Why We Need Bowl Games
5 comments so far
December 26, 2006 by
I finally caught the movie 'Superman Returns'. For those who haven't seen it, Superman leaves Earth for five years and when he...you guessed it...returns, he has to cope with the changes that have occurred while he was away. Among them was a change of heart by Lois Lane, who wins a Pulitzer for writing an article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Of course, by the end of the film she's writing "Why the World Needs Superman".
Similarly, despite the chorus of those who wish to dump the current bowl games for a playoff, I present my case for the status quo.
We've all heard the refrain that the bowl system means every game counts. We've all heard it, because it's true. But if the playoffs moved from neutral sites to home/road venues, the games wouldn't mean as much but they'd still mean an awful lot. So I won't go there.
Instead, there's a better reason - conference bragging rights. Unless there's a major re-alignment of the existing conferences, any playoff would require polls or computer algorithms. Any poll or computer algorithm will punish teams for losing more than it rewards them for winning. Athletic directors know this which is we see non-conference schedules that include Louisiana Tech, Nicholls State, and Troy.
That brings us to the bowls. If we want to see if how the Big XII measures up with the SEC, we have the Cotton Bowl and Independence Bowl to show us. Without a season full of bowls big and small, all we have are the occasional big games that get scheduled between major conference teams in the first few weeks of the season. How great was it after the 1995 seasons to see Kansas, Kansas State, and Colorado (all teams that Nebraska had blown out) go out and kick some behind in the bowls. There's team pride, but there's also conference pride. The bowls give us a chance to show that our neighborhood is a good one.
Take away the bowls and there goes the neighborhood. Sure, we'd see how the top team or two measured up, but not nearly to the extent we do now. So that's why we need bowls...and Superman.
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darren Dec 26 06
Great post, Steve. I agree with you about the bowls being a measuring stick or barometer for how the college football world looks in a given year or post season. To wit, BYU recently winning in a rout shows us that not everything is what some may think it is.
As a counter-point, I would argue that there are *too many* bowls right now. I mean, I could do without the San Diego Federal Credit Union Poinsettia bowl. Northern Illinois getting blown out in a locally-sponsored bowl named for a plant is not a highlight in any year. The world needs Superman. But, it could get along just fine without Aquaman and Plastic man, I think.
Btw, I saw Superman Returns recently myself. Other than Kevin Spacey's portrail of Lex, I could take it or leave it. Give me Batman Begins to cover the spread over Superman Returns anyday.
gregory Dec 26 06
In a "league" with 119 teams, with a dozen or so conferences, to have about 26, or 27 {whatever it is} go out "happy" isn't such a bad thing. And the losers got extra practice {hopefully with their coach still in place}. College football {and the many bowls} was and were around long before us being present and hopefully long after.
GBR!
Matt Dec 26 06
One issue is that some regular season games are becoming bowl-like in hype, and then bowl season is a spectacle of mediocrity. Think: ND@USC, USC@UCLA, Any two Florida schools, OSU/Michigan... great regular season games, and ones that really count toward a good placement in the BCS.
But really, anyone have a stat for the total number of D-1 bowls this year? It is becoming a bit much... I expect some of them to be on "The Ocho", as "SMU faces UC Irvine in a showdown of Interstate 5 rivals..."
Be glad that the system we have is so, well, American. In the European soccer leagues, they have no bowl, or playoffs. They play 16-18 games, and when they are all done, the one with the best record wins. No ceremony, no bowl, no playoffs. If there's a tie, then both teams "win". I can't even wrap my head around such a concept!
darren Dec 26 06
Wow, kudos to Matt for the ESPN 8 "the Ocho" reference ...
"Pepper needs new shorts!"
Jason Dec 27 06
There are 32 bowl games this year (wow!).
My personal favorites include the Gaylord Hotels Motor City Bowl ("It's just a game Faulker.") and the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (What, Bob's Bail Bonds backed out at the last minute?).