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How The College Football Playoff Teams Fared Across Social And Technology In 2016

With the College Football Playoff in full swing, SportTechie wanted to break down how the teams fared across social media and online this past season with various tidbits and nuggets of information. We also wanted to highlight some of the new technology initiatives and partnerships occurring with each program.

WASHINGTON 

1) During the 2016 season, Washington has gained nearly 18,000 new followers on Twitter, 4,200-plus followers on Instagram and over 30,000 page “Likes” on Facebook.

2) Its most retweeted tweet came as the Huskies punched its ticket to the College Football Playoff.

3) Facebook video has played an integral role in Washington’s digital strategy over the course of the 2016 season. In terms of Facebook Live, the Huskies have garnered 450,000 views over the past few months while video views in general, between measurements of three seconds or 10 seconds, have totaled over 5.3 million.

4) Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen participated in SportTechie’s Expert Series earlier this season, discussing her love for Twitter, emerging technologies in sports, CRM platforms and how technology is impacting the student-athlete experience.

5) The most “Liked” Instagram post came following the Huskies win over in-state rival Washington State.

Sweet #AppleCup victory #PurpleReign

A photo posted by UW Football (@uw_football) on Nov 25, 2016 at 4:22pm PST

6) At the end of the 2016 season, Washington football partnered with locally based social company Tagboard for an in-game Snapchat activation on the stadium video board, a common trend spreading across the industry heading into 2017.

7) Washington is one of three College Football Playoff teams that work with Catapult Sports, a GPS wearable technology company.

8) During practices throughout the 2016 season, the Huskies worked with local company i1 Biometrics and tested using high-tech, sensor-infused mouthguards to measure head impacts.

OHIO STATE

1) Earlier this season, the Buckeyes partnered with technology company Aurasma for some interactive augmented reality pieces to further engage fans.

2) Ohio State hopped aboard the Snapchat Spectacles craze prior to the Fiesta Bowl, allowing players to put on the new piece of hardware in order to give fans a deeper all-access pass to all things Buckeyes.

3) In the weeks leading up to the College Football Playoff, both Ohio State and Alabama dominated the social conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

4) This Fall, the Buckeyes leveraged both Facebook Live and Periscope for various social initiatives, with the former averaging about 45,000 viewers for weekly press conferences.

5) One of the most Retweeted tweets this season for mascot Brutus was him dancing to “Ju Ju on the Beat” in late October.

6) Athletic Director Gene Smith talked big data, stadium infrastructure and augmented reality with SportTechie in mid-December.

7) The athletic department recently worked with YourMoji for an Ohio State keyboard that launched prior to the College Football Playoff. It even features some new BrutMojis.

8) Air Force Research Laboratory partnered with Ohio State University to work directly with neurologists and neuro researchers to share information gathered through the use of sensors, which monitor the stress and hydration levels of student-athletes.

CLEMSON

1) Over the past 18 months, Clemson has been one of college athletics’ leaders on social, creatively pushing the boundaries for what it means to engage with fans online. This fall, it retooled its strategy and leveraged Facebook 360-degree video more throughout the 2016 season.

2) In 2016, Twitter followers of @ClemsonFB have increased more than 400 percent, from 92,000 to 480,000. It is the fourth most-followed team Twitter account in college football.

3) Since Aug. 1, Facebook reach is nearly 80 million.

4) The most “Liked” Instagram post ever for the Clemson football account was when quarterback Deshaun Watson walked across the stage at graduation.

What it’s all about. #ClemsonGraduation

A photo posted by Clemson Football (@clemsonfb) on Dec 15, 2016 at 9:16am PST

5) The Tigers participated in Instagram’s student correspondents program this season, with one of its students, Paul Trimmier, being selected to travel to the College Football Playoff Championship game on Jan. 11 to create content for the official Instagram and College Football Playoff accounts.

6) With its social efforts being recognized over the past two years, three Clemson staffers — Jonathan Gantt, Jeff Kallin and Nik Conklin — now serve dual roles with the University and the Center of Excellence for Next Generation Computing & Creativity. The trio shares best practices and strategic insight into storytelling and digital marketing with staff, faculty and students.

7) Clemson became one of the first sports teams, leagues or properties to use Periscope’s new 360 video feature live from the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday night.

ALABAMA

1) Like Washington, Alabama’s football program also works with wearable technology company Catapult Sports.

2) Alabama athletic director Bill Battle discussed with SportTechie iBeacon technology, augmented reality and in-venue seat upgrades during a recent Q&A.

3) Along with Ohio State, Alabama controlled the conversation on Facebook and Twitter prior to the College Football Playoff kicking off Saturday.

4) The University of Alabama recently opened its Center For Sports And Athletic Technology, the first-of-its-kind research center in the nation. The Center hopes to minimize injuries, boost players’ athletic performance and help student-athletes recover quicker when they do sustain an injury.

Finally, College Football Playoff COO Michael Kelly fielded a handful of questions this month from SportTechie, discussing new technologies to enhance the fan experience, the state of live streaming and still one of the hottest topics in sports, virtual reality.

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