Say what you will about sports, but the five largest sports in the U.S. — football, basketball, soccer, hockey, and baseball — bring in a lot of money. According to the latest sports outlook from PriceWaterHouseCoopers, the North American sports industry is expected to bring in roughly $69.4 billion from sponsorship fees, media rights, and ticket and merchandise sales.
College football is a major player in the North American sports market, as well.
From the Celebration Bowl on December 15th to the College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 7th, there are dozens of bowl games that will be broadcasted on national television, bringing in millions of dollars for each matchup.
Up until 2014, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a very lucrative venture. Each of the six automatic-qualifying conferences (the current “Power Five” and the American conference) received a base share of $27.9 million each. Additionally, four other participating conferences received a total of $13.2 million. That’s a lot of money.
Now, with 40 total bowl games, the College Football Playoff system is even more entertaining, popular, and financially advantageous.
Here are some of the most notable and lucrative College Football Playoff Bowl games:
- Goodyear Cotton Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal) — Saturday, December 29: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame — 4p.m. — ESPN — ATandT Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
- Capital One Orange Bowl (College Football Playoff Semifinal) — Saturday, December 29: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma — 8p.m. — ESPN — Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
- PlayStation Fiesta Bowl — Tuesday, January 1: No. 11 LSU vs. No. 8 UCF — 1p.m. — ESPN — State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
- Northwestern Mutual Rose Bowl — Tuesday, January 1: No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State — 5p.m. — ESPN — Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
- Allstate Sugar Bowl — Tuesday, January 1: No. 15 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia — 8:45p.m. — ESPN — Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- College Football Playoff National Championship — Monday, January 7: Teams TBA — 8p.m. — ESPN — Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
