Fiesta Bowl aims to attract more local fans as College Football Playoff evolves
Jan 11, 2025, 6:54 AM
The Fiesta Bowl intends to draw more local fans to the event going forward, considering traveling parties may not be as consistent due to the expanding number of playoff games, CEO Erik Moses said.
When Penn State defeated Boise State at the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve for a quarterfinal game in the first expanded College Football Playoff, the announced attendance was 63,854, which Moses called strong. For a non-playoff game between Oregon and Liberty in 2023, the attendance was 47,769, while two years ago a CFP semifinal between TCU and Michigan drew a sell-out 71,723.
The crowd this time was noticeably Boise State heavy after Penn State already hosted a first-round CFP game in Happy Valley the week prior. Penn State was also heavily favored to win and advance to the Orange Bowl, which it did 31-14.
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Moses suggested that asking fans to travel to two, three or even four playoff games can be a tall order for even the biggest supporters, and that could change the attendance outlook for the Fiesta Bowl.
Of course, this season is a test case for the new system, and Moses traveled to the Orange Bowl’s semifinal game to see how it played out. That uncertainty, though, has led to the thought of attracting more Valley football fans than the event traditionally has.
“We need to make certain that the large portion of our fanbase for these games, year over year, are local people who can drive to State Farm Stadium and who want to be involved in the celebration of college football and not just rely on people coming from the East Coast,” Moses told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Wednesday.
“I got to tell you, I have really dear friends from the East Coast, having grown up in New Jersey, who went to Penn State. One in particular I offered tickets to the game to attend — she’s a Penn State grad — (for) her, her husband and her son. She said, ‘I’d love to come, but we’d go broke trying to pay the airfare.’ Imagine doing that three or four times.”
The new 12-team format provides a bye week for the top four conference winners, and none of the four with byes won their respective quarterfinal matchups.
They are playing their third playoff game this week with the opportunity to compete in a fourth. Penn State fell to Notre Dame Thursday evening, while Ohio State played Texas on Friday.
The Fiesta Bowl will host a semifinal next season, but with the new format, it won’t be on New Year’s Eve or Day per usual, which may have an impact on demographics.
“Dec. 31, Jan. 1 tend to be the typical times that the Fiesta Bowl happens,” Moses said. “This coming year, we’re Jan. 8 for the semifinal. People are back to work and back to school and what have you. So again, it’s going to be just imperative that local fans want to come out and attend these games and be part of all of that celebration of college football. We’re going to rely on it. We’re going to need it more and more every year.”
As fans, pundits and executives alike evaluate the new format — from criticizing seeding and the time off conference winners receive to discussing further expansion — Moses said he’d be surprised to see material changes next year.
For changes to be made next season, there needs a unanimous agreement among the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, which includes presidents from Power Four and Group of Five programs. ESPN college football senior writer Heather Dinich reported that changes for next season are unlikely.
“After the 2025 season, going into 2026 I could see that,” Moses said. “I think that probably starts with expansion. I think that probably starts with going to 14 or 16 teams. … I think if you are going to expand it in that way, that gives you the opportunity to clean up some other things as well.”
