 2 p.m. (ESPN), followed by the Belk Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) and Alamo Bowl (Oklahoma State vs. Colorado) at 9 p.m. (ESPN). On Friday the Liberty Bowl (Georgia vs. TCU) is at noon (ESPN), followed by the Sun Bowl (North Carolina vs. Stanford) at 2 p.m. (CBS), Music City Bowl (Tennessee vs. Nebraska) at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN), Arizona Bowl (Air Force vs. South Alabama) at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) and Orange Bowl (Florida State vs. Michigan) at 8 p.m. (ESPN). On Saturday the Citris Bowl (LSU vs. Louisville) is at 11 a.m. (ABC), as is the TaxSlayer Bowl (Kentucky vs. Georgia Tech) on ESPN. … The NHL will hold the Centennial Classic, featuring the Detroit Red Wings at the Toronto Maple Leafs, at 3 p.m. Sunday (NBC).

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "College football once again preempting Times Square in dropping the ball."