The Bowl Game Dilemma

[Forty_Sixand2]

If we set aside the BCS NCG and maybe the other BCS bowls, am I the only person who enjoys the bowl games but really takes nothing from it. I mean they are fun to watch and you get to see some cool matchups that you won’t normally see but the games are sloppy, meaningless and more an exhibition than anything else.

Teams come off of the last game of their regular season which is usually a heated rivalry game or a conference championship game where the stakes can’t get any higher and the emotions more vicious and then you take a few weeks off (sometimes more than a month actually) go home spend the holidays with your parents and friends, discuss entering the draft, maybe declare for the draft, eat some good food, then roll back to campus for a week or so of practice that the coaches essentially use as early Spring practice for the following season, hop on a plane and go somewhere nice for a week or so, do some walk through stuff, hang out with your teammates and get treated nicely and rewarded by the Bowl people.

One day you all get together and have a little football game.



Some teams are really excited to be there while others are disappointed because they had higher expectations. Some coaches take it really seriously while others (a bunch have said this) focus mostly on underclassmen in the practices because it is free spring practice for the following season and they don’t want to risk the seniors or EEs getting hurt.

I love watching bowls but I really can’t evaluate much from it. It is really no wonder that a lot of them are very sloppy. A month off…..a freaking month off!!!!

 

[cane_man]

the opportunity to get some rare match ups is cool as hell. But, most are just one more regular season game. They do mean something, just not what most "post season" games do.

 

[TDs3nOut]

All good points in the OP. Seems kind of crazy to me that there isn't, say a sixteen-team playoff to sort things out in the end. No reason that 14 of the existing bowl sites couldn't be incorporated into that and still leave the remaining bowls in place for the teams that don't make the playoff.

 

[Sox33OSU]

I love the bowl games, man. The holidays are usually slow for my job, so I get to spend my evenings watching games I wouldn't normally see with 2 teams that don't face off that often.

 

[LawDawg]

All good points in the OP. Seems kind of crazy to me that there isn't, say a sixteen-team playoff to sort things out in the end. No reason that 14 of the existing bowl sites couldn't be incorporated into that and still leave the remaining bowls in place for the teams that don't make the playoff.

There are actually quite a few reasons why this is not possible, all well documented on any number of sports forums.

I love Bowl season to see all the different matchups. It is also a time for about 3 weeks of additional practice, and a solid game for the Dawgs. This means our new QB can get some more reps in practice for next year, and get another start under his belt. Hate it for Murray, but love it for Mason.

 

[jonvi]

As a Cuse fan, the toilet bowls are a must. In it's history, SU has played in 2 BCS type games so making it to a BCS or NC game is not an annual, decade but more a half century thing.

Without the lesser bowls, only 4 or 8 teams are going to get any post season action at all. Yes it's a disapointment to not be in a BCS bowl game, but it's still better than moving on to bball season. It gives the players a little taste of post season play and some hope for next year.

The additional 15 practices and TV face time in different parts of the nation really help with recruiting and the schools program. Plus bowl games are an economic driver. I see no reason to fight all the good that comes from bowl games just because the hyper bama and tOSU fans think they don't mean anything.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I love the bowl games as well as I mentioned. I just take them for what they are, extra practice with a scrimmage.

 

[haydav49]

All good points in the OP. Seems kind of crazy to me that there isn't, say a sixteen-team playoff to sort things out in the end. No reason that 14 of the existing bowl sites couldn't be incorporated into that and still leave the remaining bowls in place for the teams that don't make the playoff.

I think the problem with expanding the playoffs will be putting asses in the seats. Unless you have games played at participants home fields. It's very difficult for fans to make travel plans on a weeks notice. And asses in the seats is important to the bowls. I read an article about attendance at the FCS playoffs last week. It wasn't a rosy picture.

 

[sakau2007]

made some good points... but i think everyone realizes that bowl games are where we get the best matchups of nonconference teams that should be matched up relatively close to one another to gauge conference strength. and that information can help us draw conclusions about the relative strengths of conferences.

i wish there was at least 1 SEC v PAC bowl tie-in, but I understand the geographic differences between the conferences would make selling tickets to such a game very difficult... especially if it wasn't a game between top 10 or top 15 teams.

 

[sakau2007]

I think the problem with expanding the playoffs will be putting asses in the seats. Unless you have games played at participants home fields. It's very difficult for fans to make travel plans on a weeks notice. And asses in the seats is important to the bowls. I read an article about attendance at the FCS playoffs last week. It wasn't a rosy picture.

i don't know about all the fanbases... but i think that most SEC programs, and for that matter... most major programs, would travel to the games. missouri isn't particularly close to atlanta and they sold out their allotment of tickets in 17 minutes (even if some of those tickets were bought by auburn fans... heh heh heh).

 

[WhiteMamba]

I love every bowl game and watch them all.

It should be a priority for every HC to win their bowl.

We remember a team by its last game more so than the body of work.

Winning that game gives teams a bounce in pre season conference media predictions as well as polls.

Lot of kids are on vacation watching bowl season as well.

Even the 6-6 teams they are big. Say a 3 star QB is considering WSU and Oregon State. Oregon State rolls in their bowl and WSU gets blown out... I think the kids put a bit of thought into what they saw in the bowl games.

 

[UNA Lion]

If we set aside the BCS NCG and maybe the other BCS bowls, am I the only person who enjoys the bowl games but really takes nothing from it. I mean they are fun to watch and you get to see some cool matchups that you won’t normally see but the games are sloppy, meaningless and more an exhibition than anything else.

Concur.

Except for one bowl game, the rest are meaningless post-season exhibition games for which history cares nothing.

 

[sakau2007]

Concur.

Except for one bowl game, the rest are meaningless post-season exhibition games for which history cares nothing.

...but for which may determine a lot in the future.

 

[757Hokie83]

made some good points... but i think everyone realizes that bowl games are where we get the best matchups of nonconference teams that should be matched up relatively close to one another to gauge conference strength. and that information can help us draw conclusions about the relative strengths of conferences.

i wish there was at least 1 SEC v PAC bowl tie-in, but I understand the geographic differences between the conferences would make selling tickets to such a game very difficult... especially if it wasn't a game between top 10 or top 15 teams.

yeah, where else are you gonna get such marquee match ups like FSU vs NIU

 

[UNA Lion]

...but for which may determine a lot in the future.

Fair enough - modify "meaningless" to apply to the current season.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

I love it, and its great for the teams and the cities the bowls are hosted in.

 

[Used 2 B Hu]

With our program's history, we will take every bowl appearance we can get, and I hope we dominate them all. I don't care if the other team was "disappointed to be there" or not.

One of the things we look at when measuring who the all-time best teams are, is bowl game participation and their records in those games. Our program has sucked and sucked, respectively, in both those categories.

We actually have a "bowl game appearance streak" going right now (of more than two games), which some of us Gamecock fans never thought would be possible.

 

[yourTEAMreallySUCKS]

With our program's history, we will take every bowl appearance we can get, and I hope we dominate them all. I don't care if the other team was "disappointed to be there" or not.

One of the things we look at when measuring who the all-time best teams are, is bowl game participation and their records in those games. Our program has sucked and sucked, respectively, in both those categories.

We actually have a "bowl game appearance streak" going right now (of more than two games), which some of us Gamecock fans never thought would be possible.

think we should savor every second of it. spurrier isn't getting any younger and the east won't suck forever..

 

[LawDawg]

It's funny to read Mamba's post above, and then the UNA post right after it. Couldn't have more diametrically opposing views. I am in Mamba's camp, while respecting UNA's right to be wrong.

 

[olympicoscar]

Under the current system this is all you get.

Imagine if the old system was in place.

Ohio State and let's say Stanford play in the Rose Bowl

Oklahoma St and Florida St play in the Orange Bowl

Auburn and Baylor play in the Sugar Bowl

Alabama and Oregon play in the Fiesta Bowl

Missouri and Michigan State play in the Cotton Bowl

Then we vote on January 2nd.