The NCAA's Problem: The Five Worst Things About Bowl Games and How to Fix Them

Picture it.  It's late December or early January, time to watch college bowl games.  What could be better than sitting back, and watching the equivalent of a playoff in college football?  

But then you realize, you've never even heard of this bowl, and how did a team with a record of 6-6 from the Sun Belt make a bowl game?

 It seems every year bowls get less interesting, but how?  And how can this problem be fixed?

1. Bowl Eligibility

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HOUSTON - NOVEMBER 17: Running back Chubb Small #28 of the Marshall Thundering Herd is tackled by defensive lineman Ell Ash #90 and linebacker Trent Allen #41 of the Houston Cougars at Robertson Stadium November 17, 2007 in Houston, Texas. Houston won 35

Problem: As it stands right now, to be eligible for a bowl, a team must finish the season with a record of .500 or more.  Seriously?  By only those standards, we could have a bowl game of Middle Tennessee against Western Michigan.  

Both teams finished with 6-6 records, and therefore were bowl eligible.  But here is the real problem.  Who wants to watch that?  

Bowl season is supposed to be a showcase of the nation's best teams, duking it out to see who gets to walk away with bragging rights and a sizable trophy, not a consolation match of two sub-par teams who, no matter how hard they try, will never be better than average.

Solution: Make bowls tougher to be eligible for.  This idea may not fly with smaller middle-of-the-road schools, but being in a bad bowl game is just like playing in the play-in game in the NCAA Tournament, it's more of a pity clap than a reward.  

If it was up to me, more than four losses and no bowl for you!

2. Team Selection

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Vaughn Charlton #12 of the Temple Owls throws a pass during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on September 19, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Ima

Problem: Sticking to bad bowl games, the way teams are picked needs to be changed.  Going back to Middle Tennessee (nothing personal to them), they get the honor of playing in a bowl game at 6-6, while a team like Temple who has a respectable 8-4 record—which includes a win over Connecticut—gets snubbed and is forced to sit home and watch other teams that were not as good as them.

Of course, all conferences need to be represented, but nobody wants to watch the No. 3 team in the Sun Belt play in a bowl.

However, the small bowls aren't even the big problems, it's games like the Fiesta Bowl that really bother me.  Because of dumb contracts, we have Connecticut, not even a ranked team, in a BCS bowl against the No. 7 team in the country.

Not only is that boring to watch, but it's insulting to Oklahoma who still has to prepare and practice for weeks, only to win in a blowout.

Solution: Sorry small conferences, but only the winner of the conference should be guaranteed a spot in a bowl, maybe the second place team, but only if there is a championship.

After that, teams should be selected first by record, then by strength of victory.  If two teams are so even that there is no difference, then bowl committees can pick.

As for the BCS, no conference should be guaranteed a spot, you need to earn your way to a bowl.  If the BCS stays, then the top ten ranked teams should be chosen to play each game.

There is another scenario where committees should be able to chose teams, but only from the top ten.

3. Ridiculous Bowl Games

Seriously, has anyone ever heard of this game?

Problem: When you think of bowls, you think of games like the Rose Bowl Game and teams like USC and Michigan fighting for college football supremacy.  Or maybe games that have become more prestigious over the years like the Alamo bowl or the Capital One Bowl.

But then there are new, made up games like the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, or the TicketCity Bowl.  In addition the new bowls, there are sponsors for every game, and most of them just sound bad.  I liked the Gator bowl much more than the Progressive Gator bowl.  What even is a Progressive Gator?  It sounds like they're trying to make up a new animal.

Of course, there are some decent new bowls.  I think that, though I hate the name, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl has staying power due to it's wonderful location, Yankee Stadium.  Of course, you need some filler bowls for teams not quite great, but still deserving of bowls.

However, the NCAA should just keep the old fillers like the Poinsettia Bowl, which (at least in my mind) is representative of the first bowl game of the season.  Not anymore though.  Things need to go back to normal.

Solution: With my proposed new eligibility system, many new, meaningless bowls could be removed, and only the good ones—at least the ones people actually watch—stay.  

Not enough eligible teams?  Easy, put the most recently created game on hold for a year.  Not enough games?  Add one bowl, and if it goes well, possibly keep it for the future.  It's as simple as that.

4. The Schedule

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - DECEMBER 18: Steven Goulet #87 of the Ohio University Bobcats catches a touchdown pass over Ladarrius Madden #30 of the Troy University Trojans during the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on December 18, 2010 in

Problem: What would New Year's Day be without bowl games?  The Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and other great games are all played on New Year's, and it gives many people a way to just relax after a New Year's Eve party.  

These are great, but what about the days leading up to college football's biggest games.  This year bowl season started on December 18th with three awfully weak games.

Starting early is fine, but after these games started people expect good bowl games throughout the rest of December. Though the NCAA has done a better job putting good games late in the month, namely the 31st, the rest of the month is thin to say the least.

There were only seven ranked teams in games before the 31st, and only one game in which two ranked teams played. In order to have people watch December bowls, the bowl schedule needs to be tweaked.

Solution: The NCAA has two options for this one.  One is to move some of the New Year's Day or New Year's Eve games and spread them out in December, however, due to most BCS games being moved off of New Year's Day, that may be a problem.  

So the best solution?  Start later.  With more time before the first bowl, college football fans don't need to be teased throughout December by bad games, and can watch the good ones all within the course of a week or two.

This also gives teams more preparation time, making the not-so-great games better. 

5. The BCS

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: The BCS National Championship trophy which was won by the Alabama Crimson Tide after winning the Citi BCS National Championship game over the Texas Longhorns at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010 in Pasadena, California. The Crim

Problem: Well, it was inevitable, the BCS is the main problem of bowl season.  How can you call a team the National Champion, when in reality the only beat one other team for this championship.  

Just because a great team lost by a field goal to another great team in week one, they can't be crowned champion?  

The system has major flaws, and until they are addressed, it is ridiculous to call the winner of this "National Championship" the best team in the country. 

Solution: There are many ideas on how to fix this issue and implement a playoff.  Sports Illustrated suggested that all conference winners along with a few at-large teams compete in a bracket-style tournament.

I will take it a step further, by saying that sixteen teams make this playoff and it is organized like a region of the basketball tournament.  However, only champions of conferences with half of its teams going .500 will earn automatic entry, thus eliminating teams like Connecticut and creating bad games.

The rest of the spots open will be filled by at-large teams that are selected by a committee, which also ranks all teams.  If it works for basketball, why not football?