Why 5-7 Teams Aren't a Disgrace to the Bowl System

As it turns out, reports of the bowl system's demise in the post-BCS era were greatly exaggerated.

On the contrary, it's thrived with the ever-growing popularity of college football. The bowl format has evolved so much, in fact, that there are more bowls now (40) than ever before. 

The side effect of this is a bowl critic's worst nightmare coming to fruition: There are now more bowl slots than bowl-eligible teams. Entering the final week of the 2015 season (minus Army-Navy), there will be at least two, but as many as five, 5-7 teams making the postseason. 

Ralph Russo of the Associated Press noted the teams immediately eligible for postseason play at five wins:

Note that selection criteria are based on Academic Progress Rate. Not long after the NCAA confirmed this, Missouri announced it would not participate in a bowl citing its search to find a replacement for longtime coach Gary Pinkel.  

"Our focus remains on identifying the right leader for our program and moving forward with the transition process," Missouri athletic director Mack Rhoades said (via Russo).

Nebraska will accept a bowl invite if selected (h/t Sean Callahan, HuskersOnline.com). Kansas State, which can still become bowl eligible at 5-6, will let the team decide if it loses its last game to West Virginia, according to Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star. Georgia State and South Alabama can also get to six wins on Saturday. 

The easy route to take on all this is believing the bowl season has become a joke. The thing is, viewing the bowl structure as a reward for a season well-played is antiquated. Going to a bowl game hasn't been a "reward" for some time. 

Sure, the bowl experience can be rewarding. How many players from Middle Tennessee or Western Michigan ever would have gone to Nassau if the Blue Raiders and Broncos hadn't been selected to the Bahamas Bowl as ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy reported?

Let's not forget bowl swag, either. Last year, the Citrus Bowl included a $447 Best Buy gift card as part of its bowl package (h/t Sports Business Journal). 

But the core concept of bowls as a reward for the season is, well, inaccurate.

As Russo notes, bowl games provide extra sources of inventory to (primarily) ABC/ESPN. Ultimately, ratings and ad dollars are more important to bowl games and broadcast partners than attendance. Last year's numbers reflect as much, per ESPN.com: 

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ESPN announced that the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual and Allstate Sugar Bowl semifinals in the College Football Playoff drew the largest two audiences in cable television history, with each game attracting over 28 million viewers.  

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Granted, the bowls taking 5-7 teams this year won't come close to the playoff semifinals in terms of viewership. However, as long as there are stadiums willing to host games, companies willing to sponsor, cities willing to host, conferences willing to participate and media outlets willing to broadcast, bowls will exist.

And someone will watch. 

To be clear, five-win teams playing in bowls isn't ideal. The quality of the product becomes more diluted. No one in their right mind is flat-out denying this fact. 

But look at this way: At most, five games out of the more than 1,500 involving Football Bowl Subdivision teams could have gone differently. In other words, increasing the number of bowl games and hoping for enough bowl-eligible teams carries a low-percentage risk. 

If that risk is realized, the worst thing that happens is two or three, maybe a handful, of teams get an extra set of practices and another opportunity to get better, as Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com notes: 

This can be critical for coaches looking to rebuild a program. It can also be a chance for a new coach to see his team for the first time. If a program like Missouri wants to punt on that opportunity, that's its prerogative. But plenty of other teams want those practices. Otherwise, coaches and players aren't working together like this until February or March for spring drills. 

For the most part, these bowl practices are just as much about getting better as they are preparing for an opponent. A Nebraska fan may want to close the book on a frustrating 2015 season, but Huskers head coach Mike Riley wants as much time with his players as possible. 

That's what bowls are about now. A reward implies an end to something great when these games are really an extension. Whether it's TV viewership, ad dollars or practice time, bowls are about continuing an upward trajectory and being better than before. 

And if all of that still bothers you, don't worry, there's another option. You can choose not to watch the game. There is that. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand.