The end of the NFL lockout is having larger effects than one might initially think. Just take a look at its impact on the college game, for instance. The Fiesta Bowl could change from its originally scheduled date of January 5th as a result of the lockout's end, according to CBS Sports. If the move does occur, the Fiesta Bowl would instead be played on January 2nd, three days earlier than originally planned.
The BCS did not schedule a night game for the night of January 2nd behind the Rose Bowl due to all of the uncertainty surrounding the NFL lockout. The NFL regular season, which was scheduled to end on January 1, would have cleared up the schedule for college bowl games the next day. However, the BCS worried that the NFL lockout could push back the NFL regular season, and in such a circumstance there would be NFL games playing on the second night of January.
Thankfully, the NFL lockout has passed and football is back on schedule this year. The NFL regular season will end on the first, and the BCS can slot in a second bowl game for the night of the second.
The BCS has given the option to the Orange Bowl, the Sugar Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl to move their games up to January 2. While the other two have decided not to, the Fiesta Bowl might actually prefer the move in order to draw higher ratings.
Instead of playing on a Thursday, when people may be done with their vacations and back at work, the Fiesta Bowl would have the opportunity to play during the New Year's vacation season when people have more free time. In addition, the Fiesta Bowl could see a boost in ratings as a result of being broadcast right after the Rose Bowl.
There is no official word about the change yet, but it appears that the Fiesta Bowl could move up.