1. weather- it’s a lot easier to draw big crowds for a sunny September home opener than a frigid December game.
2. students- these games take place at the end of the semester meaning that students are studying for and taking finals during the early rounds, then leaving campus and returning home for the later rounds. Also, I’ve read that schools don’t discount student tickets as heavily for playoffs.
3. TV- most I-AA regular season games aren’t televised; most I-AA playoffs games are. GIven the current state of HDTV technology and #1 supra, it’s often far more comfortable to watch the games back at home (see #2).

So while the I-AA playoffs and above factors suggest that attendance for a BCS-replacing playoff might not be 100%, they also challenge your conclusion that this reflects a lack of interest.

I find it amusing that you compare season vs. playoff averages for UD and ASU, but state Villanova’s semifinal attendance in isolation. It was lower than the season average of 7,111, but that’s hardly surprising for a mid-December game played during finals. Of the 3 schools you cited, Villanova draws the least local student body and is the most academically rigorous (at least judging by incoming class profiles). Thus, the sudden dropoff in 2009 attendance starting with their playoff opener is far more suggestive of increased academic demands than a sudden dissipation of interest among fans who had made a surprisingly strong showing throughout the year.

And ultimately, we’re not talking about BCS caliber schools anyway, so even if I-AA fans don’t care about playoffs, how much does that say about schools like Texas, Notre Dame, or Nebraska that have decades-long sellout streaks? I think attendance is a valid concerns, but I’m not sure you’re actually comparing like fruits by relying so much on I-AA.

The rest of the playoff weekends will also fluctuate based upon location of the host school.  For example, it is obvious that AppSt in the Boone, NC market has a much better chance of capturing the entertainment dollar with much less competition than a Villanova, Delaware or Towson in the Philadelphia/Baltimore market.

I do not disagree that the money is the issue, but since when was collegiate sports SUPPOSED to be about money in the president’s war chest than about a competitive sport among STUDENT-athletes?  Oh yeah, when the school supposedly makes money off these big bowl pay-offs which in reality (because the schools often ignore or dance around such inquiries) never come.

The rest of the playoff weekends will also fluctuate based upon location of the host school.  For example, it is obvious that AppSt in the Boone, NC market has a much better chance of capturing the entertainment dollar with much less competition than a Villanova, Delaware or Towson in the Philadelphia/Baltimore market.

I do not disagree that the money is the issue, but since when was collegiate sports SUPPOSED to be about money in the president’s war chest than about a competitive sport among STUDENT-athletes?  Oh yeah, when the school supposedly makes money off these big bowl pay-offs which in reality (because the schools often ignore or dance around such inquiries) never come.