Some in the college football bowl business want to raise the standards. They believe 6-6 teams should not be in bowl games. They have many compelling arguments, and Brett McMurphy of cbssports.com wrote an interesting piece on it, which you can read here.
Short version: requiring teams to have a winning record and/or seven wins would make bowl games more meaningful and almost surely would cut down on the number of bowl games. Several bowls would go out of business, because of a lack of teams available. In the past two seasons alone, 27 teams have reached bowl games with just six wins.
But it’s a bad idea. For one simple reason. Raising the bowl requirement would be one more reason for teams to dumb down their regular-season schedules. One more reason to schedule three or four cupcakes in non-conference, then take your chances within the league.
Think about it. If you’re Kansas State, why in the world would you risk a home-and-home series with Miami, if you need seven wins to reach a bowl? Go 2-1 in non-conference, and that means you’d need a 5-4 Big 12 record to quality. If you’re Ole Miss, why would you play home-and-home with Texas? Go 3-1 in non-conference, and the Rebels would have to go 4-4 in the SEC to qualify for a bowl.
If you’re Arizona State, why play home-and-home with Missouri, when losing would mean at least a 5-4 Pac-12 record to go bowling?
This sport needs more incentive to play good non-conference games. Raising the bowl standards would create less incentive.
I don’t like the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl any more than you do. A 6-6 Illinois vs. 6-7 UCLA matchup, with both schools having fired their coach, is bad football. The glut of bowls hurts the television ratings. Cut down on the number of bowls (35 in the 2011 season), and you increase the strength of the remainder.
But again, why are trying to nurture the bowls? When is someone going to express concern for the regular season. I hope you guys don’t get tired of me preaching about the regular season, but that’s what must be fixed in college football. That’s what must be restored.
If you want to go back to the old rule that games against I-AA opponents don’t count, great. I’m all for it. That would shrink the market for purchased victories and make schools decide just to suck it up and play more real games.
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