As the song asked, What are you doing New Year’s Eve? For many this year, it won’t be elegant dinners, dancing or a ball dropping at midnight.
While they may see a ball drop, but it won’t be covered with Waterford Crystal. And there’s a chance the champagne will look more like beer in households where couples will be on the couch and college football will be on the TV.
College Football’s semifinal playoffs are Thursday, and so is New Year’s Eve, so many homes across the country are facing a dilemma – go out and party until the new year comes, or stay home and watch the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl.
If you choose the later, here’s a guide to the two games. Happy New Year either way!
Who is playing
No. 1 Clemson will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in Miami
No. 2 Alabama will play No. 3 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas
What time are the games on
The Orange Bowl begins at 4 p.m. (ET)
The Cotton Bowl starts at 8 p.m. (ET)
What channel are they on
Both games are on ESPN. For Dish TV subscribers it’s 140; for DirecTV subscribers, it’s 206; for AT&T U-verse subscribers its 602.
You can also watch online through Watch ESPN or by using the Watch ESPN app
How did they get there
According to the College Football Playoff website, "The four teams that go to the College Football Playoff are determined by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. The selection committee chooses the four teams for the playoff based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results against common opponents, championships won and other factors."
Why New Year’s Eve
Blame the Rose Bowl. The “Granddaddy of Them All” has always been played on the afternoon of New Year’s Day. It is often the first TV show revelers from New Year’s Eve are able to focus on enough to see. The game follows the Tournament of Roses Parade in the morning and both are televised nationally. Had the playoff games been scheduled for Jan. 1, the Rose Bowl would have had to been played at a different time. Nope, not happening. The playoffs will move to Jan. 1 when the Rose Bowl is hosting one of the semifinal games.
The hype
So how do you get people to watch football on New Year’s Eve instead of heading out for a party or dinner? If you are ESPN, it's promotion, promotion, promotion. Or, you can use your status as a property of ABC which is a property of Disney which owns the soap opera “General Hospital (tougher to tackle than Derrick Henry) to get a mention on another show. On Wednesday’s episode of “General Hospital,” there were at least seven (described as awkward) references to the college football playoffs on New Year’s Eve. Everything from a man explaining that watching the games is way more fun than going to a party, to seeing a ginormous championship logo in the background of one scene.
What happens next
The winners of the two bowl games will meet in Glendale, Ariz., for the championship game on Monday, Jan. 11.
Fast facts
* Clemson is the only unbeaten team in the mix.
* Alabama is the only team to return to the playoffs from last year’s contenders.
* Michigan State beat Ohio State (who won the inaugural playoff championship) nixing a chance for the Buckeyes to defend their title.
* Will the TV ratings suffer? That’s to be seen. Fox Sports writer Steward Mandel asked those who follow him on Twitter if they would miss the games because they were planning to go out on New Year’s Eve, and 35 percent said yes. That’s a big number, but not as big as the number of his followers who will likely be on the other side of the coin. At least that's what ESPN hopes.
*Has Michigan State shook the “Sparty, No!” meme? Looks like it. They beat rivals Michigan and Ohio State this season. Their only loss was to Nebraska, and that was by one point, 39-38. This play against Michigan may have been the best play of the season.
* Alabama’s running back Derrick Henry won nearly every award given out this year, including the Heisman Trophy.
* The Sooners are averaging 52 points over their last seven games.
* Clemson’s Quarterback DeShaun Watson has thrown for 3,512 yards, 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions this season. Oh, and he ran for 887 yards and scored 11 TDs on his own.
* Who is that singing “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve” in the ESPN commercials promoting the games? It’s Ella Fitzgerald. Here's the entire song:
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