2011 Bowl Games: The 5 Biggest Fails of This Year's Selections

Bowl season is upon us, and there's a great deal of talk about the games that'll be talking place during the next month.

In sitting down and reflecting, many of us can see that there are some serious problems that have been caused by the selections of this past Sunday.

Now that the dust has settled, it's time to look at the five biggest fails of the bowl selections.

5. UCLA Getting a Bowl Bid

6-7.

That's the record that the Bruins will take into their game against Illinois.

UCLA had to get permission from the NCAA to even be eligible for a bowl bid.

The Bruins' eligibility was not due to a shortage of teams being eligible, as Ball State and Western Kentucky would be willing to point out.

Evidently, the desire to get to a bowl game, and the payday of just under $1 million, is more important than actually having a winning record.

6-8.

What a way to potentially end the season—but hey, they made a bowl game. Go Bruins.

Penn State Falling to the TicketCity Bowl

The events with Jerry Sandusky are disgusting. There is no denying or defending them.

Penn State is being investigated by the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education for their handling of the tragedy.

But, with that being said, eight Big Ten teams were selected for bowl games before the Nittany Lions.

Only 6-6 Purdue and Illinois were picked after the 9-3 squad.

For bowls to avoid Penn State shows that there is definitely a backlash against the institution.

And while it may be earned, it had nothing to do with the players on the field. They're being punished for actions of former coaches that had nothing to do with athletics.

We will see what happens to this once-proud institution after the NCAA and Department of Education finish their efforts, but it's a shame to punish the players who suit up for the Nittany Lions.

3. Michigan and Virginia Tech Getting BCS Bids

Coming from Big Ten country, I was hopeful that the conference would land a second bid.

Unfortunately, due to their loss in the conference title game, Michigan State would fall too far to be considered for such a bid.

So the second best team in the conference was passed over for the Maize and Blue.

There is no argument that Virginia Tech is the second best team in the ACC.

Unfortunately, it is hard to convince many outside of that conference that a team who handily lost two of three games against Top 25 teams was deserving of such a bid.

Quality teams like Boise State and Kansas State were passed over for teams with deeper tradition and fan bases more willing to travel, which makes the bowls happy.

So, instead of higher quality on the field, there will be greater quantity in the seats.

2. West Virginia (and the Big East) Even Being in the BCS

People in an uproar about the national championship game are missing the bigger problem.

The Big East does not deserve a bid to the BCS.

For the second year in a row, one has to scan the bottom of the BCS rankings to even find a single team from the Big East. 

It's telling when you see three teams from the SEC West in the top six, as well as five teams from the Big Ten and four teams combined from Mountain West and Conference USA, ahead of the cream of the Big East crop.

It says the cream of the conference is curdled and should be thrown out.

Outside of the conference and the state of West Virginia, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would want to see the Mountaineers get a shot at the BCS.

Most of the country could find, with little effort, a more deserving replacement. This is where the fans of Arkansas, Boise State, Kansas State, South Carolina, and TCU should speak up.

With the stability issues of this basketball conference, the Big East should join lesser conferences in their dreams of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

1. All the Whining About Alabama Getting a Rematch with LSU

I'm not a Bama fan, and I'm not an SEC fan, though I respect what the conference has done.

Other teams had a chance to play for the national championship, and they blew it.

Oklahoma State, you were playing with heavy hearts in the game with Iowa State. But you couldn't put the Cyclones away when you had a chance.

While most of the nation wanted you to get your shot, the system that's in place said otherwise.  

Boise State, you were let down by your kicker and defense in key moments.

As much as it would have been fun to watch a non-AQ get their chance, BSU's chances fluttered away like an errant kick.

Oregon and Stanford, you both had chances.

Stanford, you had the crystal football in your sights and dropped it like one too many miscues in the game against the Ducks.

Oregon, you had your chance for a second shot against LSU, and blew it the next week when you let USC win the closest thing they would have to a bowl game.

So while there are many teams with room to complain, Alabama earned their shot.

Let's just hope it doesn't come down to a field goal attempt for the Crimson Tide