2011 Bowl Schedule: 5 College Football Programs That Should've Refused Bowls

With NCAA investigations looming, the Miami Hurricanes decided not to accept a bowl bid in 2011 in order to possibly curtail future sanctions. The Hurricanes were the only bowl-eligible college football team to decline a spot in a postseason game in 2011.

But they shouldn't have been.

There are a number of college football teams who would also have benefited from passing on the postseason. Here are five teams that should have declined their bowl invitations this season: because of scandal, possible NCAA sanctions or receiving an unflattering bid.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Even though Jim Tressel is long gone, Terrelle Pryor is a member of the Oakland Raiders and Urban Meyer has now accepted the head coaching position in Columbus—the Ohio State Buckeyes have not completely moved past the NCAA investigations.

The NCAA probe concluded a month ago with Ohio State adding a five-scholarship reduction to their self-imposed penalties. However, the NCAA Committee on Infractions could still hit the Buckeyes with more sanctions if they deem it necessary.

With Ohio State finishing a mediocre season at 6-6, it seems like it would have made more sense for the Buckeyes to forego playing in the postseason in 2011.

Sending one last sound message of contrition to the NCAA could have been more lucrative in the long run than a trip to the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl.

Boise State Broncos

With all the complaining about the snubs of the Kansas State Wildcats and Baylor Bears, the team that was most deserving of a BCS bid and didn't get one was the Boise State Broncos. Boise State finished the season 11-1, with the only loss coming to the No. 18 TCU Horned Frogs on a missed field goal.

As always happens with mid-majors, after just missing the BCS Boise State dropped down to a lower-tier bowl. The Broncos play the 6-6 Arizona State Sun Devils in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl December 22nd.

Boise State should have refused this bowl invitation.

The Broncos could have sent a message to the college football establishment that they won't take the disrespect anymore. Boise State has been to the BCS twice and won both times, and they've also beaten the Oregon Ducks, Virginia Tech Hokies and Georgia Bulldogs in recent years.

They deserve the BCS, and they shouldn't settle for less.

Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State is under a federal investigation for a possible Clery Act violation, and three people are under criminal investigation after Jerry Sandusky was charged with numerous child molestation allegations.

With the shame and administrative attrition that resulted from it, Penn State should have ended its football season as quickly as possible.

Instead, the Nittany Lions will face the Houston Cougars in the Ticket City Bowl on January 2nd. Unlike most of the teams on this list, Penn State did get a good bowl bid.

But in this situation, that is irrelevant.

With the horrific nature of the scandal that rocked the program, many suggested Penn State should have canceled the rest of their season. I disagreed because I didn't think that would have been fair to the players.

But they should have refused a bowl bid. The situation was disgusting, and the Nittany Lions should have shown the proper respect and regret in refusing a postseason berth.

Baylor Bears

Just like the Boise State Broncos, the Baylor Bears were passed on by the Sugar Bowl in favor of the lower ranked Virginia Tech Hokies and Michigan Wolverines. The Bears are coming off a five-game winning streak in which they beat the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners.

Even with that and the recently anointed Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, Baylor couldn't get enough respect to earn a BCS at-large spot. Instead, they were relegated to the Valero Alamo Bowl, with the 7-5 Washington Huskies as their opponent.

Baylor should have refused the insult of this invitation, which pairs them with a clearly inferior opponent and forces them to play on December 29th.

TCU Horned Frogs

If the Boise State Broncos have a genuine complaint against the BCS, than logically the team that beat them does as well.

The TCU Horned Frogs have won seven games in a row, including the win over No. 5 Boise State. Moreover, one of their two losses came in a 50-48 shootout against the talented No. 12 Baylor Bears.

Unfortunately, TCU needed to make it to the Top 16 in the BCS Standings to get an automatic berth, and they were unable to pass any of the three teams ranked ahead of them that lost in the final week (the Georgia Bulldogs, the Michigan State Spartans and the Oklahoma Sooners).

Like their fellow Mountain West Conference member Boise State, the Horned Frogs ended up in a lousy bowl once they missed their BCS chance. TCU faces the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl December 21st.

TCU should have refused to play in a bowl held a full two weeks before the BCS games. The elite mid-majors should take a stand against the disrespect until they get some decent bowl tie-ins.