Medina Today

Let’s talk Bowl games.

The college football bowl season is upon us. This year there will be 43 different college bowl games running from Dec. 17 through Jan. 10, 2022, concluding with the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship.

It all started with the Rose Bowl – the 1902 Tournament East-West football game, between Michigan and Stanford and sponsored by the Tournament of Roses Association (Michigan won, 49-0). After that blowout, the Tournament of Roses Association tried other events rather than sticking with football. They tried ostrich racing, chariot racing, polo, bronco busting, racing between camels and elephants and when all of those were deemed as too dangerous, they went back to a safer sport – football.  By 1923, the Rose Bowl football game became an annual affair,

The name “bowl” to describe the games comes from the Rose Bowl stadium. Other cities saw the promotional value for tourism that the Tournament of Roses parade and Rose Bowl carried and began to develop their own regional festivals, which included college football games. The label “bowl” was attached to the festival name, even though the games were not always played in bowl-shaped stadiums.

In 1935, the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Sun Bowl became New Year’s Day events, And in 1937, the Cotton Bowl was launched. The Pineapple Bowl was played from 1940 to 1952, and the Gator Bowl in 1946, then the Citrus Bowl in 1947, pushed the total to eight. The Liberty Bowl and Bluebonnet Bowl in 1959, the Peach Bowl in 1968 and the Fiesta Bowl in 1971 still meant that only the top 20 teams would have a post-season game.

OK. Good teams, all. Now there are 43 bowl games involving more than 80 teams and not even the top 80 teams. Here’s the deal: Bowl games that have a contract with a conference must select a team with at least seven wins if one is available. Any bowl berths that become eligible when a conference fails to meet its contracted tie-ins must first be filled by any eligible seven-win teams before any remaining FBS 6–6 teams can be accommodated. So, six wins can get you a bowl game IF you are a draw. See, it is largely about money and marketing and I get that. Sometimes, conference winners play other conference winners. That’s fair. But what if you are a small school with 10 wins and Notre Dame or Ohio State, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma or Texas have a down year but win six? Does Small School U. make it? Doubtful. Again, I get it, but it’s hardly fair.

Now, about 43 bowl games. To me that dilutes the concept way beyond reason. Die-hard college football fans can argue that any football game played over the holidays between any schools is worth watching, and they have a point, but when there were only eight or 10 bowl games, each one was so special. Now … it seems like it is just another game.

And it used to be just the game name – Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl … and now there is sponsorship – TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl; AutoZone Liberty Bowl; Hyundai Sun Bowl; Discover Orange Bowl; Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio; Allstate Sugar Bowl; AT&T Cotton Bowl … there is even a Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. They ALL have sponsorship, but before you say that is a sell-out, I will tell you something that former Lakers and Kings owner Jerry Buss once told me. I questioned him about selling out when he sold the naming rights of his “Fabulous Forum” in L.A., and it became “The Great Western (Bank) Forum.” He said to me, “Mike, if I gave you a million dollars, could I call you ‘Steve’?” I understood then and now, but I sure wish the Rose Bowl was The Rose Bowl again. What do you think? Give me an email at mike.blake@advantageinformatics.com and let’s talk sports.

See you next time.