As I have watched the bowl season thus far, it has been abysmal to watch these teams play in bowl games with the stands empty. Kids worked hard for that opportunity, but how do we re-energize the bowl games especially when next year we head into a 12 team playoff. I think there are a couple of things the NCAA needs to do to save it. 

1. The transfer portal does not open until after the National Championship game. That way you will have no player opting out because of being in the portal.

2. It needs to be in every player's NIL contract. If you take money to play from said University, you MUST, play in the bowl game, unless you are physically unable to. These kids are being paid to play for their school, why give them money and then they opt out of a game in which the University is making money for them to play in.  

Just my thoughts, but if something doesn't change it will only be the Playoff teams in the post season.  Thoughts? 

The non-high profile bowls have always been before half empty stadiums. We can point to several potential solutions, but the fact is the bowl model is archaic and it is nothing more than a marketing grab.

1 hour ago, Big East Zebra said:

As I have watched the bowl season thus far, it has been abysmal to watch these teams play in bowl games with the stands empty. Kids worked hard for that opportunity, but how do we re-energize the bowl games especially when next year we head into a 12 team playoff. I think there are a couple of things the NCAA needs to do to save it. 

1. The transfer portal does not open until after the National Championship game. That way you will have no player opting out because of being in the portal.

2. It needs to be in every player's NIL contract. If you take money to play from said University, you MUST, play in the bowl game, unless you are physically unable to. These kids are being paid to play for their school, why give them money and then they opt out of a game in which the University is making money for them to play in.  

Just my thoughts, but if something doesn't change it will only be the Playoff teams in the post season.  Thoughts? 

It would be tough to not open the transfer portal until after the Championship game.  This year the Championship is played on January 8th.  Classes start at UK on the same day.  That would make it really tough to get everything done and get moved in time for spring practice.  

But I love the idea of tying the NIL money to finishing the season.  

I do agree that the NIL money should require a player to play in the bowl unless they're injured.   Duke had several players play in there bowl game, that had already committed to playing at another school next year. So while the portal can certainly be a distraction, it doesn't mean players can't still play in the bowl games.  I think the NIL money is what's key to making it work.

I would do what I have always wanted to do, have a 16 team playoff for the top 16 teams and then a 17-32 team playoff.  That would be 30 sponsorship opportunities. 

But at this point, who cares about Bowl Games, they are not owed anything and most of them are garbage.

On NIL money requiring you to play in an unknown, meaningless bowl game at the end of the season, I think I disagree with that one too.  If anything, players should be offered extra money to play in a meaningless bowl game where they could get injured.  I am player first on all of this stuff and I think many people have quickly become creatures of the new system. 

The first step to saving bowl games is to eliminate about half of them. 

9 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

The first step to saving bowl games is to eliminate about half of them. 

I think if we did that and connected the remaining ones to something meaningful like my last post it would all be bigger than March Madness. 

10 minutes ago, theguru said:

I think if we did that and connected the remaining ones to something meaningful like my last post it would all be bigger than March Madness. 

Outside of the CFP and NY6, bowl games don't mean anything. Sure they are a good time (sometimes) for fans, but they aren't some measuring stick as a lot of people like to use them as.

1 minute ago, TheDeuce said:

Outside of the CFP and NY6, bowl games don't mean anything. Sure they are a good time (sometimes) for fans, but they aren't some measuring stuck as a lot of people like to use them as.

I think if the top 32 teams (two 16 team playoffs) were involved in two separate playoffs it would be pretty exciting.   For example, I assume UK would be in the 17-32 playoff this year and if so I would be more excited about those game(s) than any UK game all season.

2 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

It would be tough to not open the transfer portal until after the Championship game.  This year the Championship is played on January 8th.  Classes start at UK on the same day.  That would make it really tough to get everything done and get moved in time for spring practice.  

But I love the idea of tying the NIL money to finishing the season.  

It might be tough, but another added advantage would be the early signing period for High School players. But there are only two schools that the NC game affects the other players could enroll at whatever school they want to transfer to.

9 minutes ago, Big East Zebra said:

It might be tough, but another added advantage would be the early signing period for High School players. But there are only two schools that the NC game affects the other players could enroll at whatever school they want to transfer to.

I will add here BEZ, I am not for anything that restricts player rights in college football. 

 Coaches Office: Behind the Scenes of HS Football w/ Chuck Smith & David Buchanan (Taxslayer Gator Bowl Episode)

We hosted the CEO & President of the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, Greg McGarity. The Gator Bowl has been around since 1946. Part of the discussion was that bowl games would become part of the playoffs. 

1 hour ago, ChiefSmoke said:

 Coaches Office: Behind the Scenes of HS Football w/ Chuck Smith & David Buchanan (Taxslayer Gator Bowl Episode)

We hosted the CEO & President of the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, Greg McGarity. The Gator Bowl has been around since 1946. Part of the discussion was that bowl games would become part of the playoffs. 

And for those of us that would like to know the CEO and President's thoughts and answers on it, would you please share them?

3 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

The first step to saving bowl games is to eliminate about half of them. 

This above all.    Also, move the early signing period and opening the portal by a few weeks.   It's hard enough to get overly excited about half the bowls, but when you have power 5 fans more interested in what HS kids are doing and what big names are moving schools, who cares about the Famous Potato Bowl.

4 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

The first step to saving bowl games is to eliminate about half of them. 

It'll never happen, but I wholeheartedly agree.