Good GOSH this bowl thing has gotten cheesy

[JohnStOnge]

Somebody please do something to change "FBS" college football. In fact start off by changing the name to something else because we need to get rid of the "bowl" concept. It's been getting worse every year. This year it is absolutely awful.

If we MUST have 30+ games do a 32 team playoff. That'd be 31 games. Not QUITE the 35 games we have with the Bowl season but the difference in having the games mean something so that at least half of them would be interesting to watch would be well worth it.

So far, to me, there hasn't been a single post season FBS game worth watching. I guess Texas Tech and Minnesota was close last night and it was a close game decided at the end. But it was a 7-5 team rated 40th in the "average" ratings at http://masseyratings.com/cf/compare.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; vs. a 6-6 team rated 71st.

Other scintillating matchups we've been treated to:

75th rated Nevada vs. 32nd rated Arizona
54th rated Toledo vs. 23rd rated Utah State
45th rated BYU vs. 46th rated San Diego State
50th rated Ball State vs. 56th rated Central Florida
75th rated East Carolina vs. 59th rated Louisiana Lafayette
42nd rated Washington vs. 26th rated Boise State
31st rated Fresno State vs. 79th rated Southern Methodist
72nd rated Western Kentucky vs. 92nd rated Central Michigan
25th rated San Jose State vs. 68th rated Bowling Green
34th rated Cincinnati vs. 74th rated Duke
28th rated Baylor vs. 18th rated UCLA
77th rated Ohio vs. 60th rated Louisiana Monroe
44th rated Rutgers vs. 61st rated Virginia Tech

That makes 14 bowl games so far with, to me, a grand total of one (Baylor vs. UCLA) in which both teams at least arguably belonged in post season. I'd say that at least half involved circumstances where neither team had any business being in post season. 72 vs. 90? 77 vs. 60?

This has gotten totally out of hand.

[grizzaholic]

Why do you care? I don't give 2 shits about the Bowel Games, because I don't watch any. I find the concept wrong and don't waste my time watching crappy football.

[CAA Flagship]

What the heck is wrong with you guys?
What are the Bowl games preventing you from watching instead? Since most are on ESPN, I suspect it is either NBA regular season games, college basketball games, or soccer.
While I do not watch any of these games with any intensity, I enjoy having them on in the background and paying close attention to the drama at the end of a close game.

32 team playoff? Yeah, Alabama vs. Nevada is much better as a first round game.

[CID1990]

Why do you care? I don't give 2 shits about the Bowel Games, because I don't watch any. I find the concept wrong and don't waste my time watching crappy football.

This x 100.

I will watch Bama vs ND and that's it. (And only because I got invited to a man party with promo girls serving beer)

[BlueHen86]

I'm with JSO here. If were going to have 30+ bowl games, just have a 32 team playoff.

While Alabama vs Nevada doesn't sound like much of a first round match up, every once in a while some top ranked team will find itself in a first round dog fight.

A playoff would at least offer the chance for drama; the bowls - not so much. I haven't watched any bowl games. I would watch playoffs, even if it was Alabama - Nevada.

[Ivytalk]

As the brother of a Rice alum, I enjoyed seeing the 6-6 Owls (now 7-6) beat up on 6-6 (now 6-7) Air Force!

[JohnStOnge]

What the heck is wrong with you guys?
What are the Bowl games preventing you from watching instead? ...

32 team playoff? Yeah, Alabama vs. Nevada is much better as a first round game.

It's preventing us from being able to watch a real playoff for the championship of the top level of college football. BTW with the ranking system I'm looking at Alabama would be the 2 seed this year and would be playing 31 seed TCU in the first round.

We all know what would probably happen too. Every year we'd have first round upsets nobody would have predicted.

I wouldn't do it quite like just taking the top 32 rated teams though. I'd have automatic bids for the conference champions so we'd usually have a team or two or maybe even three that didn't finish in the top 32 getting in.

It would be great and a whole lot better than the FBS post season is now. I guarantee you if they did it then someone were to ask if people wanted to go back to the bowl system you wouldn't have a real big percentage of fans wanting to go back.

[grizzaholic]

What the heck is wrong with you guys?
What are the Bowl games preventing you from watching instead? ...

32 team playoff? Yeah, Alabama vs. Nevada is much better as a first round game.

It's preventing us from being able to watch a real playoff for the championship of the top level of college football. BTW with the ranking system I'm looking at Alabama would be the 2 seed this year and would be playing 31 seed TCU in the first round.

We all know what would probably happen too. Every year we'd have first round upsets nobody would have predicted.

I wouldn't do it quite like just taking the top 32 rated teams though. I'd have automatic bids for the conference champions so we'd usually have a team or two or maybe even three that didn't finish in the top 32 getting in.

It would be great and a whole lot better than the FBS post season is now. I guarantee you if they did it then someone were to ask if people wanted to go back to the bowl system you wouldn't have a real big percentage of fans wanting to go back.

You must be retarded in the fact that the fans have ZERO to do with it...it is the MONEY and the MONEY and the MONEY. Don't be a fool.

[SuperHornet]

The Sun Bowl today was a freaking JOKE. A sub-.500 team that had to get a waiver to accept a bid took out U$C rather handily. What's up with THAT?!?

[griz37]

The Sun Bowl today was a freaking JOKE. A sub-.500 team that had to get a waiver to accept a bid took out U$C rather handily. What's up with THAT?!?

Lane Kiffin

[BlueHen86]

It's preventing us from being able to watch a real playoff for the championship of the top level of college football. BTW with the ranking system I'm looking at Alabama would be the 2 seed this year and would be playing 31 seed TCU in the first round.

We all know what would probably happen too. Every year we'd have first round upsets nobody would have predicted.

I wouldn't do it quite like just taking the top 32 rated teams though. I'd have automatic bids for the conference champions so we'd usually have a team or two or maybe even three that didn't finish in the top 32 getting in.

It would be great and a whole lot better than the FBS post season is now. I guarantee you if they did it then someone were to ask if people wanted to go back to the bowl system you wouldn't have a real big percentage of fans wanting to go back.

You must be retarded in the fact that the fans have ZERO to do with it...it is the MONEY and the MONEY and the MONEY. Don't be a fool.

It is my understanding that a playoff would be under the control of the NCAA and that the Bowls are not under the control of the NCAA. The people who make money from the Bowl system are not the same people who would make money from a playoff. I suspect that a playoff would bring in more money overall, but the people making money on the Bowls would still lose, so they don't want to give up what they have.

[JohnStOnge]

You must be retarded in the fact that the fans have ZERO to do with it...it is the MONEY and the MONEY and the MONEY. Don't be a fool.

I think that most people who look at such things agree that more money would be generated by a playoff tournament. I can recall a widely reported analysis back in the early 2000s and I think it involved a 16 team playoff. Going by memory but I think the estimate is that it would generate more than twice as much total revenue as the bowl system of the time. I think I recall the estimate being that the then-BCS leagues could get more total money out of the deal and still have plenty left over to make things much better for all the non BCS FBS programs as well.

The problem, as I understand it, is who controls the money and who gets it. If it were a playoff tournament the NCAA would be involved and the cities that currently host bowls as well as the bowl organizations themselves might be cut out. So there is a lot of political opposition to changing things even though changing things would mean more money for the schools in the NCAA. As with any status quo there are entrenched interests who don't want to see things changed because even though the change would be for the better overall it would not be good for them.

[proasu89]

The Sun Bowl today was a freaking JOKE. A sub-.500 team that had to get a waiver to accept a bid took out U$C rather handily. What's up with THAT?!?

Lane Kiffin

I enjoyed watching his smug a$$ trying to pretend to care yesterday. I don't understand why people get bent out of shape over bowl games. I enjoy football and the more the better.

[rkwittem]

The Sun Bowl today was a freaking JOKE. A sub-.500 team that had to get a waiver to accept a bid took out U$C rather handily. What's up with THAT?!?

Well, genius, part of the NCAA's rationale was that 3 quality teams were ineligible for bowls that would have booted Georgia Tech out of a bowl this year- Ohio State, Penn State, and North Carolina. This was just an extraordinary case, that's all.

[rkwittem]

Why do you care? I don't give 2 shits about the Bowel Games, because I don't watch any. I find the concept wrong and don't waste my time watching crappy football.

Lots of irony here....you watch plenty of it. FCS football is fine and they have a playoff and send some players to the NFL, but they play an inferior brand of football to the FBS guys. The FBS guys get most of the premier athletes, almost all of the big-name QBs (leaving room for the Steve McNairs of the world with that statement) and generally have bigger alumni bases. Given the choice for me, I'd much rather see an Ohio State game than a NDSU game....but they are both enjoyable experiences. Ohio State's success just means more to me on an emotional level.

[SuperHornet]

So App State is "inferior" to Michigan?

Excuse me while I laugh....

[uofmman1122]

So App State is "inferior" to Michigan?

Excuse me while I laugh....

Yes.

Yes they are.

In a huge number of ways that winning one football game can't change.

[rkwittem]

So App State is "inferior" to Michigan?

Excuse me while I laugh....

Academically, financially, conference-wise, prestige-wise, tradition-wise, and talent-wise. Yes. Just the like overwhelming majority of FCS football. Ever wonder why they aren't any fans from teams like Central Connecticut State or Elon or the University of San Diego, among others, on here? Because there is a ton of crappy football played at the FCS level. We just don't get to see it. But it's out there.

But go ahead, keep pretending a system of bowl games renders the quality and skills of the players unimportant or immaterial. Go ahead and think that FCS football is automatically better because it has a playoff. I wonder what you will say when FBS has one....

[grizzaholic]

Why do you care? I don't give 2 shits about the Bowel Games, because I don't watch any. I find the concept wrong and don't waste my time watching crappy football.

Lots of irony here....you watch plenty of it. FCS football is fine and they have a playoff and send some players to the NFL, but they play an inferior brand of football to the FBS guys. The FBS guys get most of the premier athletes, almost all of the big-name QBs (leaving room for the Steve McNairs of the world with that statement) and generally have bigger alumni bases. Given the choice for me, I'd much rather see an Ohio State game than a NDSU game....but they are both enjoyable experiences. Ohio State's success just means more to me on an emotional level.

You are wrong. I watched most of the Oregon game and part of another one, those are the only two I watched this year. Don't tell me what I watch, I am pretty sure I know what I watch. You like it, fine, good on ya, but I choose not to watch them.

[BlueHen86]

Lots of irony here....you watch plenty of it. FCS football is fine and they have a playoff and send some players to the NFL, but they play an inferior brand of football to the FBS guys. The FBS guys get most of the premier athletes, almost all of the big-name QBs (leaving room for the Steve McNairs of the world with that statement) and generally have bigger alumni bases. Given the choice for me, I'd much rather see an Ohio State game than a NDSU game....but they are both enjoyable experiences. Ohio State's success just means more to me on an emotional level.

You are wrong. I watched most of the Oregon game and part of another one, those are the only two I watched this year. Don't tell me what I watch, I am pretty sure I know what I watch. You like it, fine, good on ya, but I choose not to watch them.

Same here. Not because I am boycotting them, but because none of them interested me. I will watch ND - Alabama, but that will be it.

If there were a playoff, be it 4, 8, 16 or more teams, then I would be more inclined to watch. Right now, IMHO, the regular season has more meaning than the bowl season. I'd rather watch a 5-6 team try and become bowl eligible, than watch that same team in a bowl game at 6-6.

[SuperHornet]

The biggest college football game in the land as far as I'm concerned is tied at 3-up in the second quarter....

[Ibanez]

The biggest college football game in the land as far as I'm concerned is tied at 3-up in the second quarter....

Which game is that?

[SuperHornet]

The biggest college football game in the land as far as I'm concerned is tied at 3-up in the second quarter....

Which game is that?

The national championship, of course. My pick got slaughtered by a clearly better team....