So many Bowl games

I’m a much bigger NFL than college football fan, but while I wanted a playoff for years – and definitely content the field needs to expand to 8 teams – I am not opposed to the large number of bowls. I’ve come to enjoy being able to expect most evenings during the holiday season there will be some game for me to flip on.

Now there are plenty of bowls I don’t watch, and when the schedule comes out I often have minimal interest in the early games –but I do find myself tuning to more games than I would have guessed. It isn’t the worst to see a team I don’t see often, or an small time program celebrating making some small bowl, or facing down a traditional power on an off year – you never know when you’ll see an exciting finish (notice I did not say great game).

All that now said – we are reaching critical mass for bowls. There were 38 (ignoring the title game) last year – next year there will be three new ones. That is 82 teams – that is an estimated 64% of all I-A programs. I would not bank on there being enough teams .500 better (there have not been an average of that many the last few years). Letting a team with a losing record into a bowl doesn’t appeal to anyone, but NBA fans got used to it. Fans will show up, ESPN will fill air time, money will be made. Also one of the new three is now Orlando THIRD bowl – and their stadium is crappy.

Incidentally 20 years ago there were only 18 bowls.

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Did you know there is a Hall of Fame just for HBCU football players in Atlanta? http://www.blackcollegefootballhof.org/

Also Deacon Jones and Jerry Rice apparently played for the same tiny college.