
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, June 2, 1990                   TAG: 9006020115
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DALLAS                                LENGTH: Short

FANS WANT PLAYOFF GAME IN FOOTBALL

More than two-thirds of the general public believe a championship playoff would add interest to college football, according to a Gallup Poll released Friday by the College Football Association.

While 77 percent of the general public said "yes" to an NCAA playoff, the same question asked of college football fans drew an 84 percent positive response.

Of those surveyed, 37 percent said the current system of polls isn't a fair way to determine a national champion.

The Gallup poll, commissioned by the CFA, disclosed that 98 percent of the college football fans it polled said they would watch a championship game on television.

The average age of those polled - 52 percent of which were women - was 46.8 years, with an average household income of $42,070.

The Gallup poll showed that 46 percent of the general public who responded preferred professional football, to 37 percent for college football.

A public misconception about college football players was uncovered. Of those surveyed, 53 percent of those surveyed believe that college football players graduate at a rate lower than the average college student. The CFA said college football players graduate at a rate higher than the male student population in general.

by CNB