Bowls licensed, still no playoff

This week the NCAA Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee review applications for and licensed 32 bowl games for the 2007-08 season. There are the same 27 non-BCS bowl games and 5 BCS bowl games that took place last year. Jeff Hathaway, athletics director at the University of Connecticut and acting chair of the NCAA Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee said licensing these bowls “shows the good work and management that these bowl organizers have done to create a positive experience for the student-athletes.”

Unfortunately, there has not been any news of a playoff being implemented. Revenue and distribution reviews proved that in the 2006-07 season, there was no shortage of financial flow. The subcommittee said that approximately $217.6 million in bowl revenue was distributed to participating teams and conferences. If money is not a problem, there should be no problem for converting the current BCS system into a playoff.

Since the BCS system came into play in 1998, many fans and sports writers have made it abundantly clear that they would rather see a playoff system than have a complicated system computer rankings and human votes determine which two teams qualify to play for the national title. From a public relations perspective, it would be extremely beneficial to implement a playoff system for the postseason of Division I-A college football. Fans would be happy. Coaches and players would not feel cheated. And for once, there would be no confusion at the end of the season about who was the best team.

Don Imus, what were you thinking?

As everyone knows by now, Tennessee beat Rutgers in the Division I women's basketball national championship. Tennessee got a lot of recognition for its many championships and for Pat Summitt's great coaching. Tennessee's athletic program received a lot of positive attention and publicity for its achievements. This was deserved and expected especially because of the sensational Candace Parker, who is arguably the best women's college basketball player of all time.

But what about Rutgers women? After having a great team for years, Rutgers was finally able to advance to the final game. The team was able to pull off a win over Duke after losing to them by 40 points earlier in the season. Duke was expected to win the national championship because they only had one loss on the season prior to the tournament. Rutgers was able to pull off a one-point victory over Duke to advance to the elite eight.

In the men's championship, Ohio State reclaimed its title as the runner up school, but they still got positive attention for having a great athletic program. Ohio State proved its strength in athletics, the Buckeyes just proved the Gators to be better. However, in the women's tournament, Rutgers lost in the final game and has gotten a ton of negative attention.

Thank you Don Imus for being irresponsible and unprofessional. To go on the air and refer to the members of the Rutgers team in a racist and sexist manner is completely unacceptable. I am still in shock over the comments he made, but what shocks me more is that he was not fired immediately. He has now been fired for his unreasonable behavior. Hopefully broadcasters will learn from his mistakes and there will be no similar incidents in the future.

How 'bout those Gators?

It must be the year of the Gators. University of Florida officials couldn’t be more excited: three national championships in two major sports in one year. What more could they ask for? The media attention Florida is getting now is nothing short of remarkable. Gainesville is now known as “Titletown” by sports fans everywhere.

And poor Ohio State. They’re getting so much attention, but for being second best in the two major college sports. The Buckeyes are cursed: they can’t beat the Gators. Troy Smith couldn’t do it. Greg Oden couldn’t do it – and he got two tries. But the national championship game gave Ohio State a ton of publicity, and they can’t be upset about that. They have proven their strength in athletics, but they also proved that Florida has a better athletic program.

What about the women? Rutgers made an unexpected run to the championship game of the women’s tournament but was crushed by the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee. As upset as I am that Rutgers didn’t win the championship, I was happy the Lady Knights helped put Rutgers on the map. The Rutgers football team made history this past season with a wonderful football record and bowl game victory, and the women making the championship helped Rutgers make its name better known.

All in all, the Division I basketball championships were wonderful for the public relations at all the involved universities. With that said, go Gators!

Gators vs. Buckeyes....again

Since when are Ohio State and Florida rivals? Since Florida beat Ohio State 86-60 in Gainesville on December 23, Gators and Buckeyes have not been on good terms. When Florida beat Ohio State 41-14 in the BCS Championship football game, the relationship between the schools was only made worse. But many people argue that it is not a true rivalry. Most sports enthusiasts will tell you in order for a competition to qualify as a rivalry, both teams must have previously won and must both stand a chance at victory. While Ohio State is a worthy competitor of Florida, the Buckeyes and Gators cannot truly be considered rivals because Ohio State has not beaten Florida in basketball or football.

Tomorrow night the two teams will compete for the second time this season. This meeting will have a lot more on the line though: a national championship. Florida hopes to make history by winning back-to-back national championships with the same five starters. Ohio State hopes to prove it can beat Florida in a major sport. Moreover, Ohio State does not want to see a repeat of the BCS Championship Game in which Ohio State came into the game with a better record than Florida, was heavily favored to win and lost by 27.

University officials at both schools - especially Florida - must be loving the attention. Both schools have been heavily publicized for both the football and basketball championships. Florida gets more attention for defending the national titles in both sports. Now all that is left to do is await the outcome. Will Ohio State shock the nation and actually beat Florida in a major sport for once? Or will the Gators prove that Gainesville is in fact Titletown? Either way, from a public relations perspective, both teams benefit tremendously. The media coverage of this is rare and special because it is improbable for the same two schools to play each other for championships in two different major sports in the same year.

Let's go Gators!!!!!!!!! (And Lady Knights! They dominated LSU to make the final game in the women's tournament!)

March Madness

The media is having a field day with the NCAA right now. Especially with the men’s basketball tournament going on, the NCAA is getting a lot of attention. Beside that, the women’s and other divisions’ basketball tournaments have been getting a lot of attention. March Madness goes beyond the men’s basketball tournament, and that has been especially clear this season through the lack of upsets in the men’s tournament and the surprising victories in other tournaments.

Duke’s women’s basketball team was heavily favored to win the tournament. In a sweet sixteen game against a fourth-seeded Rutgers University team, which Duke beat by 40 points earlier in the season at Rutgers, Duke lost by one point. Perhaps the most thrilling game so far this month was the Division II championship game in which Barton beat Winona. Anthony Atkinson, a Barton player, scored 10 points in the last 39 seconds of the game to seal the victory.

But the Final Four of the Division I men’s basketball tournament is what is on every basketball fan’s mind now. The field has been narrowed from 65 teams to four teams: UCLA, Ohio State, Florida and Georgetown. UCLA is hungry for a rematch against Florida after losing to them in last year’s championship game, so it should be an interesting game. A lot of publicity will follow this game because it is such a highly anticipated rematch. The Florida Gators will especially get a lot of media attention in the coming days not only because they are the defending national champions, but because any game they play in the rest of this tournament would be either a rematch from this season or a rematch from last year’s tournament.

The last time the Gators played each of these teams, the Gators came out on top. Each team will get a lot of publicity and the athletic programs will benefit greatly. The tournament style of the championship keeps spectators hooked on games and anticipating each game more than the last. The plan is simply genius. All 65 teams involved in the tournament get attention, and each round the remaining teams get more attention. All the added publicity helps generate support and exposure for the team. From a public relations perspective, the tournament is awesome.

Let’s go Gators! (and let's go Lady Knights! Jersey pride baby!)

Is the MIAA simply MIA?

You hear about Duke and North Carolina (and Tyler Hansbrough’s bloody nose). You hear about Kentucky and Louisville. You hear about Arizona and UCLA. You hear about Indiana and Purdue. You hear about the Big Five from Philadelphia. But what about Hope and Calvin?

Most college-basketball spectators have a tendency to focus on Division I and forget about Divisions II and III. Division I basketball, especially men’s, gets a lot more media coverage than the other divisions’ basketball. Particularly when it comes to rivalries, spectators seem to forget about the other divisions. In the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, or the MIAA, Calvin College and Hope College have a traditional rivalry. Both Hope and Calvin take great pride in this rivalry and use the small amount of media coverage they get to stress the importance of community to their colleges.

In November of 2005, ESPN named the Calvin and Hope rivalry the fourth greatest college basketball rivalry across all divisions. In April 2005, ESPN’s Web site featured a poll to find out what fans consider the fiercest rivalry in college basketball. Out of the ten rivalries listed, that of Calvin and Hope is the only rivalry outside of Division I. This year, each team beat the other on the other’s home floor.

Even though ESPN does acknowledge the rivalry, the game was not broadcast on ESPN. Most Division III players are not as concerned with professional athletic careers as Division I players. But does this mean Division III games are less exciting? Should we pay them any less attention than Division I games? It strikes me as strange that ESPN would acknowledge the intensity of a rivalry and not even cover the game.

From a public relations perspective, it would be a good strategy for the NCAA to promote awareness of Divisions II and III. Division I attracts so much attention that Divisions II and III are often forgotten, but if the NCAA wants to maximize its publicity, the other divisions need more media coverage. I don’t think all three divisions should get the same amount of attention, but if a game such as this rivalry is being acknowledged by ESPN, known for being the worldwide leader in sports, it is worthwhile to invest more interest and attention in some Division III games.

Rules were made to be changed

The NCAA Rules Committee decided last year's experiment with college football did not result in the success it desired. Fans, players, coaches and many other people were upset with the rules changes. Scores were generally lower than in past years, not as many records were broken and there was a decrease in the number of plays in each game. The bottom line: Fans want to see a good football game, and they were not always seeing what they wanted last season. If the game will last another 14 minutes, the majority of fans will stay glued to the set or remain in the football stadium if it means seeing another 14 minutes of an exciting football game.

The committee voted to eliminate the rules that shaved this time off the game. It voted to have the clock start running on the snap after a change in possession rather than starting the clock when the referee signaled the ball ready for play as in 2006. The committee also brought back the rule on free kicks to that of 2005. This means the clock will start on kickoffs only when the ball is legally touched in the field of play. The 2006 football season proved effective in shaving time but ineffective in having an overall positive effect on the game.

The committee is drawing up new proposals to eliminate between 11 and 14 minutes from the game without disrupting actual playing time. These include limiting the play clock to 15 seconds following a timeout, moving kickoffs from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line, reducing charged team timeouts to 30 seconds and limiting instant replay reviews to two minutes to decide to overturn or confirm the ruling on the field. All new proposals will be decided on by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel on March 12.

I am glad to see the committee is focused on pleasing its publics. It is trying to give busy spectators, athletes, coaches and other staff a little extra time on game days without ruining the game. Committee members tried to change some rules last year, and they were unsuccessful. After one season of the new rules, the committee decided to discontinue the rules and try a new approach. This is a display of a good public relations because they show a clear concern for the best interest of target publics, and they are looking to find a set of rules that will satisfy the need for a shorter game without eliminating playing time to gratify everyone.

There was brief discussion of making the new rules applicable only to Division I since it is affected the most, but the committee decided against the idea. Separating rules by division would only complicate the matter further, and the committee does not feel special rules should be in place for one division of a sport and not others. I could not agree more. From a public relations perspective, it is not a good idea to make Division I seem more important than Division II and Division III by essentially giving it privileges. Applying rules only to Division I would likely anger athletes and officials from the other divisions.

Thank you, NBA!

I would personally like to thank the National Basketball Association for making college basketball more exciting. The recently proposed rule imposing an age limit in the NBA has practically forced certain players to remain in school rather than leap to the NBA. As of the 2006 NBA Draft, a high school player is eligible for the draft one year after his graduating class has finished high school as long as he is 19 by the end of the calendar year of the draft.

Personally, I prefer to watch college basketball over professional, but many spectators argue that the level of experience in the NBA makes those games more exciting. Yes, it’s true that most NBA players have more experience than college basketball players, but I would rather watch a Division I college game any day. In the NBA, many players unfortunately just play for a paycheck. In college basketball, athletes are not allowed to accept payment for their participation in the game. Most college players play for the love of the game, to impress NBA scouts or to keep a scholarship. In the NBA, many players have already reached the pinnacle of their careers and strive mostly for more fame and more money.

It is unfortunate that many college basketball players leave college early to pursue professional careers. Imagine if Carmelo Anthony spent four years at Syracuse University or if Sean May stayed one more year at the University of North Carolina. I think it’s safe to say both of these teams would have drawn a lot more attention from the media if these key players decided not to jump to the NBA.

Perhaps the two freshmen most expected to forgo their remaining eligibility and enter the 2007 NBA Draft and be among the top picks are Greg Oden of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Kevin Durant of the Texas Longhorns. Oden and Durant were widely regarded as the top two high-school basketball players in the 2006 recruiting class. It is expected that one of these two will win the Freshman of the Year award. There are numerous Web sites dedicated to these players, and many fans are already discussing their NBA careers even though they have yet to leave college.

From a public relations perspective, this is simply wonderful. When college players generate this much excitement, the NCAA and many universities reap the benefits. Games featuring the most popular players are often televised, which only creates more publicity for the universities and their athletics programs. Without the new age rule in the NBA, some current college players would have skipped college and headed straight for a professional career in basketball, but this new rule ensures that the excitement over younger players will remain at the college level at least until they reach a certain age.

College Basketball Rivalry Week

As any college basketball enthusiast knows, last week was Rivalry Week in Division I. Texas played at Texas A&M. Michigan played at Ohio State. University of Southern California went across town to play UCLA. Kansas State traveled to in-state rival Kansas. Pittsburgh played at West Virginia. North Carolina played at Duke. Oklahoma State played at Oklahoma. Florida played at Kentucky. You get the idea. Throughout college basketball arenas all over the country, environments were much more hostile than usual, and the media couldn't have been more excited. Click here to find out which games analysts expected to generate the most excitement.

One of the most talked-about rivalries of the week was the No. 1 Florida Gators taking on the No. 18 Kentucky Wildcats. At Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., a record crowd of 24,465 people gathered in hopes of seeing Kentucky have its 400th home victory. Much to their disappointment, the Florida Gators dominated the beginning of the game. They led by as much as 16 in the first half. After two Florida players got into foul trouble, Kentucky was able to make a run and cut the lead to single digits. Unfortunately for the Kentucky Wildcats, they put forth a good effort in the second half and made it a one-possession game, but they were unable to attain a lead at any time in the game. A last-second attempt to tie the game was missed by the Wildcats, and Florida left with another tally in the win column. That makes the Gators the first Southeastern Conference team to score five consecutive wins against Kentucky in men's basketball since Tennessee did it from 1975-1977.

Even though Saturday night ended in heartbreak for Wildcats fans, they still had an exciting day. The game didn't start until 9 p.m., but fans entered at 9:30 a.m. for the taping of the 11 a.m. to noon ESPN College GameDay show. This was only the second time GameDay stopped for a home game at Kentucky. This brought a lot of attention to the university and its athletic program. The media coverage provided a ton of publicity for both the University of Kentucky and the University of Florida. Days prior to the event, ESPN featured commercials hyping some of the games that would take place during the week. The Florida-Kentucky rivalry was among the featured match-ups. From a public relations perspective, the concept of a rivalry week is a terrific way to promote universities and their sports programs. Bringing ESPN GameDay into the equation brings the attention to a higher level. The tactic obviously worked for the Florida-Kentucky rivalry since Kentucky brought in its largest crowd ever for a basketball game.

There are certainly many other rivalry games in college basketball that did not take place last week. The idea of Rivalry Week is to bring attention to college basketball games - specifically in-conference games. The most-promoted event of college basketball is by far the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament often referred to as "March Madness." It's only February, and college basketball is craving attention. Very few games in the tournament will feature two teams from one conference. Rivalry Week, especially with the addition of ESPN College GameDay, is a fantastic approach to create media coverage of in-conference games. To see how other teams performed in their rivalry games, click here.

NCAA Football Rule Changes

Recent changes in Division I football rules fired up a lot of controversy among spectators, players, officials and the media. The main objective of the rule changes was to shorten the duration of games. College football games were lasting up to four hours, and officials believed this to be excessive. While I understand time is valuable, the new rules have taken some of the excitement out of the game. The likelihood of a last-minute comeback significantly decreases if the clock continues to run. Click here to learn more about the change in rules.

The popularity and publicity of college football have increased to a level so high that many college football players are considered celebrities. Breaking records always draws media attention, but less records will likely be broken if the rule changes remain in effect for future seasons. Shorter games result in fewer plays. This makes it much harder to break records that were set in games with more plays. From a public relations perspective, this is probably not a good idea. The games were shortened by an average of only 15 minutes. I’m not sure it’s worth changing rules to shave 15 minutes off of a game. The most-watched football game each year is the Super Bowl. Coincidentally, this is also the longest football game each year. The length of this game never seems to prevent viewers from watching the game. The new rules were simply an experiment, and from a public relations perspective, it would be wise to change the rules back.

In all but two Division I conferences, the Big East and the Southeastern Conference, the average yardage, number of plays and points decreased. The decrease in points is very important to the media. Fans generally would rather watch a game with a higher score, such as 48-35, than a low score like 3-0. The excitement generated over a team scoring points draws fans to games. While defense is essential to a good football team, it is typically the scoring offense that creates the most excitement for a team. Most fans would likely watch a game for an extra 15 minutes to see more action on the field. From the perspective of public relations, it would be a wise decision to discontinue this experiment with the play clock.