My goal this year is to pay attention to all bowls featuring a match-up of teams with winning records. In other words skip the contests featuring 6-6 clubs as they have no reason to be rewarded with post-season play. So New Mexico Bowl, showcasing 6-6 BYU and 6-6 UTEP on 12/18? Sorry, but I will be watching college hoops or making eggnog or buying presents. Beef O' Brady's Bowl on 12/21? Not only do I have no idea what that means, but 6-6 Louisville does not merit December watching (until next year as the program is turning around). Little Ceasar's Bowl featuring 6-6 Florida International? Nope (and how has this game survived?). The next one is the toughest one as Air Force and 6-6 Georgia Tech square off in what could be an interesting Independence Bowl game on 12/27. So I may cheat there. But the double header on 12/29 of the Military Bowl and Texas Bowl with 6-6 ECU and 6-6 Illinois respectively? They are easy to pass on. Another potential dilemma occurs the following day wen Army takes on SMU in the Armed Forces Bowl. Right now the Cadets are 6-5 but Navy still looms on the schedule. Later that day I will skip the Holiday Bowl, annually one of the better bowl games, as it features 6-6 Washington getting crushed by Nebraska for the 2nd time this season. On New Year's Eve I will focus in on the Sun Bowl at the expense of the Meineke Car Care (with 6-6 Clemson) and Liberty (6-6 Georgia) Bowls. January 1 is thankfully free of .500 teams, but it is sad that 5 teams sporting 7-5 records get to play on that day including one (Michigan) whose coach may get canned. And later in January a 6-6 Middle Tennessee team is somehow playing in a bowl game that I will skip as too a 6-6 Kentucky squad. Sorry, but by then I will be burned out on games. Although if I am still alive in my bowl pool...
What are we to make of Connecticut winning a BCS Bowl while Boise State goes to that tradition-laden Maaco bowl?
ReplyDeleteIt seems ridiculous to me that Boise State, which has been ranked in the top 10 for two years now, and defeated ACC Champ V.Tech this year, has to be relegated to playing in Vegas in a week when no one cares about college football.
Meanwhile, Connecticut, which has 4 losses while playing an arguably weaker schedule than Boise, still scores a major bowl on new year's day.
It's time to stop recognizing the Big East as a football powerhouse. Let those teams earn their way to a bowl.
Meanwhile, Bosie State represents what college football is all about: Play hard, win right.
I say no more automatic bids.