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An expanded playoff hopefully fixes this, but if not, I think they should change the water mark for bowl eligibility to at least eight wins.
Bowls are sponsored by cities to promote tourism. Note that the lowest tier bowl games don't generate the same attendance, however, so there is a point of diminishing returns. I don't see a lot of cities with bowl games that desire to halt them, so I don't see them reducing the number of bowl teams. On the other hand, I don't see a flood of cities applying to host bowls, so I don't think we will move the other way (even more schools going to bowls), either.
It seems to me that the an important driver now is the need of ESPN and others to help fill the live TV schedule. The attendance seems to me to be dropping, even for the bigger bowls. Thinking back to 2 bowls that I attended in St Pete and New Orleans, the attendance seemed abysmal, but I guess it had some value for the local economy. Somebody had to lose money on the t shirts that were made for the bowl with Troy and Ohio on them. I doubt they sold 20 of those.
A lot of the bowls (especially the lower tier bowls) are outright owned by ESPN. I’m sure they have local bowl committees using them to either promote tourism or business, but the tourism is definitely a secondary (or even tertiary) concern for ESPN owned games
And this is the inherent problem. Because ESPN controls the bowl system, but the NCAA makes the rules on bowl eligibility. And the NCAA like the money greedy w*ores that they are aren't going to turn down extra money in their pocket, even if they don't even control their own sport's top level playoff. If the NCAA changed the standard for bowl eligibility, you could get rid of at least 10 bowls right now, but they're never going to do that. Or get rid of them completely with a playoff system similar to the FCS or lower divisions.
Once again the NCAA shows absolutely no teeth when it comes to FBS football and lets the major conferences and television providers decide how this show will be run.
I guess you missed the point (fact actually), that the NCAA has NO financial stake in college football's postseason, the NCAA has NO control over television deals for the conferences, or the Bowl games. And the NCAA's lack of control over TV is a direct result of a ruling by the SCOTUS.
But hey, don't let facts get in the way of opinions.
https://247sports.com/Article/-Why-1984-Supreme-Court-rul... .
Last Edited: 10/14/2022 11:24:00 AM by BillyTheCat