I've argued recently that the current bowl system renders games meaningless; not all games, mind you. Some of the games have been competitive and entertaining. For the current discussion, I'll avoid the word "meaningless," which brings about so much subjectivity and to a certain degree, emotion. Can we strip all that away and examine the relative quality of the games? Bowl game opt-outs and transfers are at an all-time high. This site tracked the players who would not participate in their bowl: 2023 College Football Bowl Game Opt-Out Tracker | College Football Network The numbers averaged around 14 per team. The problem, however, doesn't end there. Motivation is another elephant in the room. Several teams each bowl season come into and leave their games w/o any semblance of motivation to win. Consider, also the relative quality of play, due to the number of backups and first-time players taking the field. You've seen some of these games. The offense can barely lineup correctly, let alone drive down the field and score. Some of the more prolific offenses during the season looked like absolute dookie in their bowl games. Should there be a solution? I argue a strong "yes," but am not sure what it should be. It's been suggested before that the bowls be moved to pre-season. I'd be all for that, but the host cities would scream bloody murder, as folks are more apt to travel to warm places in Dec/Jan than they are in August. You could make them early-season home games, as an incentive for a successful season, (and I'd be all for that) but that gets stadium execs all up in a tizzy, as they would lose revenue if the games were held on campuses. What's the answer? I don't imagine a solution that doesn't involve pi$$ing off a segment of people. Which people should have to suck it up and deal with it?
Players are opting out from their teams during the season, guys on playoffs teams are hitting the portal. I don't think it's fixable.
The answer is to expand the playoff to absorb as much of the bowl system as possible. Players will play in a playoff. They won't play in a meaningless bowl. FCS has a playoff. Why not FBS? It is that or move the bowls to the preseason.
I mean, the simplest answer is to provide a monetary award for participation. Short of that, it’s a waste of time for many of the teams and players. Not really fixable.
The last two above have it about right. More bowls need to accept their involvement with the expanded playoffs. And instead of building a large payout to the teams and/or conferences, the bowls need to start working their own NIL deals for players to participate and chance their NFL futures to injuries. That said, I hate that I just typed giving players more NIL money because I'm done with CFB as it has become. But fact is many of the best players ain't gonna play unless they gettin paid or promises everyone will watch them (evaluate them) in the playoffs. Imagine the Doritos Bowl or the Chevy Tough Trucks Bowl or the Under Armor Bowl or the ChickFilA Bowl paying players to appear in their commercials during the game. Now that would be a press day players would want to be at.
NIL for bowl teams makes sense. Instead of whatever silly swag the bowl is giving out, give them cash—$X thousand for the December 15 bowl, and $x50 thousand for a January 1 game
WHY DOES THE PORTAL EXIST? If I can quote Beatie from The Hunger Games, “if Man wrote the rules in, surely Man can write them out.”. Who is it for? The kids who are getting free education and money if they earn it or their possible career making millions? Everyone else seems to hate it. So why does it exist???
The bowl games of #13 - #25: 13 LSU vs Wisconsin 14 Arizona vs Oklahoma 15 Louisville vs USC 16 ND vs 19 Oregon St 17 Iowa vs 21 Ten 18 NC St vs Kansas St 20 Ok St vs TxAM 22 Clemson vs Kentucky 23 Liberty vs 8 Ore 24 SMU vs BC Starting next year it will be even harder to generate interest in the non-playoff games. I don't see much of a "bowl system" in 5 years.
If I was College Football Czar I think I would expand the playoffs. Add 16 more teams to the playoff, and create two more rounds in addition to the current 12 team format. The play in round features seeds 13 to 28, who play for an opportunity to play seeds 5 to 12 in the next round. The 2nd round teams play for an opportunity to play seeds 1-4 in the 3rd round. It keeps the playoffs short so that rarely would we see a situation where a team plays every round. But it gives lots of teams a chance to play for a championship.
I still think it you op out you should immediately be kicked off the team and have nothing further to do with team activities... maybe some players would think twice about opting out. Seeing these quitters on the sidelines makes me sick to my stomach. That should never be allowed... and all players should be told this will happen so they know from day one as a freshman this is the deal.
Why are so many people whining about this subject? If you don't like the product don't freaking watch the game.
Not sure how much longer these bowls will be profitable for ESPN, the cities involved and the bowl companies/sponsors. The stands are practically empty for some of these early games and the money comes from ESPN who was instrumental in increasing the number of bowls as they themselves own 17 of them. Now Kirkstreit is on there talking about how we need teams to be 8-4 before being bowl eligible. Maybe they are gonna to kill off some of these as they are no longer profitable. Long story, short. Money talks and as long as there are money to be made including as some mentioned NIL money from sponsors to pay players who may opt-out otherwise, the bowls will continue on with the incremental changes. I see a decrease in the number of bowls outside the playoffs based on interest, but I don’t see them going away anytime soon.
The sad thing is that it is where I'm at currently. If the Gators aren't playing I don't watch. I haven't watched a single minute of a single Bowl game this year. I haven't watched the last two Nat Champ games. Sadly it has just become a crummy NFL-like product that can't hold my interest. The really sad day will be when I can't even enjoy watching my alma mater play.
What's the purpose of a preseason bowl? Nobody knows how good teams are, and I thought the whole point of a bowl game is to set an exciting matchup between two great and somewhat evenly matched teams that wouldn't usually play. Why not just watch spring games? I don't get it and wouldn't be interested in the least. This problem is permanent now that the student athlete is a dead concept. They're professionals now but cfb has no power to discipline the professionals as they don't really give a single poop about CFB. It's just about getting paid to wear a cfb uniform for a couple years until NFL. Let them get drafted out of hs and cut it out.
No NIL payment until the schools last game is played. Lose NIL if you transfer. Even then, a player can sandbag. Unless the NFL makes playing the last game a requirement for signing that year nothing will change. Even then, a player can sandbag.
When a man dressed as Pop Tart is lowered into a giant toaster, and a giant edible Pop-Tart comes and the winning team eats him on live TV...you know you've reached rock bottom in the Bowl System! Split it up. Half at the midpoint of the season and the other half for the Playoff System!
Long ago, even before the playoffs ever were a legitimate thought, I advocated for using all of the bowls as part of the playoffs. That way, even the lowest bowl in the tier of bowls had value and would've attracted an audience on tv and in person. Would've eliminated teams with records that weren't bowl worthy. Could give byes if necessary to the top 8 or 16 teams which would allow for some 8-4 or 9-3 type records to still make a bowl game. Only 50 teams ended up with at least 8 wins after the bowls.
