The Rest of College Football

[lineygoblue]

Just remember, if you pay the football boys, you'll have to make some accomodation for the boys who play the rest of the sports, .. and oh yes, .. they'll have to figure a way to pay the girls too.

Its a major lawsuit waiting to happen if they don't include the girls.

[Jeff Buchanan]

An interesting discussion on mgoboard pertaining to the impact of the new CFP system. A point was made that after a reasonable time frame within the regular season, it will become apparent who is in and who is out. For those teams that are out of contention for a play-off birth will fan support plummet? Will star players expecting to get drafted start opting out in November? How motivated will players on the outs be to continue to play? What's the opinion on impacts among folks posting here?

[lineygoblue]

Will star players expecting to get drafted start opting out in November? How motivated will players on the outs be to continue to play?

That's an interesting point. I think I could see where some players who have been told that they are projected as upper first round may start bailing out on a season, if no playoff is in their future. The bowls are also going to feel the impact even more, with 12 teams involved in the post season.

Would the NCAA allow first round losers in the playoff to ALSO play in a NYD bowl? Would those teams WANT to play another game? And again, would their top players even participate? Would the NCAA consider allowing the bowls to pay the players to participate?

I think the playoffs are going to be fun, but I see many of the bowls folding their tents.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Prior to the advent of the BCS Championships that evolved further into what we have now (for another 2 months), Individual bowl committees - the dudes in the plaid jackets, had considerable power to influence which teams went where in the post season. No more and, as Liney points out, some of the lesser bowls are going to disappear. Broadcast media is not going to be interested in televising (or streaming) the lesser bowls as there won't be enough ad money in doing that to make it worth it and the supporting structure of say, the Blue Bonnet Bowl (or whatever it's called now) won't get paid and that bowl will just fade into the sunset..

I'm unclear about how existing bowls will fold into the CFB post season, especially as it relates to the hundred and twelve or so teams who didn't make the play-off cut. Will there be consolidation among the perennial big time bowls (e.g. Rose, Orange, Sugar and others, in such a way that the Sugar for example will host 2 games: one for the early contenders match-ups as well as 2 teams in the "final 4"?

I see a lot of CFB fans saying they've had enough. The game appears to be declining in popularity as fans get tired of broadcast media leaning on and controlling CFB games at the expense of fan enjoyment. The wild, wild west associated with NIL and the portal can be a negative factor too. The inevitable collapse of the NCAA (weighed down by law suits) will usher in new regulating bodies that, at this point, are completely unknown as is a workable national CFB structure that accommodates any school that wants to have a football team and compete. I'm among the disillusioned who plan on cutting back on my CFB obsession.

[lineygoblue]

I'm not in favor of the smaller bowl fading into oblivion. I think a lot of the minor bowls provide some fairly entertaining football during the holiday season. I would miss that if those games were gone. But the bowls don't make a penny without butts in the seats, and TV advertising money. And with the Top 12 not being available, the advertising money won't be as big, and the butts in the seats will not pay the bills all by themselves.

I don't know what the solution is.

[Mike]

Here's how the playoff will work next year. It incorporates bowl games beginning with the quarterfinal round.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2023-12-03/how-12-team-college-football-playoff-will-work-teams-schedule-bids

The NY6 bowls will provide 4 quarterfinal games and 2 semis on a rotating basis.

2024 quarterfinals: Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl
2024 semifinals: Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl

First round	Dec. 20-21
Fiesta Bowl | Quarterfinals	Dec. 31
Peach, Rose, Sugar Bowl | Quarterfinals	Jan. 1
Orange Bowl | Semifinals	Jan. 9
Cotton Bowl | Semifinals	Jan. 10
Atlanta, GA | National Championship	Jan. 20

2025 quarterfinals: Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl
2025 semifinals: Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl

First round	Dec. 19-20
Cotton Bowl | Quarterfinals	Dec. 31
Orange, Rose, Sugar Bowls | Quarterfinals	Jan. 1
Fiesta Bowl | Semifinals	Jan. 8
Peach Bowl | Semifinals	Jan. 9
Miami, FL | National Championship	Jan. 19

[Mike]

There's 43 bowl games this season which is way too many, IMO. 86 teams? There's not more than 25-30 that I'd care to see play. Every team in the Sun Belt qualified for a bowl!

[Cody_Russell]

Agree.
Way too many bowl games. I haven’t had interest in doing a bowl game picks pool for years too. It’s just impossible to predict outcomes due to so many players opting out. Takes the fun out of meaningless bowl games.

Hopefully the 12 team playoff format improves the postseason. It would have been fun with this year’s teams. A year too late…

[AlabamAlum]

I love every single bowl game. Give me the Akrons and Wyomings and whatever. I love college football and all the bowl games. I mean, c’mon, what am I gonna watch on a Tuesday night in mid-December? A “Saved By The Bell” marathon? These bowl games are The Totino’s Pizza Rolls of the culinary world. Great food? Nah. Healthy? Nah. But when the choice is pizza rolls or doing without, pass the plate. I’ll have some.

[iam416]

Once again, Alabam"Alum" shows why many a wayward critic consider the Irish the finest of this world's writers. Well said, AA.

[AlabamAlum]

That hurts because, as you know, I hate James Joyce second only to Faulkner in the literary world of supposed “great writers”.

[iam416]

Which is especially self-loathing given your Irish ancestry and Mississippi upbringing. I mean, you're not wrong. I'd rather read THE_WIZARD_ pontificate on the metaphysical than read a word of those two self-absorbed incoherent assclowns. But, they ain't my people.

[AlabamAlum]

You’re crossing a line, shyster.

[CGVT]

There's 43 bowl games this season which is way too many, IMO. 86 teams? There's not more than 25-30 that I'd care to see play. Every team in the Sun Belt qualified for a bowl!

There are not "way too many" to the teams that are playing in them and their fans.

You all are looking at the "lesser bowls" from a big school perspective.

The lessor bowls have a place and will continue to have a place. The teams that have no chance at the playoff are happy to go to their bowl games and the cities that host them are glad to have their economic impact. Sure some kids will opt out, some will not play as they go into the portal, but overall, the group of 5 teams will be pretty much intact going into their bowls.

That silly ass bowl in Mobile Alabama brings millions of dollars into the local economy and overall, the kids are glad to get a chance to play in it.

I don't think Coastal Carolina is too upset about going to Hawaii for a bowl game and they don't give a shit if you watch it or not.

My wife and I, along with another couple are going to the Cure Bowl in Orlando Saturday. We are not high rollers by any means, but when it's all said and done, our small party of four will dress up in our App State gear and will dump a couple grand into the local economy and enjoy watching the wife's alma mater in a bowl game

For the teams not in the playoff, the other bowls are more in the spirit of what the bowls originally meant. They are a reward for having a good season. There are still some student-athletes in college football. The lesser bowls are for them.

[lineygoblue]

I agree with a lot of what you said, CGVT but unfortunately what makes the bowl's a reality is money. And most of the money comes from the networks, via advertising. Teams don't appear in bowl games for nothing. There has to be a payout to each team, and the bowl committee itself needs to make some money. I do like watching some of the lesser bowls during the holiday season. There are some mildly entertaining games. I don't want to see them go away completely, but I think that may happen due to the expanded playoffs.