I don't get the angst against bowl games.

[TNHopeful505]

To me, the problem with bowls is the same problem with the NBA and MLB season. There's too many of them. Sure, they're fun. Sure they're different. But aside from unique matchups and destinations, they don't mean anything and are just a liability for players, hence all of the opt outs and what not. To me, I think the playoffs are too big. And I think there's too many bowls.

If I had it my way?

4 Conferences. 16 teams. Everyone plays everyone for a 15 game schedule.

Conference winners get first round byes in playoffs, seeded by point differentials.

The remaining 8 spots are the 2 and 3 spots from each conference, seeded by point differentials.

So, top 3 makes the playoffs from each conference. Beatdowns and dominance are rewarded. That way "strength of schedule" doesn't really matter. You annihilate everyone as best as you can, and you will be rewarded with an easier path. If your conference is "down," then it'll be reflected in the seeding.

There's no cupcake schedules. There's no scheduling weaker teams. You play your conference. You beatdown whoever is in front of you. And you make it to the playoffs. Screw conference championship games. You get one shot at everyone. Make it count and destroy them.

Then you get the 12 "best" teams, you allow for slip ups and off days.

Oh, and one more thing. The team in last place of each conference is relegated down to a smaller conference, and the conference that has the worst performance in the playoffs gets the first pick of the school to replace the bottom program.


I realize, this would never happen. But tell me that's not cleaner and more exciting. If you wanted to match up the #4's, #5's and #6', or so on in bowl games, then you could. But yeah. That's how I'd do it.

 

[TNnative]

It’s dumb. We have fans that say bowl games don’t matter and are meaningless. That’s absurd. I would be willing to bet the bowl game matters to the coaches and players. Also the extra bowl practices and game help the overall team.

Is a bowl game on the same level as a playoff game? Obviously not. But it’s funny how those same people who say bowl games don’t matter will use a coaches bowl record as a gauge to their success.

Bowl games are a tradition. And they are a reward for a successful season. And though their viewership numbers might not be the percentage they once were, pro scouts still watch them, and have often led to players getting drafted. I suppose there are still things of value the hosts still supply the players, but with players now getting paid over the table rather than under, those may not be as appreciated as before.

This is a tradition that the host cities still want to carry on with, despite the changes in college football. The tourism dollars will always be a priority for them. Whether the tradition continues or not, well I guess we will see soon enough. So enjoy them while you can, One of these days, we may miss them.

 

[TNnative]

I know I like Tennessee making a bowl game much better than not making one.

If they one day are no more? You might still get to see the players go bowling. Just a matter of knowing which alley they like to go to.

 

[rocketskates]

It feels like yesterday was Labor Day weekend and here we are, the sport we talk about 365 days a year is gone. I try to consume as much college football as I can when I can. What am I supposed to do over the holidays? Sign me up for the wgaf.org bowl with the 11am kickoff on a Tuesday after Christmas.

The season sure flew by. It seemed like yesterday that I was nervous on the couch about to watch the Syracuse opener and hoping that Aguilar would do well.

 

[give_him 6]

Watching the Championship Games (MWC, AAC, Sunbelt, CUSA) tonight and the MAC tomorrow makes me think that winners from these games plus a wild card or two would make for interesting G5 playoff. Just my opinion.

 

[Dirtyhairies]

Feels like NIT to me anymore.

Thats because thats how you treat it

 

[vavolfan6]

In hindsight, last year, I would have preferred a bowl game. I hated how Tennessee lost on the road in mid December and was completely out of the college football discussions for the next month.

Yes, you cannot win the championship without being in the playoffs, but quietly fading in the first round on a cold field in Ohio is hardly any more satisfying than playing in Florida on NYD.

Obviously you mostly feel that way becuase of the result. The opportunity to go to Ohio State, with 40k UT fans, for only a fraction of the cost of a SEC game ticket was great. The game had actual meaning. It only sucks becuase we got embarrassed to the point where any fan from the BIG 10 likes to remind us of. If we were on the winning side it would have been glorious.

 

[MemphisVol77]

When teams played 10 & 11 game seasons, 6 FBS wins was a decent qualifier. That still meant it took a 60% win percentage against FBS competition for bowl eligibility and there were usually a handful of 6-5 teams left out.

By increasing the schedule to 12 games, increasing the amount of bowls, and adding caveats for FCS wins to count towards bowl eligibilty; teams below .500 versus FBS competition routinely make bowl games.

Preferences regarding the amount of bowl games are subjective, but "Bowl Eligibile" has objectively lost its prestige.

 

[Tarkus]

So the playoffs have removed the bowls from having a significant effect on the championship and many now say they don't want to watch. I find this curious since the VAST majority of bowl games never had any impact on the championship anyway. It's always been the big 5 that hosted the meaningful games (Sugar, Cotton, Rose, Fiesta, and Orange). Maybe, the bowls will go back to what they were originally for, a reward to a team that had a good year. You know, for fun. I'm sure most of the players would be down for that. I think the fans would like that.

Personally, I like football and it doesn’t matter to me whether or not a championship is on the line. It is entertainment and I would rather watch a couple of 6-6 teams play than some stupid sitcom.

 

[chuck0303]

When teams played 10 & 11 game seasons, 6 FBS wins was a decent qualifier. That still meant it took a 60% win percentage against FBS competition for bowl eligibility and there were usually a handful of 6-5 teams left out.

By increasing the schedule to 12 games, increasing the amount of bowls, and adding caveats for FCS wins to count towards bowl eligibilty; teams below .500 versus FBS competition routinely make bowl games.

Preferences regarding the amount of bowl games are subjective, but "Bowl Eligibile" has objectively lost its prestige.

Bottom line: It's all about the Benjamins when you get to it. Yeah you can say tradition, extra practice, what have you but the tourists dollars for each host city and the advertising dollars are a way to get your trademark out there. Yeah, there's publicity for your school and so forth for recruiting and the players get extra practices, etc., but do away with the mega dollars brought in and everything disappears. The part I hate the most is the opt-outs. You cheer for your team all year then some of the best players decide they don't want to be a part of the team anymore, because they're selfish--plain and simple. First they're already getting paid & I fully understand you wanting to go to the NFL for the big paydays & don't want to take a chance on injury. Easy solution for that is to cover all those players with a short term insurance policy. It's done all the time. So playing in a bowl game can increase your NFL stock, or if you play poorly maybe lose some stock. Regardless, life goes on. There will be more challenges in life. Are you going to hide under a rock every time one comes up? I don't want any players to get hurt, but football isn't a patsy sport--you're either in or out. If you're an NFL prospect and opp-out, you'd be off my draft list unless it really was because of an injury. My two cents. Life really is short and I'm getting there so I definitely probably have a different perspective than most. I'll be a VOL forever!

 

[orangebloodgmc]

Personally, I like football and it doesn’t matter to me whether or not a championship is on the line. It is entertainment and I would rather watch a couple of 6-6 teams play than some stupid sitcom.

Exactly. If it was only the result that mattered, they would just flip a coin and be done with it. But, many of us enjoy seeing football actually played.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Well, it doesn't matter, but I think it is fair to say that people watched them more in the past and maybe teams wanted to play in them more. That might be true. There are many factors in the decreasing popularity. The idea that national championships made the bowl games irrelevant could be imaginary. That is true.

I mean...that's all they were offered.

I don't know about watching them more though; the bowls get good ratings despite the perceived notion that nobody cares. I'd argue more people watch now than in the past. Not all bowl games were even nationally televised. I remember the 1987 Peach Bowl when we played Indiana, it was on a syndicated network.

Even if the playoffs/national championship did make them irrelevant....so what? Bowls have always been a participation trophy mentality. I think sacrificing the LIberty Bowl to get a real national championship system is worth it.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Personally, I like football and it doesn’t matter to me whether or not a championship is on the line. It is entertainment and I would rather watch a couple of 6-6 teams play than some stupid sitcom.

Bowls are basically the same thing as the NIT in basketball to me, and I don't see anyone constantly talking about how nobody likes the NIT and how horrible that is.

For me it's the same mentality, if you want to watch more college basketball, then you watch the NIT; if you dont' want to watch it, then don't. Same with bowl games.

 

[feathersax]

the stupid playoff, that was intended to "solve" all the problem, has diminished the relevance of the bowls. In the past the non-championship bowl game was significant as it would determine the #3, #4, #8, etc..... now this 12 team playoff makes the non championship/playoff games helps determine #13, #14, etc.

And if you've never been to a bowl game then you really should attend at least one. Its a vacation with a game thrown in the middle. There is nothing better than waking up in Florida to 80 degree weather at the first of the year and going to see your favorite team playing.

Some of our families greatest travel memories are of going to Tennessee bowl games. Alas, it's just another fading joy that younger Vol fans don't get....examples: John Ward, 10-team SEC, Leonard's Losers, Bobby Denton, Dyer-Grams, etc....

 

[Orange931]

It’s a chance at more hardware and more practices. Nothing wrong with having another trophy sitting in the case. Make the most of what you have in front of you.

 

[JarFly]

More practices/play for the young players the future of our program................

then 30 minutes after the clock ticks down to 00:00 and mercenary coach X gets a mayonnaise bath; these same said young players and future stars announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal.

 

[77' Vol]

If you don't like the Bowl Games, then don't watch! Players and coaches like Bowl Games. It's a small reward for having a .500 or better record. Be happy we're in a Bowl Game as there were years we weren't.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

It’s dumb. We have fans that say bowl games don’t matter and are meaningless. That’s absurd. I would be willing to bet the bowl game matters to the coaches and players. Also the extra bowl practices and game help the overall team.

Is a bowl game on the same level as a playoff game? Obviously not. But it’s funny how those same people who say bowl games don’t matter will use a coaches bowl record as a gauge to their success.

We're not saying it. Players are saying it by opting out. Hell, we have an entire TEAM (Kansas State) saying it this year. If the players dont give a ****, why should we?

 

[GAVol]

We're not saying it. Players are saying it by opting out. Hell, we have an entire TEAM (Kansas State) saying it this year. If the players dont give a ****, why should we?

Look man. I’ve built up a lot of equity at my house and everybody knows to leave me alone if I have a tee time or if there’s a game. Don’t be taking my wife’s side and forcing me into a productive use of my time.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Bowl games are a tradition. And they are a reward for a successful season. And though their viewership numbers might not be the percentage they once were, pro scouts still watch them, and have often led to players getting drafted. I suppose there are still things of value the hosts still supply the players, but with players now getting paid over the table rather than under, those may not be as appreciated as before.

This is a tradition that the host cities still want to carry on with, despite the changes in college football. The tourism dollars will always be a priority for them. Whether the tradition continues or not, well I guess we will see soon enough. So enjoy them while you can, One of these days, we may miss them.

I think the tv #’s are still there bc they would be getting rid of the inventory if they were , but there always seems to be another that pops up in place of one that goes away, even if the attendance isn’t good.. I think it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to create some better bowl destinations or for Sankey to realign some more marketable games. Bring back the Bahamas bowl and do a cross promotion with Royal Caribbean for a 3-4 day cruise out of Ft Lauderdale, come into the port day of the game early, tailgate the boat or go to the bars in Nassau, go to the game and get back on after the game . People might sign up for that. Who wants to go to Shreveport or Memphis? Not many people . Make Boca or San Diego an SEC destination .

 

[PEPPERJAX]

Going into the season I felt we were about a 9-3 team. We could have obviously achieved that but ended up with 8 wins instead with a couple of tough losses to UGA and OK. Since CJH took over as HC, the trend shows we have a solid season followed by a really good year after that. I will gladly take a good matchup against a quality opponent with a chance to win 9 games in a “down” season, especially when you consider where the program was between 2008-2020. I would personally like to see UT play Michigan in a warmer destination somewhere in Florida. It gives the fans and players something to look forward to even though we weren’t playoff contenders. GBO!!

 

[BearBryant]

So the playoffs have removed the bowls from having a significant effect on the championship and many now say they don't want to watch. I find this curious since the VAST majority of bowl games never had any impact on the championship anyway. It's always been the big 5 that hosted the meaningful games (Sugar, Cotton, Rose, Fiesta, and Orange). Maybe, the bowls will go back to what they were originally for, a reward to a team that had a good year. You know, for fun. I'm sure most of the players would be down for that. I think the fans would like that.

I agree. What do people want to watch "the pickle ball championship from Vietnam"?

 

[Volador]

Here in lies the meaning of life and, why bowl games don't matter anymore to many people.

1. It means our team is not good enough to make the playoffs (in essence, this is a blow to our fragile egos)
2. Bowl games are no longer a major influence on Jrs. and Srs. in terms of recruiting
3. Players are opting out of playing because they can't afford to get hurt in case they are considered for the draft/pros
4. Bowl games don't match rivals. Instead, you typically play a once in a lifetime team. Meh

The End

 

[cgbtn]

General Neyland didn’t have a great bowl record. Back then, the final rankings were done before the bowls. Neyland would win national championships and then lose a bowl game. He thought bowls were a great opportunity to practice the players who would return next season when games would again count for rankings. If we would stop worrying about winning bowl games, the practices could once again be used to ready the young players.

 

[Doberman]

Some of our families greatest travel memories are of going to Tennessee bowl games. Alas, it's just another fading joy that younger Vol fans don't get....examples: John Ward, 10-team SEC, Leonard's Losers, Bobby Denton, Dyer-Grams, etc....

Don’t forget the tradition that young Vols also miss out on:

Actual VFL’s, loyalty, love of the University, and seeing the same team you watched in the regular season finish off in a bowl, instead of newcomers you may, or may not have, ever heard of — that may, or may not, even be on the team next season.