Things more irrelevant than college bowls.

Louisville football?

As a fan who has been to see his team play in the CFP I still love the bowls and think they are big for player development.

Players get to have a fun free trip and get some gear.

Coaches get to get a look at some things and tinker with some things to build on going into the next year.

If you have unseasoned back ups that need to step into starters roles it’s a great thing.

I love the bowl games. No matter how "meaningless" they are to some, the smaller programs that are excited to be bowl eligible play really hard in those games. Fun to watch over the holidays.

The bowls games have to go.

Start with the ones that have 6-6 Big 12 and ACC teams playing 7-5 AAC and Mountain West teams

8 wins should be the minimum requirement for everyone to play in a bowl

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If the college football loving fanbase in general woulnd't just mindlessly lap up whatever ESPN tells them to, the bowls would still be really great.

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Bingo.

But Americans don't think for themselves anymore. Just look at how many will repost on Facebook or Tweeter some fake bot "news" article.

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Even in 2014 when we had a playoff system, you could easily say "well only those final 4 teams matter and nothing else does" but that wasn't really the case. It was STILL a big deal to win a big boy bowl game and all the pride and everythign else that came with it. But then ESPN kept playing up this narrative that only the playoffs matter. You could tune in to a game in September and the talkin heads would only be talking about who's making the playoffs. We had a show every week talking about playoff rankings. The playoffs were the only thing any media member or website or message board talked about. So then...once a team didn't make the playoffs their spoiled entitled players quit (not opted out- quit) and took their ball and went home. And it's only gottne worse from there. If the college football loving fanbase in general woulnd't just mindlessly lap up whatever ESPN tells them to, the bowls would still be really great.

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Here’s an interesting thing with the advent of the 12 team playoff.


Obviously you always choose playoff over a bowl.

But near term (1-2 years) which is better for say Alabama?


Go to the playoff and play Ohio state (current college football news projection) and get beat potentially by a substantial margin?


Or go to the citrus bowl, potentially have milroe opt out for draft/portal and start developing the heir.



You can never turn down the chance to win a championship but sometimes the alternative may end up being the better thing.


With the four team the teams were as a general rule legit contenders and elite.

With 12 a team like Alabama by their standards is mediocre but simultaneously aren’t able to punt on it and start the rebuild

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this is 100% manufactured by ESPN and the national media telling you that nobody cares.

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Wrong.

It's people shedding the fog of nostalgia and "tradition" to accept what they have long been...glorified exhibition games.

Now, they used to have more meaning when (on many occasions) the results were factored into the vote for the National Championship. But, with the push to have championships determined "on the field" in a championship game...which is what literally every other sport has done forever, people and players began to fully realize the stakes of the bowl games were virtually non-existent outside of pride.

The only reason the bowl games carried so much meaning was because there was literally no other option in terms of postseason success. College football fans didn't know any different. Thus, fans were conditioned that winning the Rose Bowl, or Sugar Bowl, or whatever was a HUGE deal when, in reality, the only difference between a win and a loss was a trophy and t-shirt. For both teams that was the end of the season. A win didn't advance you further towards a championship. Again, there is a reason no other major sport has a "postseason" with games that don't advance to anything.

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nce a team didn't make the playoffs their spoiled entitled players quit (not opted out- quit) and took their ball and went home.

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You mean the guys who actually had to practice for 3 more weeks after a long, grueling season, for a game win or lose did nothing but end their season? Guys who may want to think about their future a possible professional athletes?

Sounds more like a sense of entitlement from fans: "Hey Javon. I know you are physically beat to shite and have been playing through pain for 2.5 months. But I'm going to need you to suck it up and get ready for the Peach Bowl. No, a win is not going to make you the National Champion. But dammit, it's important to me! I want to see "my" team beat the No. 6 team. I don't care that you are tired, need a break, and don't want to risk a negative impact on your dreams of being a pro football player. I'm having people over to my house on New Year's Eve"!!!


If next year the NFL made the teams that didn't reach the playoffs go play one-off games in random locations where the winner doesn't advance anywhere EVERYONE on here would say how ridiculous an idea that was and be 100% behind the players for thinking the same thing. That would be the case in the NBA, MLB, college basketball, baseball, etc. Yet, somehow college football is supposed to be different because of....tradition.

The thing you are missing and it is a big thing is this.

Bowls mean 15 extra practices and that means more development for the younger players. It's invaluable practice time you can't get back.

It’s sad but it’s what the people wanted.

I miss New Year’s Day and the days leading up to it. People would actually stop down and watch the Sun bowl, etc. And New Year’s Day itself was better than Christmas.

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The bowls games have to go.

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Why? Are they preempting General Hospital for you?