Sunday, December 4, 2016

What Bowl's Would Look Like Under College Football Czar Bilo

It is at a point in time where the only thing that can fix major college football is for the NCAA to name a czar for the sport that would control all aspects. An emperor of the sport, perhaps. I would throw my name into the hat to take over, and would completely restructure the game to maximize the sport in the best light possible. I would immediately cancel all Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday night games, because nobody watches them on any regularity anyway. Football is only succeeding when all levels are flourishing, and high schools deserve their Friday spot lights. College football is also, so they say, an amateur sport, where academics come first, therefore, Tuesday and Wednesday night games are not for the advantage of a student athlete, so those games are moved back to Thursday or Saturday. I also believe that every game does not need to be seen or broadcasted for a national audience, so I would call for the return of regional networks to carry games for MAC and Sun Belt games, because national ratings are far too low for those games as it stands.
I currently detest the bowl and playoff system, so I would either abolish bowls altogether, the most populist choice, or I would return bowls to the state of the early days, or prior to the BCS. If I were to keep the bowls in place, here is my list of bowls that I would allow, and why(with their 2016/17 match ups listed)

Fiesta Bowl: Colorado vs Ohio State
The Fiesta Bowl is a classic. Leave it in, and let PAC-12 runner up face the non champ from the Big 10. Done deal. 

Peach Bowl: Clemson vs Wisconsin
The ACC champ often went to the Peach back in the day, and it was always a great turn out and game. Make it a New Years Day game against an at large, and you have a classic. 

Orange Bowl: Michigan vs Oklahoma
It us one of the core classics. Take the Big 12 champ vs an at large, and you have this gem.

Rose Bowl: Washington vs Penn State
The Rose Bowl was almost ready to secede from the NCAA during the BCS era, but then sold out. Return it to the Big 10/PAC 10 or 12 days, and you get a big time clash every season.

Cotton Bowl: Louisville vs USC
The Cotton Bowl is again, a core classic. Make it a highest ranked possible at large game, using a formula ranking like my PRS, of course, and you have a gem. USC still did not deserve the Rose, by the way. 

Alamo Bowl: Boise State vs Iowa
The stadium sucks, but San Antonio is a cool enough town to get a bowl and keep it. Another at large match would net a solid haul.

Citrus Bowl: Temple vs West Virginia
Citrus Bowl has been around a while. Pitch the AAC champ vs Big 12 runner up in sunny Florida on New Years morning, and it should be a blast. 

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Virginia Tech
Core classic once again. Pit SEC champ against ACC runner up, and this would please many. 

Las Vegas Bowl: Houston vs San Diego State
Always a great bowl in a bad venue, but this game always sells out, and always has quality match ups. Mountain West champ gets a strong at large.

Sun Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Stanford
Again, it is a terrible venue, but a core classic. I leave it alone.

Holiday Bowl: Florida State vs Washington State
Always a great time, this bowl has long been one of my favorites annually. PAC-12 team gets Mountain West team, or higher ranked at large, and there you go. 

Texas Bowl: Florida vs Pittsburgh
Houston deserves a bowl, and the former Bluebonnet Bowl would stay in my lineup. 

Outback Bowl: Memphis vs Miami
Keep this Florida classic on New Years Eve, and pit an AAC vs ACC, and you get a really solid regional match.

Gator Bowl: USF vs Texas A&M
Gator Bowl is another old throwback now called the TaxSlayer Bowl, which is just stupid. Take an AAC and SEC team every year, and again, you get a solid crowd. 

Liberty Bowl: Western Kentucky vs Air Force
Another classic bowl, with a CUSA champ against a strong Mountain West or independent. You have a great game every year. 

Independence Bowl: Toledo vs Tulsa
Make it one of the first games played the week between Christmas and New Years, and pit the AAC vs the MAC. You get two high quality teams every season.

Aloha Bowl: Boise State vs Navy
Again, I hate the venue, but it could serve as a decent landing spot for an early bowl game between the Mountain West and a solid at large to increase interest. 

Motor City Bowl: Western Michigan vs BYU
Return this game to its classic name, and make it a spot for the MAC champs vs a solid at large. 

New Orleans Bowl: Old Dominion vs Appalachian State
Sun Belt champs land here annually, against the CUSA, and you have another strong regional game.

Freedom Bowl: Wyoming vs Louisiana Tech
The lost gem of Southern California. Play it in the new Inglewood stadium, and pit 2 at large teams to kick off the bowl season. You know you will get great weather!

There will be no single conference favoritism, and no 5, 6, or 7 win teams, and even 8 win teams are on the bubble. Remember, 8 out of 12 wins is till only two thirds, or 66.7%. That is a D in school, kids. Teams in these games would change, as I have not received our final PRS rankings, so look for an update when I do!


2 comments:

  1. Scott - agree on all accounts. I would also give P5 conferences 5 bowl slots and G5 conferences 2-3 bowl slots (with independents taking the remainder that G5 ), just to have some normalcy each year. However, a major benefit of going to a bowl game is the extra practice time...how would you deal with all the caterwauling from the 40 bowl game participants you just cut about not getting to practice a few more weeks?

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  2. Thanks for the comment! My answer is fairly simple. Bowl games are earned as rewards. Winning 6 or 7, or sometimes even 8 games is not always worthy of reward, short of winning a conference title with that kind of record. That extra practice time is earned, not given. 8 wins seems like a lot, and maybe it was over a decade ago before the 12th game was added. 8 wins in 12 games is just 66.7%. In my book, that is not a passing grade for a 12 game season. Obviously, percentages go down from there. If you want the extra practice time, you had best get out there and win 9 games and earn it! Thanks for reading!

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