Bowls outside of the playoff picture are increasingly exhibition games between squads that may or may not much resemble the teams that earned the invitation. What can we do?

Here are a few ideas. I like (1) paying players real money to participate and (2) putting 'bowl season' into the spring to create showcase scrimmages or (3) into late summer to create pre-season scrimmages or high-profile season openers.

https://247sports.com/college/north-caro...224011520/

get rid of the playoff's
we were told we get true champion
well the bracket is full of speculation, so CFB gained nothing

what did playoff's do
1- SEC & B-10 make ton of money
2- elite athletes are playing 2-3 more games to get injured
3- destroyed the bowl games

(12-29-2023 12:25 AM)templefootballfan Wrote:  get rid of the playoff's
we were told we get true champion
well the bracket is full of speculation, so CFB gained nothing

what did playoff's do
1- SEC & B-10 make ton of money
2- elite athletes are playing 2-3 more games to get injured
3- destroyed the bowl games

not only no but hell no.

who gives a flying **** about stupid ass EXHIBITION GAMES? That's all the stupid bowl games are.

Get rid of them. I'm not someone who enjoys saying this, I've loved watching the Bowl games my entire life. That said, in a world where there's a 12 team playoff the bowls serve no purpose.

This doesn't make me happy but this is the new reality, time to accept it and move forward.

Simplest Solution IMO:

-Eliminate all Bowl games

-Have FBS have a 24 team Playoff like FCS, ensures all Conferences Champions and Conferences have a shot.

(12-29-2023 01:08 AM)SouthEastAlaska Wrote:  Get rid of them. I'm not someone who enjoys saying this, I've loved watching the Bowl games my entire life. That said, in a world where there's a 12 team playoff the bowls serve no purpose.

This doesn't make me happy but this is the new reality, time to accept it and move forward.

I tend to agree. I was thinking about having 8 or so bowl games to ensure all Top 25-30 teams had a chance for meaningful postseason experiences but I'm not sure how it would work.

Personally, getting rid of the bowl games WHILE ensuring a blowout rivalry week Thanksgiving weekend or the weekend after (when students return) would really benefit the health of the sport. I believe MOST fanbases would be quite happy to wrap up an 8-4/9-3 season with a win over an arch rival. Have Army vs Navy as the lead-in to the playoff games. Plenty of feel good during holiday social events! Then people can sit back and appreciate the playoffs. Dream of getting there next year...

Scrap conference championship games too...

I come from a Patriot League/Lehigh vs Lafayette background. Prior the PL's entry into the 1-AA playoffs in 1997 the rivalry game was IT! Now when the FCS playoffs are on the line the juice is only heightened. When it's not? It's still an incredible conclusion to the season!

the playoff's are not exhibition games?
gonna take 10 games to get to Mich- Wash, [12 team playoff]
and if one of them doesn't make it, no true champion
bonus, FSU wins, co- champs, 2 parades
uh,uh,uh,uh can't have that, it would be the end of the world.

btw 82 fan bases are waiting for bowl season

I will admit that the current bowl season, with its many flaws, left me watching significantly fewer games. One idea mentioned that merits some discussion is moving them to another part of the year. Spring has some merit, but I kind of like a late August kickoff game that doesn’t affect standings as an interesting tune up game.

I like the idea of moving them to spring. I wouid not count the record, but it could help in establishing early season polls.

Agree to split the bowl payout pot with participating players. 50% to the programs playing. 35% to the winning team players who participate, 15% to the losing.

Early August games played outside in the South just sound delightful.

(12-29-2023 07:43 AM)freshtop Wrote:  Agree to split the bowl payout pot with participating players. 50% to the programs playing. 35% to the winning team players who participate, 15% to the losing.

The bowl payouts are lets say 10 million total(a lot aren't even that much).

3.5 million divided by 50 players lets say is 70k per player. Yeah for an NFL prospect, that's not meaningful at all. Wouldn't stop the opt outs at all.

(12-29-2023 08:49 AM)stever20 Wrote:  

(12-29-2023 07:43 AM)freshtop Wrote:  Agree to split the bowl payout pot with participating players. 50% to the programs playing. 35% to the winning team players who participate, 15% to the losing.

The bowl payouts are lets say 10 million total(a lot aren't even that much).

3.5 million divided by 50 players lets say is 70k per player. Yeah for an NFL prospect, that's not meaningful at all. Wouldn't stop the opt outs at all.

Might delay some of the transfer portal sit outs. And while it wouldn't get the players who were locks for multimillion dollar deals to play, it might get the day 2-3 guys to suit up. Also gives everyone a little more incentive to win.

Current format more G5 vs P2 and M2 games.

Future eliminate go to a 32 team playoff, like several state high school playoffs.

The games generate too good of TV ratings to go away, unless this changes. Average teams beating NBA and college basketball in ratings will continue the current path without other football content.

how can we improve bowl season?

how about having more bowls with food twists. I mean right now on twitter, the 2 most talked about bowls are the Mayo Bowl and the Pop Tarts Bowl.

Bowl games were exhibitions to begin with.

The CFP did nothing to make them any more or less relevant. Is Caleb Williams suddenly playing in the Holiday Bowl because the CFP doesn’t exist?

It certainly seems like interest in bowls has been weak this season, at least on this forum. Will be interested to see what tv ratings look like. Maybe if those are in the tank we will see some changes.

(12-29-2023 09:07 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  Current format more G5 vs P2 and M2 games.

Future eliminate go to a 32 team playoff, like several state high school playoffs.

The game generate to good of TV ratings to go away, unless this changes. Average teams beating NBA and college basketball in ratings will continue the current path without other football content.

The bolded will only make the games less relevant, not more.

Keep the bowls! They serve a purpose. If you don’t like them, don’t watch them. If you want 32 team playoffs, go watch the NfL. Easy fixes:

1. Keep it in December as a reward for the season.
2. Consider moving all bowl games to proper stadiums in warm weather cities. Games played in Annapolis in a driving rain are not enticing kids to stay.
3. Pay the players participating and, if needed, reduce the amount going to the conference/teams and give it to the players.
4. Shift the transfer portal to open on May 1st. Yes, this means players cannot transfer for spring ball, but who said that was the goal of the portal? If you play a football season then you stay at that school for the entire academic year.
5. Follow the lead of Dukes and Pop Tarts and make the tie in fun.
6. Decide whether bowl conference tie ins should exist. Not sure on this but either build in a natural rivalry in these lesser games or forget it and build good match ups that may have recruiting implications, etc.
7. Make Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta bowls permanent playoff quarterfinal games on New Years Day (maybe the Orange always on NYE). All other bowls played before NYE.

Several years back Dabo Swinny suggested, and I think it was a positive one, that we gid rid of Spring Games. That would allow two sport athletes the chance to play football and baseball or any other spring sport, like track & field, or pick one. It would give coaches a small bit of time with families, concentrate that practice time in the summer culminating in an exhibition pre-season game against an in-state FCS school giving them their payday game. You would hold this game on the 3rd or 4th Saturday in August and sell the ticket as part of your coming season ticket book for the 12-game regular season. Dabo stressed that in an upper tier being paid to move toward 12 P Games for the regular season this would become every school's 7th home game in the season book.

I liked the idea then, and like it now.

Bowls are an antiquated system that was designed to enrich the tourism dollars of local chambers of commerce. It helped if they were in desirable destinations for families. Back then the tickets were inexpensive, and families could go. Now the tickets are jacked up, the hotels double their rates on that weekend, and they are a scam. And frankly, most of the P schools have better venues with better amenities than any of the so-called minor bowls.