Kill Postseason Bowls

By the way the next window for negotiations on the expanded playoff happens this weekend in Indy. The SEC is emboldened with 2 teams in the title game again and look for Greg Sankey to dig in and not compromise too much on their preferred plan. Either they will get everything they want or the Pac 2 commissioner will keep the B1G & ACC in the fold and possibly move back to an old old school bowl schedule with no playoffs and multiple national title winners based upon a variety of polls to spite the SEC. This is where the NCAA needs to step in and help mediate but they are so weak at this point that it is highly unlikely anything Mark Emmert says will be taken seriously. Stay tuned for some grandstanding through the media the next week or so.
 
AEW Champion said:
I’m damn sick and tired of these meaningless postseason non-playoff exhibition games masquerading as “important events”. Good players are correct to skip them: The game result means literally nothing!

Most bowls should be killed off entirely. The big remaining legacy bowls like the NY6 games and others like the Alamo, Holiday, Gator, Citrus and Outback should instead be moved to Labor Day weekend during Week 1 of the season, with the prior season’s final results used to allocate marquee Week 1 matchups to these various bowls.

After Covid, no one can argue that “the schedules are set years in advance, we can’t change those.” BS. Make a TV marquee game in Week 1 an honor earned by your team’s prior-year performance.

And no, I don’t give a damn about the Tournament of Roses parade on Jan. 1. They can still have their parade on Jan. 1, but their game happens Labor Day weekend or they can kick rocks.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
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No-no-no-no-no... Saturday's bowl games were TREMENDOUS!!!! What are you talking about???

These bowls spend millions to bring these teams in, it's a reward for a good season and creates some really good matchups. It's time to stop trying to attach meaning to games. If you're a competitor, they all mean something. Many of these kids - the non-stars who have not future NFL career ( there are many more of these than guys who are going to play in the NFL) it's a nice place to go play, create some great memories. Let's face it, there are about 10 teams annually who have any shot of winning the national championship. We could have really put Alabama and Georgia in the final game back in August. There is little suspense. Ohio State stubbed it's toe for the first time in several years and Clemson will likley not be in the picture for awhile. But mostly it's going to be Bama, Georgia, another SEC team, Ohio State, possible Big 12 winner, possible pac 12 winner, possible ACC winner and Notre Dame. That's it! No one else. The Indianas, Tennessees, Washingtons, Arizonas, Colorados and many teams like that have NO SHOT at being in the playoffs. Cincinnati got a break this year because their season went perfectly and no one in a major conference outside of the SEC or Big Ten took over.
 
Shrink the bowl schedule.
P5 schools must win 8 games to get a bowl bid.
G5 schools must win 7 games to get a bowl bid.
Expand the Playoff to 8 teams, Quarterfinals at higher seeded home stadium.

Done deal.
 
AEW Champion said:
Does anyone watch those piddly pre-Christmas bowls featuring mid-major teams? I sure as heck don’t, and I doubt anyone else does, either.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
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I watched several. The Army and Air Force wins were great. Both were motivated, for sure. Watched a pumped up Central Michigan enjoy the heck out of beating Washington State in the Sun Bowl. The Coastal Carolina vs Northern Illinois game was exciting. Several other lesser bowls were entertaining, as well.
 
No one is forcing anyone to watch the bowls so saying there are 'too many'......eh.

If sponsors want to step up and pay the $$, and teams accept to go, then who cares?

I dont watch many of them, but will tune in for some here and there. The bigger problem plaguing college football is we will continue to see the same teams for the most part in the mix to be a NC. It isnt like the NFL where it is set up with the cap, drafting and such for the balance of power.
 
AEW Champion said:
Does anyone watch those piddly pre-Christmas bowls featuring mid-major teams? I sure as heck don’t, and I doubt anyone else does, either.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
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Yes. Even the mid-major bowl games are comparable and exceeding the very best NBA games (whose ratings are also noticeably higher than the past two years).

https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2021/12/bowl-game-ratings-viewership-mostly-up-thus-far/

These networks need content, so these games are far better than having some talking heads "debate" each other.

The argument seems to be "I don't like it, so no one should."
 
Hammerdrill said:

Ohio State vs. Utah Rose Bowl game draws massive audience​

In fact, people tuned into the “Granddaddy of Them All” at the level of a CFP matchup, basically tying the number of viewers that watched Cincinnati and Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, with an average of 16.6 million television viewers ESPN announced Tuesday

https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-vs-utah-rose-190807203.html?src=rss
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Big brand like Ohio State. Really entertaining back and forth game. Not surprising that it had good TV numbers. I think New Blood definitely helped those three games (both CFP Semifinals and Rose Bowl) in terms of viewership as well.
 
I would start dropping any bowl that:
1)Is only the geographic name. Bye-Bye New Mexico, Birmingham, Arizona, etc.
2)Is only the corporate name. Adios Lending Tree, Cheez-It, etc.
3)Is in a stadium that does not host at least three college football games in the regular season. Bon Voyage New Era Pinstripe and the We-Never-Really-Did-Get-Off-The-Ground Fenway Bowl. (Bahamas Bowl was eliminated in Rule 1)
4)Eliminate the second, third and Fourth bowl in a metro area (Dallas, Miami) UNLESS they meet some sort of attendance threshold like 50 % actual attendance over a three year period.

Next, go back to the good ol' days where only the conference champion is contracted to a bowl. Pac 12 and Big Ten to the Rose. Big 12 to the Orange. SEC to the Sugar. Even the MAC king went to the Tangerine Bowl. Now I'd send them to the Motor City. The ACC had an unofficial tie-in with the Gator. the MWC could take over the old WAC spot in the Holiday. Newer conferences like the American? Send them to the Liberty. Sun Belt? Independence bound (The bowl was invented to give the then-I-A Southland champion a place to go. Several present SBC schools were Southland members). C-USA? No clue. Music City?
Just like today, I would wait until the day after the conference championship weekend (Don't get me started on these games!) and have a bowl committee (Similar to the basketball committee) assign teams to bowls.

I would offer a lifeline to some bowls. Hawai'i Bowl. Change the name to the Aloha or Pineapple. Las Vegas is now the Silver and Gold Bowl (The original stadium was called the Silver Bowl. Since it's Christmas-Silver and Gold. NOT sponsored by the pawn shop) Arizona was once the Copper Bowl.
 
Detroit is nothing but mercenary with that bowl. They do exactly nothing, though they have all the potential in the world do make it an event. How is that reward? Birmingham and Mobile take ownership. Treat the teams well as part of overall celebration. Your algorithm needs work.
 
I feel like in the two years since this thread was created, more and more people have joined my side regarding pulling the plug on postseason bowls.
 
At some point the ticket price just cannot be justified for the regular bowl game let alone a playoff game. It’s always amazed me how many people can actually afford one to two tickets to a playoff game. The NY6 bowls are no different than any other bowl out there.
 
JackEd said:
At some point the ticket price just cannot be justified for the regular bowl game let alone a playoff game. It’s always amazed me how many people can actually afford one to two tickets to a playoff game. The NY6 bowls are no different than any other bowl out there.
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I agree. Who in their right mind is going to drop 1k+ for tix, travel, lodging,etc. to watch an Orange Bowl game bw FSU and UGA that has 40 players bw the two teams opting out or entering the Portal?

I know the 12 team playoff would make the Orange Bowl game meaningful, but what about mid tier Bowls like the Holiday or Alamo Bowl? Just gut the whole f’n thing and stick with the 12 team playoff.
 
Florida State beats up on Georgia. Texas beats Michigan in the national championship game. UT, UM, U-Dub all finish with one loss. FSU is 14-0. Who had the best season?
 
aztecjim said:
Florida State beats up on Georgia. Texas beats Michigan in the national championship game. UT, UM, U-Dub all finish with one loss. FSU is 14-0. Who had the best season?
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I tend not to worry about pipe dreams, about the same as an asteroid hitting Earth. FSU isn’t going to beat Georgia. Michigan is highly unlikely to beat Alabama.
 
aztecjim said:
Florida State beats up on Georgia. Texas beats Michigan in the national championship game. UT, UM, U-Dub all finish with one loss. FSU is 14-0. Who had the best season?
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Whoever wins the Orange Bowl, what did they prove? It is an exhibition game with neither team giving it their best shot.
With all the players opting out it is a practice game to start the 2024 season.
 
AEW Champion said:
I mean, if we were 10-0 and then our backup QBs looked like molten garbage, I’d understand it.
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The whining would be on another level. He whined his arse off when UC made the Playoff over ND a few years back, thay was with a Bearcat head-to-head win in South Bend over his beloved Irish.
 
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