One of the bummers of the inaugural expanded College Football Playoffs this past season was when Georgia and Notre Dame were originally slated to kick off at 8:45 PM on a weekday. The game was eventually moved due to the tragic events of New Year's in New Orleans, but had the game been played as scheduled, we would have seen the Bulldogs and the Irish playing well past midnight.
In an attempt to avoid one of the biggest games of the year going past midnight, the College Football Playoff committee announced today updated kickoff times for the Quarterfinal round that should make watching all three games on New Year's Day more accessible.
Rose Bowl Sunsets
It was announced today that on January 1, the Orange Bowl would kickoff at 12 PM, the Rose Bowl would be at 4 PM, and the Sugar Bowl would be at 8 PM.
Executive director Rich Clark stated in a press release, "All three bowls shifting their start times allows us to place each game in an ideal window on New Year's Day and provide the optimal viewing experience. New Year's Day and college football are synonymous with each other, and these changes only strengthen that relationship."
The notable shift is from the Rose Bowl, which has been one of the core stumbling blocks in having playoffs in the first place. Beyond needing to be on New Year's Day because of their accompanying parade, part of why the Sugar Bowl was going to be at 8:45 this season was because of the Rose Bowl's insistence to kick off at 5 PM ET.
That 5 PM time slot has always been a stronghold because of the iconic sunset shot that always occurs around the third quarter, so now that shot will have to take place sometime around the 4th quarter.
Of course, not all is perfect, as the semifinals are on a Thursday and Friday, and the National Title Game is still on a Monday, but it at least those have a kickoff time of 7:30 PM.