Just thinking that non-playoff bowl games are on life support.  With NIL money not tied to mandatory bowl participation it seems that most draft prospects will fear injury if they aren’t in the playoff games and will pass.  The portal timelines will put a huge drain on others and many will opt out to get a jump at their new schools.  All in creating mostly a Less than inspiring spectacle.  This fan will probably watch fewer of the lesser bowl games that just seem almost meaningless in the grand business of college football.  

I think so and I have no desire to watch any of it and I LOVE football. 

Also, this is why I am for a 17-32 NIT like playoff for the next 16 teams which obviously assumes the CFP expand to 16 teams. 

At work, I'm in a college bowl pool where I can win several hundred dollars after the full 47 game schedule is over.  Of course, I'm all about the Jackson State/South Carolina State Cricket Celebration Bowl for that kind of money.

I'll watch some of the bowl games but I won't miss probably any of the CFP games. The transfer portal and guys opting out of playing in games is a big detractor from the bowl games.

As long as players are opting out for the Portal or the pros, the bowls are dead.  It's no fun watching a completely different team in January because everyone that got you there is now opting out.

And until the schools start demanding NIL money back for games voluntarily missed, it's not changing.

17 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

As long as players are opting out for the Portal or the pros, the bowls are dead.  It's no fun watching a completely different team in January because everyone that got you there is now opting out.

And until the schools start demanding NIL money back for games voluntarily missed, it's not changing.

Or paying extra for an extra game. 

10 minutes ago, theguru said:

Or paying extra for an extra game. 

True.   But with NIL money comes lawyers (read agents) advising them to forego a few extra thousand now for a few million later.

7 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

True.   But with NIL money comes lawyers (read agents) advising them to forego a few extra thousand now for a few million later.

It would have to be worthwhile and when you look at it like that the bowl game would be a big money loser. 

10 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

It's no fun watching a completely different team in January because everyone that got you there is now opting out.

Took the family to Nashville for Kentucky/Iowa a couple of years ago and this is what happened.

8 hours ago, gchs_uk9 said:

Took the family to Nashville for Kentucky/Iowa a couple of years ago and this is what happened.

The Buzzards are circling.

I guess I’m just a true football fan because those teams other than the 12 ,play for pride and the enjoyment of the game, and if there is just a handful that proceed forward with maybe a breakout game, then I’m for that player or players 100%!!

Caught the end of the WVU and Memphis game...pure entertainment. 

JMU and WKU playing a fine game right now.

I mean, the numbers show very few people have ever cared outside the major bowl games.

Bowl games died when they started expanding it to where they would have years where they literally didn't have enough .500 teams or better.  There were 19 bowl games in 1990 - there were 35 by 2010.  Just way too many.  And for me personally, when they stopped having so many air on New Years' Day, that also killed it.  That used to be one of my favorite things - swapping through the channels watching the games on New Years' Day, when you had matchups worth watching.  In 1990 there were 8 games on New Years' Day - that's almost 40% of their games they had.  Last year? Five.  Out of 43! (11.6%). 

It was once a big deal to get to a bowl game.  Now it is only a measuring stick of you being completely terrible if you fail to make it.

And I'll echo others that the portal has destroyed them, probably irreparably.  They have gotta fix this timeline problem.

On 12/17/2024 at 9:09 PM, theguru said:

Or paying extra for an extra game. 

Transfer portal needs to not open until February. I understand the timing is so they can enroll in the Spring semester at their new school but it doesn't work well as it is, in my opinion.