It takes quite a bit to get the powers that be who govern college football and television to consider changing their minds, but sometimes it's just so obvious that even they are struck by the need for something different.

That appears to be the case with the decision to play the college football playoff semifinals on New Year's Eve — a move that could politely be termed disastrous. They were played on Dec. 31 this past year, and viewership dropped roughly 40 percent from the previous year, when they were played on Jan. 1.

Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, tried to stand by the decision. But Wednesday he altered that stance.

"We're exploring if there's a better [date] for the semifinals," Hancock was quoted as saying by ESPN.com. "We're thinking about if New Year's Eve is the way to go."

You think?

The changes couldn't be made until the 2018 season, but really: they should change as soon as possible and there should be no further debate.