READ FULL STORY HERECollege football fans are down on the BCS and the Eagles are the seventh most popular team in the NFL.
According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University 63% of adults who identify as being a fan of NCAA football would like the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) replaced with a playoff format in vein of the popular “March Madness” college basketball or other systems used to determine a champion in pro sports. However nearly as many hold a favorable view of the current BCS format (43%) as those who see it unfavorably (45%).
Americans are also split on the role of government intervention into the college league. 45% think it to be a good idea for Congress to force the NCAA to declare a national champion on the field by way of a playoff format but 48% disagree. Overall 18% of adults according to the Quinnipiac poll of 1,849 surveyed say they are “very” interested in college football. An additional 28% suggest they are at least somewhat interested with more than half (54%) not interested at all.
Broken down by political party there are close similarities between those NCAA football fans when offering their opinion on the current state of the BCS and whether it ought to be replaced. The number of Republicans who are in favor of a new format to decide national champions (63%) is identical to the overall number. Democrats and independents are in favor of a systematic change by 65%. Similarly the 43% of adults overall who hold a favorable view of the BCS are broken down by 43% of Democrats and 39% of independents and Republicans. (That the poll is able to generate a total of 43% from three components equaling just 43, 39 and 39% is likely a reflection of the +/- 3.2% margin of error.)
There is a difference in the number of adults considering themselves to be college football fans by political affiliation however. 55% of Republicans are at least “somewhat” interested in the sport against 49% of Democrats and just 47% of independents who claim to be fans. Older adults 55-years and up tend to be slightly more interested than young adults under-35. Men on average (55%) are also more interested in NCAA football than women (38%).
The more partisan issue is not surprisingly reflected by the number of those for or against government intervention. Considerably more Democrats (54%) than Republicans (38%) would like to see Congress essentially force the NCAA to adopt a playoff format for football. Interestingly independents are less likely (35%) than either party to believe Congress playing a role in the issue to be a good idea. President Obama is on the record as stating he favors a playoff system. Most observers believe it possible for at least a four team tournament take place. Pro football uses a twelve team format to decide its Super Bowl winner each season with six teams from each conference reaching the postseason.
Switching to the topic of pro football for a moment a Harris Interactive poll from October rated the Dallas Cowboys as the most popular team in the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles seventh. Those two teams will meet Sunday in Dallas to decide the winner of NFC East and perhaps who will be awarded a first round bye week in the playoffs. Slightly more than half (51%) of adults say they regularly follow professional football making it the nation’s most popular sporting league. Baby boomers aged 45-63 are most likely to follow the NFL (55%) and men do so more than women by a margin of 64-39%. African American adults (63%) top both white’s (50%) and Hispanics (51%) in the number of pro football fans with Republicans (59%) seemingly a bit more interested than Democrats (50%) or independents (51%).
Results from the Harris poll surveying the popularity of teams dates back to 1998. Over that period the Eagles were most popular in 2004 and 2005 in the midst of their most recent Super Bowl run ranking them fifth. Their lowest ranking of 21st was in 1999, the first season of Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb as the Eagles were regrouping from a franchise worst thirteen loses the previous season. The Cowboys meanwhile rank as the league’s most popular team for a third-straight year and since 1998 they have never dropped below fourth in the survey.
Rounding out the top-ten are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Eagles at seven, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars who have struggled with their attendance this season despite being in the playoff hunt are ranked as least popular team for the fourth time in five years. The biggest jump in positioning was a whopping fourteen spots by the Atlanta Falcons from 27th to 13th. The biggest fall was sustained by the Brett Favre-less New York Jets dropping eleven positions from a ninth place tie to number twenty. The Eagles meanwhile are up one spot from the last two years and currently at number seven rank as the most popular NFL team to have never won a Super Bowl.
Lastly Harris asked the question in October who fans thought was the team most likely to win this season’s Super Bowl. At the time 19% thought the Steelers were poised for a repeat, 17% considered the Patriots most likely with the Indianapolis Colts at seven-percent and a distant third place. The Dallas Cowboys were next at six-percent and rounding out the top-five were the Eagles, Giants and Bears all at five-percent. The NFL landscape has changed considerably since then however. The Steelers at 8-7 are battling for their playoff lives and the Patriots have had an inconsistent 10-5 season that none the less has won them a division title. The Colts at 14-1 meanwhile have the best record in football, the Cowboys and Eagles as previously mentioned will battle for their division crown this weekend and the Giants and Bears are both officially eliminated from the playoff picture.
PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / MICHAEL PEREZ
According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University 63% of adults who identify as being a fan of NCAA football would like the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) replaced with a playoff format in vein of the popular “March Madness” college basketball or other systems used to determine a champion in pro sports. However nearly as many hold a favorable view of the current BCS format (43%) as those who see it unfavorably (45%).
Americans are also split on the role of government intervention into the college league. 45% think it to be a good idea for Congress to force the NCAA to declare a national champion on the field by way of a playoff format but 48% disagree. Overall 18% of adults according to the Quinnipiac poll of 1,849 surveyed say they are “very” interested in college football. An additional 28% suggest they are at least somewhat interested with more than half (54%) not interested at all.
Broken down by political party there are close similarities between those NCAA football fans when offering their opinion on the current state of the BCS and whether it ought to be replaced. The number of Republicans who are in favor of a new format to decide national champions (63%) is identical to the overall number. Democrats and independents are in favor of a systematic change by 65%. Similarly the 43% of adults overall who hold a favorable view of the BCS are broken down by 43% of Democrats and 39% of independents and Republicans. (That the poll is able to generate a total of 43% from three components equaling just 43, 39 and 39% is likely a reflection of the +/- 3.2% margin of error.)
There is a difference in the number of adults considering themselves to be college football fans by political affiliation however. 55% of Republicans are at least “somewhat” interested in the sport against 49% of Democrats and just 47% of independents who claim to be fans. Older adults 55-years and up tend to be slightly more interested than young adults under-35. Men on average (55%) are also more interested in NCAA football than women (38%).
The more partisan issue is not surprisingly reflected by the number of those for or against government intervention. Considerably more Democrats (54%) than Republicans (38%) would like to see Congress essentially force the NCAA to adopt a playoff format for football. Interestingly independents are less likely (35%) than either party to believe Congress playing a role in the issue to be a good idea. President Obama is on the record as stating he favors a playoff system. Most observers believe it possible for at least a four team tournament take place. Pro football uses a twelve team format to decide its Super Bowl winner each season with six teams from each conference reaching the postseason.
Switching to the topic of pro football for a moment a Harris Interactive poll from October rated the Dallas Cowboys as the most popular team in the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles seventh. Those two teams will meet Sunday in Dallas to decide the winner of NFC East and perhaps who will be awarded a first round bye week in the playoffs. Slightly more than half (51%) of adults say they regularly follow professional football making it the nation’s most popular sporting league. Baby boomers aged 45-63 are most likely to follow the NFL (55%) and men do so more than women by a margin of 64-39%. African American adults (63%) top both white’s (50%) and Hispanics (51%) in the number of pro football fans with Republicans (59%) seemingly a bit more interested than Democrats (50%) or independents (51%).
Results from the Harris poll surveying the popularity of teams dates back to 1998. Over that period the Eagles were most popular in 2004 and 2005 in the midst of their most recent Super Bowl run ranking them fifth. Their lowest ranking of 21st was in 1999, the first season of Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb as the Eagles were regrouping from a franchise worst thirteen loses the previous season. The Cowboys meanwhile rank as the league’s most popular team for a third-straight year and since 1998 they have never dropped below fourth in the survey.
Rounding out the top-ten are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Eagles at seven, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars who have struggled with their attendance this season despite being in the playoff hunt are ranked as least popular team for the fourth time in five years. The biggest jump in positioning was a whopping fourteen spots by the Atlanta Falcons from 27th to 13th. The biggest fall was sustained by the Brett Favre-less New York Jets dropping eleven positions from a ninth place tie to number twenty. The Eagles meanwhile are up one spot from the last two years and currently at number seven rank as the most popular NFL team to have never won a Super Bowl.
Lastly Harris asked the question in October who fans thought was the team most likely to win this season’s Super Bowl. At the time 19% thought the Steelers were poised for a repeat, 17% considered the Patriots most likely with the Indianapolis Colts at seven-percent and a distant third place. The Dallas Cowboys were next at six-percent and rounding out the top-five were the Eagles, Giants and Bears all at five-percent. The NFL landscape has changed considerably since then however. The Steelers at 8-7 are battling for their playoff lives and the Patriots have had an inconsistent 10-5 season that none the less has won them a division title. The Colts at 14-1 meanwhile have the best record in football, the Cowboys and Eagles as previously mentioned will battle for their division crown this weekend and the Giants and Bears are both officially eliminated from the playoff picture.
PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / MICHAEL PEREZ
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