Too Many Bowl Games?

[El Paso Eagle]

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[NorthTexasWeLove]

There are waaaaaay too many. Support has wilted and the point of them will soon fall flat on their face. But I would also like to see the 7 or 8 wins be the new plateau. 

Make it 30 with the win total concrete at 7. It would make the meaning of the bowl 2 fold more prestigious. Support would follow suit in time. 

[NM Green]

I can’t believe people complain about too much college football. I just can’t...I’m a junkie and love all of them.  

Will watch lower level playoffs, will tailgate at a spring game. Eat drinks sleep college sports and tomorrow old trafford. I do football 🏈 and futbol ⚽️. 

GMG

[greenminer]

There are too many, but I dont know about cutting them in half

 

[GrandGreen]

Simple solution, if you think there are too many bowl games, just don't watch them.  It is fairly simple to identify the bowls that have the top teams and those that don't.   There may not be much prestige in getting invited to a lower level bowl, but it easily beats staying at home.  

As far as upping the necessary win total, never going to happen.   As much as I hate the P5 mentality, there is no logic in making a 6-6 SEC team stay home and having a 7-5 Belt team in a bowl. 

I was around to see a 10-1 Fry NT team sit home as well as some very good NT teams of the late sixties.  Yes, those were the good ole days, when bowls were more exclusive. 

 

[Mean Green 93-98]

I love bowl games--I'd watch all of them if I had the time.  But it has come to a point where getting to one is not really an accomplishment and fans aren't nearly as motivated to travel to attend them.  As TV viewership continues to decline, I don't see the status quo (which means adding more bowls every few years) as sustainable.

[Cerebus]

Great. Let's go back to the system that had North Texas stay at home after 10 and 9 win seasons.

If the number of bowl games ever get cut, it will be just like the NCAA tourney. Not much chance of anyone except the CUSA champs making it.

[NorthTexasWeLove]

3 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

Great. Let's go back to the system that had North Texas stay at home after 10 and 9 win seasons.

If the number of bowl games ever get cut, it will be just like the NCAA tourney. Not much chance of anyone except the CUSA champs making it.

No it won't. Raise the bar to 7 wins and have 30 bowls excluding playoff games. That's 60 of 129 non national title contending teams playing postseason football. Anymore is saturation. It's really a non issue anyway. TV ratings will take of this organically in due time. 

[VideoEagle]

2 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

No it won't. Raise the bar to 7 wins and have 30 bowls excluding playoff games. That's 60 of 129 non national title contending teams playing postseason football. Anymore is saturation. It's really a non issue anyway. TV ratings will take of this organically in due time. 

The university presidents years ago decided they wanted to reward teams (and schools) that at least earned 6 wins. The Presidents were the ones who created the present system and they are the ones maintaining it. The Baylors, Techs, Arizonas, Vanderbilts, and Dukes of the world aren't going to agree to a 7 win minimum as they only rarely get 6 now. Combine those with the G5 world and you have a majority the top 25 schools will never out vote. 

[CMJ]

I'd like to cut one bowl a year for about the next five seasons and then see how it looks.  

[Harry]

The playoff system is a joke.  What business did Notre Dame have playing in it tonight other than be a stooge for the networks to ensure that Bama gets to play Clem?  Look at Notre Dames schedule and explain why they are ANY more worthy than UCF of the Pirate at WSU etc...  it’s a farce that will fall on its own face in the next couple of years.

[CMJ]

10 minutes ago, Harry said:

The playoff system is a joke.  What business did Notre Dame have playing in it tonight other than be a stooge for the networks to ensure that Bama gets to play Clem?  Look at Notre Dames schedule and explain why they are ANY more worthy than UCF of the Pirate at WSU etc...  it’s a farce that will fall on its own face in the next couple of years.

Their schedule strength wasn't great, but it was actually better than UCF and Clemson's according to some ranking systems.

 

I actually thought this was a great column.

 

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/8/29/17795292/college-football-2018-strength-of-schedule-week-14-rankings

[Mean Green Matt]

There’s nothing wrong with all the bowl games. I like 6 wins being the bar. It gives teams that finish 6-6 a chance for a winning season. The number of bowls may fall organically if it stops being a profitable venture, but it’s not hurting anyone that it “means less” than it did 30 years ago.

No one is acting like it’s a huge accomplishment to get to a bowl. It’s a bonus for the team and fans to have a little extra fun. There no harm in that just like there’s no harm in the CBI or the “NIT” for volleyball. You can have greater aspirations (CFP, NCAA tourney, etc.) and still enjoy competing in whatever opportunities arise. 

[UNTLifer]

It's the age of everyone gets a ribbon. I was shocked at the number of empty seats during the Orange Bowl. 

[emmitt01]

1 hour ago, UNTLifer said:

It's the age of everyone gets a ribbon. I was shocked at the number of empty seats during the Orange Bowl. 

That’s not lack of interest, that’s price inflation in the ticket market (and it isn’t helped by ticket brokers and private citizens who buy them up and double the face value).  

There are a TON of OU and Bama fans that would gladly make the trip...but not for $750+ a ticket.  

[MattMakesLoans]

The problem with the current bowl system is not enough compelling bowl match ups.  We need bowl realignment to match conference realignment and some good G5 vs P5 match ups and not so many P5 #6 vs P5#7 matchups.

[Mean Green Matt]

2 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

It's the age of everyone gets a ribbon. I was shocked at the number of empty seats during the Orange Bowl. 

Bowl games  are more akin to everyone getting playing time than everyone getting a trophy, but it’s really neither. 

[Mike Jackson]

On 12/29/2018 at 6:48 PM, Harry said:

The playoff system is a joke.  What business did Notre Dame have playing in it tonight other than be a stooge for the networks to ensure that Bama gets to play Clem?  Look at Notre Dames schedule and explain why they are ANY more worthy than UCF of the Pirate at WSU etc...  it’s a farce that will fall on its own face in the next couple of years.

This is spot on.  The system has been consistently tweaked to make sure "media favorites" get in.  However,  I think it is absolutely greedy and short sighted.  The bowls should revert back to like they were before the BCS and have 4 team playoff of the top 4 bowl winners.  Under that system New Years 6 would have been epic.

Peach - Florida vs Washington State

Rose - Washington vs OSU

Sugar - Texas vs Alabama

Orange - Clemson vs UCF

Fiesta - Georgia vs Notre Dame

Cotton - OU vs Michigan

 You can fiddle with the matchups but instead of just 2 can't miss playoff games you get 4 or more can't miss bowl games.  And another round of arguing about the strengths of the bowl winners schedules with the results of lessor bowl games factored in by a selection committee.  UCF gets their deserved legitimate shot.   All the NY6 bowls have more viewers and that means more money for everyone.  With an 8 team playoff you lose the unique tradition of the bowls and still you only get 4 games in the opening round. 

[Salsa_Verde]

Like Rich Eisen said...By going undefeated UCF has earned the right to get beat by 50 to Bama. If that’s going to be the case, then as a fan I want to see that happen...because they earned that right. Why can’t we see the UMBC of college football...why can’t we see a cinderella in college football? 

Edited December 31, 2018 by Salsa_Verde

[Salsa_Verde]

Furthermore....SEC teams don’t play in adverse conditions and they play in neutral sites when going up against another P5 school. That’s fricken BS. 

[Philip Ferguson]

Nice showing by CUSA...

 

 

[Wag Tag]

I guess sweet 16 is not a good comparison?

[meangreenlax]

Conference USA, it just means.. something

[Big Z]

Way too many bowl games and it goes to show that butts in the seats does not guarantee that you will get that bowl. I’m so glad we didn’t get the First Responders Bowl. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by Big Z

[Tyler Maryak]