Bell Helicopter Armed Services Bowl
Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (8-4) vs. Utah Utes (7-5)
Champs Sports Bowl
Purdue Boilermakers (8-5) vs. Maryland Terrapins (8-4)
Emerald Bowl
Florida State Seminoles (6-6) vs. UCLA Bruins (7-5)
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
Clemson Tigers (8-4) vs. Kentucky Wildcats (7-5)
Insight Bowl
Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-6)
International Bowl
Western Michigan Broncos (8-4) vs. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-5)
MPC Computers Bowl
Miami Hurricanes (6-6) vs. Nevada Wolf Pack (8-4)
New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico Lobos (6-6) vs. San Jose State Spartans (8-4)
Papajohns.com Bowl
South Florida Bulls (8-4) vs. East Carolina Pirates (7-5)
PetroSun Independence Bowl
Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-6) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-6)
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Rice Owls (7-5) vs. Troy Trojans (7-5)
Did anyone who is not a rabid supporter of these teams go to any of these games? Did anyone who is not a homer actually watch them on TV? I didn’t think so. It is time for the NCAA to, at minimum, demand a winning record for bowl eligibility, especially considering that wins against IAA, *CORRECTION* Division I ‘Championship Subdivision’ opponents are now allowed in the win count.
Do not, however, count on this happening any time soon, especially with resident foxes in henhouses issuing platitudes like this:
“The subcommittee is pleased to license all 32 bowls that took place last year,” said Jeff Hathaway, director of athletics at the University of Connecticut and acting chair of the NCAA Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee. “It shows the good work and management that these bowl organizers have done to create a positive experience for the student-athletes.”
3 comments:
As a fan of a school that would love to aspire to 6-6, dregs of mediocre major-conference, hardly worth watching status, my feelings are somewhat different. Don't get me wrong -- I agree there are too many bowls, and too small a percentage worth watching. However, I'm also acutely aware that a bowl, even a lousy bowl, can be a worthy goal for a struggling program.
I would probably reduce the number of bowls slightly and factor bowl droughts into the equation. However, while the longsuffering of the fans may be foremost in my minds, it's really about the players who cycle through every 4 or 5 years. I would say that a team playing in a bowl for the first time in three years is playing with mostly bowl rookies. Therefore, such teams should get a decided preference in the bowls that otherwise wouldn't be very interesting.
Of course the really good, New Year's Day-caliber bowls shouldn't have that restriction. But for the December ones, this would make it more like the Preseason NIT or Maui Classic where different schools take turns getting their chance, and I can't see how that's a bad thing. (Blantantly biased in my own school's interest, maybe, but we're Vanderbilt! Give us a break!)
Summary of my bowl requirements:
*At least 6 I-A wins and no bowl in the prior two year period.
*At least 8 I-A wins.
That's a pretty decent compromise between "Throw the mediocre bums out," and "Getting to a bowl is such a great experience for the players," don't you think?
The problem with any alterations to the formula is that they will fail since IA football generally, and the bowl system specifically, is the grossest example of the PROFANE nature of intercollegiate athletics. The Jim Delanys of the world are only partially responsible. We must also blame the meek acquiescense of Myles Brand and others not only to the new bowl eligibility rules, but to the 12 game season as well.
The easier method of limit the number of bowl games is to insist that every school that attends a bowl game commits to bringing the same number of people that it would have taken to the Rose Bowl.
When a schools is playing in a New years day bowl or a BCS bowl, the school brings the band, full sets of cheerleaders, 50 staffers from the Athletic Deparments, and 50 plus staffers from the school's administraiton.
Yet, when a school like a 6-6 florida Sate plays in th Emerald Bowl they leave the band, dance team, mascot, and others behind because the reimbursement of the bowl is too low to fund everything.
Make the schools treat all bowls like they are really important or cut the bowl game.
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