There are just too many bowl games. It borders on the ridiculous. Thankfully the most nonsensical bowls of 2011 are now written in the books.
A very silly game was the MAACO Bowl. Boise State, a top ten team, being relegated to meeting a 6-6 Arizona State squad? Just goes to show what lengths the BCS will go to keep a non AQ school out of the big party. The BCS fears a team like BSU which is fully capable of further exposing the current system as fraudulent. Of course next year BSU will find themselves in an AQ conference. Wonder which will be the next non BCS school to "bother" the BCS.
The Music City Bowl had two 6-6 teams battling to see who was the most mediocre. Wake Forest proved to be just a tad worse than Mississippi State. At least there was a lot of fans in the seats. A boon to the Nashville economy sure but just not what a bowl game is supposed to be.
The Meineke Car Car Bowl of Texas (or whatever it is called this year) was essentially a home game for the Aggies as was designed. Northwestern and TAMU deserved no post season whatsoever but there they were none the less. TAMU won this one which surprised me frankly. Not that they are without talent; top 10 talent, but they have just not been able to get it together this season. Coaching was likely to blame but that has been (possibly) rectified. Not that it will matter much. The SEC and perennial mediocrity loom large for the Aggies. Sumlin should have stayed in Houston where he was building a power. Or not. It has not been proven that Sumlin can win without a Keenum behind center. That type of player does not just come along every day.
The Pinstrip Bowl was a semi home game for Rutgers. Not much of interest to anyone but die hard fans. A 6-6 regular season for Iowa State is a success but that still does not mean it is worthy of a post season bid. The better team won.
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (the what?) is thankfully over. This one was perhaps the most ridiculous game of the season. Perhaps any bowl at any time. UCLA had to get a waiver from the NCAA to compete in a bowl game with a losing record. Didn't Western Kentucky have a winning season? They or any D1 school with a winning record should have been a suitable replacement for UCLA. It would not have mattered much as far as attendance goes most likely. Did you see the "crowd" in the stands? Almost non existent. UCLA lost this one but Illinois sure tried to give it away. Neither team was deserving of a post season trip.
We have already established that the BCS has left Boise State out in the cold, but what about KSU and Arkansas? They will square off in the Cotton, which is historically every bit as prestigious as the Sugar or Orange Bowls. but does not have near the payoff as a BCS game. This year, both KSU and the Hogs, are ranked higher than any team that plays in either the Sugar or Orange. Such is the system.....
An eight win season really should be the minimum requirement to become bowl eligible. The only possible exception would be a team with a lesser record, who is conference champion, allowed in with less than eight wins (but no less than seven). Of course that would lessen the number of bowls but a good many of those are just a waste of time and attract very few fans.
I just don't find this schedule to be a problem. Many of these games are at odd times (time-zone lateness, day games, weekday games), so it doesn't interfere much with regularly scheduled TV programming. For those like me, we have the option to DVR games we can't catch at home, or watch them streaming live on our iPad or device. I really enjoy having all these Bowl Games. If you don't like them, don't watch them. I enjoy the fact that I get to see a bunch of teams with great players whom have not yet had the chance to play at a nationally-televised level. I also got a new HDTV for Xmas, and with my Free HD programming from DISH network, I actually relish the idea of spending countless hours watching future pro's get their first taste of the big-time. DISH just renewed their HD Free for Life promotion, and my boss at DISH told me employees were now eligible. I signed right up, and am now saving $120/year with free HD, watching all of the meaningless college football I can stand!! It's a pretty sweet deal for me!!
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