re: Welp, this might be the end of the CFA Kickoff Game - 2025 will match Syracuse and VOLS

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None of the big SEC schools are going to want to schedule a neutral game in 2026+.

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So what you're saying is we can finally attention where on ESPN
YES LEATHER HELMET HERE WE COME

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One thing to add is that some of those neutral site games over the last 5-10 years were originally scheduled as home and homes, but then became neutral site games as they drew closer to the year they would actually be played.

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Yup, happened with us and Wisconsin. Instead of the home/home it was supposed to be, it turned into Houston/Green Bay. Like why? And why did we need to go to Houston (orginally before it eas moved to Nola after a Hurricane) to play BYU? Is a game in Houston really that helpful to recruiting, which always seems to be the "excuse" to play in some of these nuetral site games. They're all on TV. How many recruits in that specific area are actually going to these games for it to matter? How much more lucrative are these games now than a normal home game? And with the TV contracts we have now, is it enough money to even move the needle?

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The FSU/LSU one is kind of strange - why are they doing New Orleans/Orlando instead of home and home? I assume money, but I wonder what the details of that are.

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It makes zero sense for LSU to play a game in the Superdome unless 1) it's against Tulane because their stadium is tiny; 2) it's the Sugar Bowl; or 3) it's the CFP

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those are 2 dynamite matchups to say goodbye to big time neutrals with.

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It’s never gonna be Bama/Georgia vs Clemson again, but it will still be a Top 25 matchup 75% of the time. Stuff like A&M vs Miami or Auburn vs UNC. And Clemson will probably get back into it after 2026.

The only schools that have actually shown they are done with neutrals going forward are Bama and Georgia. But in classic Gump fashion, you think if Bama leaves, the party’s over

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I can't imagine what Alabama fans have had to put up with, financially, during the Saban era

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I'm sure a lot of them have begun picking and choosing which ones to go to since they've had that experience so much now. People are generally much more willing to shell out more cash they may not otherwise when it's a special season. When it becomes an every season thing, I think it kinda loses its luster when it comes to committing those exorbitant costs every single year for a family of normal financial means. To go to all those games every year is a pretty damn big investment. To make that investment every year simply isn't financially possible (and/or smart) for most people with families.

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The only schools that have actually shown they are done with neutrals going forward are Bama and Georgia

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And Florida. And Texas A&M and LSU generally don't play in the Atlanta kickoff games (LSU has one time, A&M never has).

So you are down to Auburn and.....South Carolina? Tennessee? Kentucky? Mississippi schools? The entire purpose of these games is to make money. If advertisers and TV networks see that the next 3-4 years exist without any games with Top 5-10 teams the "make a lot of money" thing is going to go poof.

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What a great problem to have though

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Oh no doubt. I wish I could say "well, we did go to the national title game in 2015, 2016, and 2017, do we really feel like going again in 2018"?

Every year I tell myself "we can't do it this year" and every year I make up a reason why we should.

In reality, though, the National Championship games really end up being reasonable in terms of price depending on where they are. The only one that has been insane in terms of ticket prices was the UGA/Bama one in Atlanta (obviously).

- Clemson in Phoenix was face value (or less since nobody could get out there for less than $1,000 a plane ticket)
- Clemson in Tampa was more expensive, but not astronomical
- Clemson in San Francisco was face value (or much less)

The semi-final games are generally a much tougher ticket because there are so few sent out to season ticket holders because the bowls themselves gobble up so many. The CFP Title game doesn't have that issue, so if you request them as a season ticket holder you generally get them.

It also helps that generally you can (a) drive to it (Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami, Indianapolis, Tampa) or (b) it's in a place that's a neat trip that you can do other things instead of just football (San Fran, Phoenix).

The only saving grace for my trip to the beatdown in San Francisco was that my wife and I did other neat stuff in California for 3 days prior up and down the PCH

I'm thinking more in line with how much would it cost a family of, say, 4 to go to a nuetral site game, the SECCG game, and two CFP games in one year when you take into account lodging, food, tickets, and possibly airfare depending on where the game is. Hell, home games can be an expensive weekend when you account for all of that which is why a lot of people are dumping season tickets because they can pick a 2-3 big games a year and save the money it costs to pay for an entire season plus the required donation. Generally, the actual cost of the game tickets is the least expensive item on the list when going to these games unless you're getting tickets on the secondary market for an LSU game in New Orleans or a UGA game in Atlanta or something like that.

I 100% will shell out whatever it costs if we ever have the opportunity to play in Pasadena, however.

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And Texas A&M and LSU generally don't play in the Atlanta kickoff games (LSU has one time, A&M never has).

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That’s mostly because Alabama basically got it every other year since the first CFA game. Bama, Georgia, and Auburn all have huge presence in ATL, so they are always the top 3 choices. More money.

So yes, Auburn, LSU, Texas A&M, Tennessee and occasionally the little 8 vs the ACC. Hardly the death of the kickoff game.

The average matchup will be like Texas A&M vs Miami. The best possible will be something like LSU or Auburn vs Clemson.