Could regional flavor of CFP cause fans to tune out?

Hardcore college football fans across the country undoubtedly will be tuned in for the College Football Playoff. But what about casual fans outside SEC, ACC and Big 12 country?

With the Pac-12 and Big Ten not represented in the four-team playoff, a TV sports viewership analyst said interest could be tempered on the West Coast, upper Midwest and Northeast.

The campuses of Clemson, Georgia and Alabama are in close proximity in the Southeast — Clemson and Georgia are just 75 miles apart. Oklahoma is the outlier, a good day's drive west of Alabama.

"I think it's too regional this year," said Jon Lewis, editor of Sports Media Watch. "That hurts in every sport — unless it's the Super Bowl.