Tank's Take January 3, 2003

Time to Flush the Bowls

Tonight the 2002 NCAA Football season will come to an end when Miami takes on Ohio State for the National Championship in the Fiesta Bowl err correct that the (Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, me must sell those tortilla chips now.) Cooperate sponsorship has long spoiled the grand tradition bowls, once were, but now the bowls themselves are ruing college football as they are in the way of what fans truly want a Nation Championship Tournament.

Sure this year the Bowl Championship Series got lucky with only 2 undefeated teams finishing the regular season, thus avoiding any controversy. However, in most years it is never that easy, one may only look back 1 year when Nebraska got in the BCS Championship despite not winning its conference title. Say if this year Iowa dose not lose early in the season to Iowa State, or Georgia beats Florida, and you have 4 undefeated teams how do you tell 2 of these teams your undefeated season was not quite good enough to play for the National Title?

The BCS was set up to end the confusion of Conference being locked into certain bowls, thus ensuring a 1 vs. 2 National Title Game, and thus avoiding the confusion of C0-National Champions. However, in January 19998 before getting the Rose Bowl on board the Big Ten and Pac 10 were still locked in the Rose Bowl, and controversy reigned as Michigan and Nebraska shared the title. In the 1990's alone there were 3 years where the National Title was shared, just saying that sounds ridiculous. This did not include 1994 when Penn State finished undefeated and uncrowned.

The fact is the bowl system itself is broken beyond repair, and most coaches, and university understand that, but their lust for money blinds them. At one time there were only a handful of bowl games, the ones on January 1st were considered the cream of the crop while the ones on December were considered stepping-stones. However with as few as 16 bowls games as recently as 1988, a trip to a bowl game was a reward for a good season. However, with 28 bowls games this year it has become just one big mess. Up until a few years ago teams with 6 or more losses could not o to a bowl game, this year 8 bowl participants had 6 losses including both teams Nebraska and Mississippi participating in the Mainstay Independence Bowl. In addition a ridiculous 14 teams had 5 losses, in total 20 teams had 5 or more losses, is 7-5 a good season? Should mediocrity be rewarded?

When you have 56 teams participating in what should be reserved only for the elite teams that is the result you get. One sign there are too many bowl games is that there is a bowl game called the Humanitarian Bowl played on blue turf duck often confuse with water killing themselves in Boise, ID. Boise State was the big winner playing in a Bowl on their own campus, but at 11-1, the 15th ranked Broncos deserved even better, like a trip to one of the better bowls. However, record is not a guarantee of a bowl berth some bowls actually chose teams based on how many tickets they can sell. This is not sports it is a joke.

What makes things more laughable is that college officials say a tournament would interfere with finals. However, that must only apply for the major colleges in Division 1-A, since Division 1-AA, 2 and 3 all have tournaments. I guess those schools do not take finals.

The fact is the smaller schools in the lower Divisions emphasize academics, since few games are televised, and even fewer players make the NFL. Yet the bigger schools, which often act as a Minor League for the NFL all of a sudden academics, become important. Only when it is convenient for the college, many Division 1-A players take light class loads and never intend to even graduate, leaving school at the first opportunity to grab the big money in the NFL keeping a close eye on their draft status hoping to get selected in the first round where they could get the big money right away.

The fact is it's a joke and there is no valid reason why a 16 team tournament can't be played in December. Just imagine playing the Semifinals on Christmas Day and the Championship on New Years Day. You can even use the bowl sights, as long as the blue turf is not included. Sure the tradition of watching bowl games on New Years Day will be affected, but would you rather watch 6 meaningless games or 1 National Title battle? I know I rather watch the Championship, its time the NCAA learn less is more, and the first Tournament would be a ratings success, and may even make NCAA Football more money, then the 28 bowl games played this year which were more often then not the cure of insomnia.