Today, let's talk a little bowl overload.
There are 128 colleges and universities playing football in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Eighty are competing in 40 bowl games this year. That's 63 percent. When I was a kid, there were 12 bowl games (I know, I know. I sound like an old man. I'm just sayin' ...). Another eight games have been proposed, meaning 16 more teams would be playing in the postseason.
SERIOUSLY??? Bowl games were always meant to be a way to reward teams for winning their conference, or at least finishing second (MAYbe even third). That, obviously, is no longer the case. The rule has been that a team has to win six games to be bowl eligible. This year, even THAT was stretched; 12 teams finished 6-6, but to fill the bowls, three teams that went 5-7 (San Jose State, Nebraska, and Minnesota) were also selected. So average are many of the teams getting selected this year that San Jose State and Minnesota were actually picked to WIN their bowl games.
Clearly it is now all about money (I know, shocking, right?). In some conferences, like the SEC, all teams share the money paid to the schools who compete. That's great, but when do we get to the point of diminishing returns? Where is the tipping point when the American public is so tired of the meaningless bowl games played by very average teams that all of college football viewership suffers?
Now, to be honest, if not for the liberal placement of teams in bowl games, two of my favorite teams (Arkansas and my alma mater, Colorado State), would have sat at home. But let's compare FBS with the "lower divisions": 125 schools play football in the Football Championships Subdivision, and ony 24 (19 percent) make the playoffs; 170 schools play football in NCAA Division II, with 24 (14 percent) making the playoffs. It's even more tight in NCAA Division III where 245 schools play football, but only 16 (just under seven percent) make the playoffs.
If we are going to let so many average teams play on after the regular season in FBS, why not open up some opportunities for the teams that don't make the postseason in the other divisions as well? I'm not saying let's have 40 bowl games, but I would be strongly in favor of one bowl per two conferences in FCS, Divison II and Division III.
Because it is what I know best, I'm going to use Division II as my example. NCAA Division II is comprised of 15 conferences (with another six schools competing as independents). Currently Division II has three bowl games -- the C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl (matching a team from the Lone Star Conference against another top D-II team), the Live United Texarakana Bowl (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association vs. Great America Conference), and the Mineral Water Bowl (MIAA and Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference). Each of these bowls affiliates itself with a local charity, provides a fan-friendly environment, and supports the NCAA Division II mission of promoting the entire student-athlete experience -- academics, athletics, and community service.
Why not expand these ideals and add five more bowl games throughout the nation? You can see from the map that the heaviest concentration of D-II schools is east of the Rockies, but conference match-ups like we used to see in the glory days of college bowls could easily take care of this. And to make the games more appealing for teams and fans, I have to believe agreements can be reached with NFL teams (heck, Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State play at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for years). With many schools webcast and rebroadcasting their own games and with new organizations like the American Sports Network coming on board, new promotional opportunities (and potentially advertising revenue) could also be imagined.
My point is this: There is some good football being played in FCS, Division II and Division III, but good schools that just miss the playoffs are losing the opportunity to showcase their programs, promote their respective conferences and divisions, and serve in their communities. If teams with a losing record can make a bowl game in FBS, isn't it time to offer the same opportunities to quality teams in the lower divisions as well?
