5 College Football Bowl Games That We Could Do Without
Whether you're of the mindset that there are too many bowl games, not enough or just enough, one thing is certain: Not all bowls are created equally.
The yearly ranking of bowl games from an interest standpoint can show just how wide the gap is between the top of the slate and the bottom. From the two playoff semifinals to traditions like the Cotton Bowl, the top of the bowl slate is stacked.
Get down to the bottom of it, however, and there are some real snoozers.
Which bowl games could college football easily do without? The answers are in the following slides.
GoDaddy Bowl
1 of 5
Jan. 4, Mobile, Alabama
Matchup: Toledo vs. Arkansas State
The GoDaddy Bowl is probably ill-timed more than anything else. It used to be the last game before the BCS National Championship. Now, it's the last game of the bowl season until the College Football Playoff takes place on Jan. 12.
As a result, it could be viewed as your last chance to get in a football game for a week; however, it's between two Group of Five teams and marks the fourth straight appearance by Arkansas State.
Last year, the GoDaddy Bowl had the third-lowest household television rating, according to Jon Solomon, then of AL.com.
Heart of Dallas Bowl
2 of 5
Dec. 26, Dallas, Texas
Matchup: Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
The Heart of Dallas Bowl was the lowest-rated bowl game a year ago, but that was between UNLV and North Texas on New Year's Day. That's a bad combination for interest level.
This year's game at least features a Power Five team and a Louisiana Tech group that almost won the Conference USA championship. But even that's a stretch.
The game is in the Cotton Bowl, but it's not the Cotton Bowl. It's also the first game after Christmas Day. Good luck generating interest there.
Camellia Bowl
3 of 5
Dec. 20, Montgomery, Alabama
Matchup: Bowling Green vs. South Alabama
The Camellia Bowl is the last of five bowl games on Dec. 20, the first day of bowl season. With a 9:15 p.m. ET kickoff, the number of television watchers willing to stay up all night to watch could be low.
On top of that, it's just not a matchup that moves the needle. Bowling Green has lost its last three games by an average of 19 points, and South Alabama has lost four of its last five games. In terms of piquing interest, Jesse Yomtov of USA Today has the Camellia Bowl as the least-watchable game.
The Falcons are at least somewhat known for offense, though more so for a poor defense that gives up 34 points per game; however, South Alabama had hard a hard time putting points on the board this season. If this game either 1) gets out of hand early or 2) is ugly and low-scoring, the Camellia Bowl may not stay on fans' radars.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Hawaii Bowl
4 of 5
Dec. 24, Honolulu, Hawaii
Matchup: Fresno State vs. Rice
From a player and coaching staff standpoint, going to Hawaii for a bowl game during the holidays is a sweet deal, but any game that's on at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 24 is fighting an uphill battle for attention and attendance.
Every once in a while, the Hawaii Bowl fields a compelling game, but since its beginning in 2002, eight of the games have been decided by double digits. Pictures of empty stands in Aloha Stadium only add fuel to the belief that the Hawaii Bowl, while attractive on paper, is a tough sell.
This year's matchup between Fresno State and Rice doesn't exactly entice, either.
Pinstripe Bowl
5 of 5
Dec. 27, Bronx, New York
Matchup: Boston College vs. Penn State
If there's one thing bowl games usually have going for them, it's a warm destination in December and January. Playing in a baseball stadium in New York in the dead of winter is the exact opposite of that benefit.
The 2012 edition of the game between Syracuse and West Virginia had especially cruddy conditions.
There's no tradition with the game, and it was oddly tied in with the Big 12 conference through the first few years. (The Big 12, by the way, went 0-3 in the Pinstripe Bowl.) There's only been one close game, too: the inaugural bowl between Syracuse and Kansas State, a 36-34 win in favor of the Orange.
This year's game between Boston College and Penn State has a bit more going for it. It's an easy travel destination for Eagles fans—"dudes and dudettes" as head coach Steve Addazio put them—and Penn State is back in a bowl game post-NCAA sanctions. Part of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's vision was moving into the New York market.
Mission accomplished.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
