I know what you were hoping for when you heard that NCAA meetings were going on. It's the same topic that comes up every football season. Just about every fan talks about it, is disgusted with the current condition of things, and wants desperately for some progress... any progress to be made for improvement. Well, folks, wait no longer. The NCAA has heard your pleas and now, after waiting for so many years, you will finally have... a bowl game that pits the seventh-best teams from the Big East and Conference USA against each other! And it's happening in St. Pete! This game is so important, they're going to put it before Christmas.
The only redeeming part of this news is that, at least for now, it's called the St. Petersburg Bowl. But that's likely to change soon because people have no shame or pride.
Organizers will seek a corporate title sponsor who likely will pay between $350,000 and $500,000 a year for the exposure that comes with the bowl.
No one nationally is going to care about this game, so they'll probably get a local sponsor to put up the cash. But unless it's ultimately called the Mons Venus Bowl, color me unimpressed.
The NCAA also approved the Congressional Bowl, which as I understand it, matches elderly Senators against each other to see who can filibuster the longest before stroking out.
Oh, and that thing I teased at the beginning of this article? Yeah, no dice. The only conference that supported a playoff system was the SEC, the conference that benefits the most from the current system. The proposal was only for a 4-team playoff; three games to determine the national champion. But even that was too much for everyone else at the meeting who said the current BCS system was in an "unprecedented state of health." By the way, AIDS patients are also in an unprecedented state of health. Bad health. Think before you speak, dumbasses.
So, no BCS playoffs until at least 2014, which is when they'll talk about it again. It's a shame, but I guess I understand. I mean, who knows if something crazy like a bracketed playoff series for a national championship would actually work at the college level. If only there were a model to base it on that had proven successful.
Comments (2)
Maybe Roto-Rooter can sponsor it and we can finally have.... The Toilet Bowl!
Posted by LostInSeattle | May 5, 2008 12:42 PM
D1AA has playoffs that work well. Frankly, although the basketball 64 team bracket might be a little big for football, cut that down by one game to 32, and 5 games isnt too bad. (Basically 1 month of games to setup a final championship game) Start that in the middle of November and you'll have better games throughout the holidays.
I think the "Pac10/Big10/people who whine about playoffs" conferences are probably scared that real competition might show up and they won't get the big paychecks and TV money from the games because their teams might get knocked out early or shown to be less than juggernauts..
*Can anyone say Boise State vs Oklahoma... or better yet... Appalacian State vs Michigan? ;)
Posted by LostInSeattle | May 5, 2008 12:57 PM