Has the College Football Playoff Worked?

The masses have demanded it, and the minority feared it; college football is about to crown their first ever champion by way of a national playoff. Is it an improvement relative to the BCS system, or is college football worse off with the playoff system?

One of the best ways to view "success" is by analyzing how many people become interested in a particular person/place/thing/or idea. For the College Football Playoffs, the personal interest this season has been off the charts, almost literally.

During the final week of bowl season, ESPN set a record for weekly viewership. The week included the likes of Georgia taking on Louisville in the Belk Bowl, Notre Dame defeating LSU in the Russell Athletic Bowl, and of course the two College Football Playoff semifinal games pitting Alabama against Ohio State and Oregon against Florida State.

Not only did that week set a viewership record for the network, but New Year's Day set the all-time viewership in cable television history, in no small part due to the semifinal games, which both pulled 28 million viewers each. ESPN averaged 11.6 million viewers on that day as well.

There is no question that interest in college football has increased simply because of the addition of the College Football Playoffs.

However, what has it done to actual attendance?

Jon Solomon of CBS Sports wrote an article a few weeks ago explaining that attendance to college football games (home crowds) is the lowest it has been in fourteen years. Does this have anything to do with the College Football Playoff watering down the regular season any? Or is this the consequence of better game day atmospheres inside our own homes?

One thing is certain, though: college football selected the four best ("most deserving," or whatever phrase you choose to use) and the two better teams will play each other on January 12. Although fans of the SEC may not have a dog in this fight and ratings may be down in the region, expect this game to draw in ( yet again, for the second time this calender year) the most viewers in cable television history.

Interest has grown, but can college football continue this success? Or is this the proverbial flash in the pan?

Only time will tell.