The NCAA has announced a change to the status of bowl games for post season play in 2024. The designation of a “Game” implies a competition where each team marshals their best effort and skill to win a contest. In post season 2023, there were 41 contests that used to be called Bowl Games. Only three of those could be considered games. All three of those were arranged to determine the National Championship. The remaining 38 Bowls, at best, must be called “Exhibitions”.
Let’s look at 2023 “Exhibitions”. Starting at the top, the number 5 ranked Florida State Team, undefeated in the regular season, has at least eleven starters sit out the contest with Georgia and loses a squeaker 63 to 3. This was nothing like a game. FSU finishes one position out of the playoffs and the best effort they have for the “Exhibition” is one of the most lopsided losses in bowl history.
This event is closely followed by the Ohio State versus Missouri “Exhibition”. In the last regular season game, OSU has the ball in Michigan territory with less than a minute left in the game. If they connect with the best receiver in the country (Harrison) on their last play of the game, they are number one in the country and locked in to the first seed in the National Championship playoff. A Michigan interception with 35 seconds left stops the drive. Ohio drops out of the top four and loses several key players. Their starting quarterback and Harrison among them. The odds makers immediately make them underdogs to the 2 loss Missouri team. Never underestimate the skill of odds makers. In the “Exhibition” Ohio never advanced the ball to the red zone once in the entire game. The powerful buckeyes posted a whopping 3 points. Not a “Game” and never intended to be a “Game”.
How about attendance at the “Exhibitions”? The Duke Mayo Bowl drew 42,925. The Military Bowl attracted 35,849. The historic Holiday Bowl had 35,317. The Pop Tarts Bowl, in the attractive Orlando location, sold 31,111 tickets. Finally, the Wasabi Bowl in venerable Fenway Park drew 16,238 fans. There isn’t a high school team in Texas that doesn’t draw more fans for every home game than these “Exhibition” Bowls. Fans don’t come because these are not games. They are “Try Outs”. Most of the Players who had sufficient skill to jump through the portals to a Sacred 20 team did so after the regular season. Players who were not able to jump through the portals after the regular season are trying to show their stuff in hopes of making it to the top 20 or a low round NFL draft pick.
According to the NCAA, the economics of college football are best served by promoting no more than 20 major football programs. They are the ones with real money. The remaining colleges are considered farm teams and the nature of post season play needs to be changed to support the goals of the Sacred 20.
In an effort to reduce the possibility of injuries associated with the “Try Outs”, there will be a number of rule changes for 2024. First, all the exhibitions, other than the Championship Playoffs will be played with flag football rules. Second there will be a skills competition. The NCAA gurus favor a punt, pass and kick competition. PP&K has been held by the NFL for 6 to 15 year olds for more than 50 years. The event has been totally injury free. The likelihood of any college prospects getting hurt is near zero. Importantly, all 200 players on each team will be timed in the forty yard dash. This riveting event, alone, will provide several hours of entertainment for the Bowl “Exhibition” fans.
They are also trying to weave in a pre or post Bowl “Exhibition” event called “Show me the Money”. It will be in a game show format where fans can watch actual negotiations between players and player representatives. They anticipate hilarious scenes where 315 pound defensive linemen attempt to intimidate 145 pound lawyers.
Never let it be said that the NCAA does not provide a great product for college football fans. Of course, with the robust agenda of Bowl “Exhibitions”, the price of tickets will be going up. It will set you back at least $350 to watch the 2024 season Wasabi “Exhibition” in Fenway. The increased pricing should really boost attendance. They may not eclipse the 16,238 mark set in 2023 but they will probably break 10,000.
I remember when the bowl season, culminating in the big bowls on New Year’s Day , produced great football games. Everyone looked forward to them. Winning a conference and then a New Year’s Day bowl game used to mean something. I even enjoyed the debate over the #1 team in the country, if several teams went undefeated. In the quest to produce a national champion, everything else now falls by the wayside. Money and TV. College football has changed and we will never go back to the good ole days.
There is one important factor that you failed to discuss. The bowl system gives players and fans from the winter wonderlands of states like Michigan, Wisconsin.etc to travel to warmer climes. Certainly the beaches in Jacksonville in January are more inviting than the mean streets of New York.