(11-29-2017 11:36 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote: I know these games have the potential of being good. Unfortunately, with the bowl tie-in's, that's not as sure a thing as it once was. We're stuck with a lot of crap around the holidays...a lot of background noise at bars, parties, and family functions. It isn't what it used to be, when, I agree, these games mattered.
"What it used to be" before every bowl had contracts with two conferences, was about a third as many bowls as there are now, and almost no bowl appearances for teams outside the power conferences.
Here's the entire bowl lineup from 40 years ago, the 1977 season. 13 bowls. Only 6 contracted bowl places (Pac-8 and Big Ten in Rose, SWC in Cotton, Big 8 in Orange, SEC in Sugar, WAC in Fiesta).
Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame 38, Texas 10
Orange Bowl: Arkansas 31, Oklahoma 6
Rose Bowl: Washington 27, Michigan 20
Sugar Bowl: Alabama 35, Ohio State 6
Bluebonnet Bowl: Southern California 47, Texas A&M 28
Peach Bowl: North Carolina State 24, Iowa State 14
Sun Bowl: Stanford 24, Louisiana State 14
Gator Bowl: Pittsburgh 34, Clemson 3
Fiesta Bowl: Penn State 42, Arizona State 30
Tangerine Bowl: Florida State 40, Texas Tech 17
Hall of Fame Classic: Maryland 17, Minnesota 7
Liberty Bowl: Nebraska 21, North Carolina 17
Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech 24, Louisville 14