I don't have a problem with the large number of bowl games. What I would like to see is a reshuffling of the affiliations every 5-10 years or so, particularly in the bottom tier bowls. It would benefit everyone - Fans get different destinations, hosts get different visitors, repeat matchups are avoided, etc.
I think this is my #1 problem with the bowl system the way it is now. Andrew nailed it.
It sucks knowing each season that your season will end in one of the following places:
Boise, ID
Bahamas
Mobile, AL
Montgomery, AL
Unless some other leagues really suck then a few other places are on the map.
But the hilarity in that is that those random bowl games go to teams that finish way down in the MAC standings. The "good" MAC teams get stuck in one of those four locations listed.
If you want to have 40 bowls ... fine. (I think it's still too many) ... but if you go that route, at least allow for interesting match-ups and not force certain teams into certain bowls every year.
Let's be honest ... rarely do any of these lower tier bowl games fill half of a stadium. So what's the harm in allowing Ohio play in a bowl game against another decent mid-major like Fresno State? Or have Buffalo take on Utah State?
I'd rather have that option than the forced Sun Belt/MAC game that we get every year.
Problem #1A is the lack of a real playoff that was mentioned before too.
It's laughable that FCS can have a 24-team playoff .... but yet, it's "impossible" to figure out a way to have more than a 4-team playoff in FBS? CFB has done a fantastic job of segregating the haves from the have-nots. It's a joke they even bother ranking G5 teams in the CFP rankings. We all know one of those schools will NEVER get a fair shake.