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When it comes to bowl games, I'm part of the problem
Published: 12/26/2012 7:03 PM
Last Modified: 12/26/2012 7:03 PM

OK, I'll admit it.

When it comes to bowl games, I'm part of the problem. No matter how far-flung the teams or how obscure the corporate sponsor, you pair two college football teams together during the holiday season, and I'm there.

I'm as big a playoff proponent as there is, but I've never gotten all the unhappiness over college football bowl games (at least when it comes to the number of them or the matchups).

Why, exactly, is more college football a bad thing? Certainly, teams should have a winning record. And schools should be required to abide by NCAA rules and graduate an acceptable number of their players to participate.

But once those issues are met, what's the problem?

It makes sense to stand against the bowl system as antiquated and corrupt. It makes sense to complain about it as an impediment to a college football playoff. But most of the games people make fun of will likely continue no matter how large a playoff eventually becomes.

You can mock Western Kentucky and Central Michigan in the Little Caesars Bowl all you want. But Western Kentucky also played games this year against Alabama, Kentucky, Southern Mississippi, Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette (among others) and no one complained about those games.

Those games were all part of the "greatest regular season in sports." So why, then, when you play those games after Christmas, are they somehow more offensive?

They're not. It's just that no one focuses on those games during the regular season.

And please don't tell me how no one attends bowl games. They don't exactly pour into stadiums during the regular season either.

According to 2011 NCAA Division I attendance figures, 25 of the 120 schools averaged less than 20,000 fans per game during the season. Only 21 schools in all of Division I averaged more than 70,000 fans per game -- just 27 averaged more than 60,000.

Oklahoma State had its best season in school history in 2011 and was ranked 30th in the country in attendance -- and the Cowboys averaged 57,229 (almost 3,000 less than capacity at Boone Pickens Stadium).

So while everyone else complains about the games or the matchups or the empty stadiums, I'll sit back and enjoy the last games of the college football season. September is a long way away.

Reader Comments

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DomoArrigato (last month)

With your comments, I would imagine you love early season, non-conference football games...such as those between Super State University against Vatterott Nursing Aide Technical.

You cheer every one of the Super State U's 117 points, and also cheer for Super State U's stifling defense that holds the VNAT aide's to minus 373 yards rushing, and 0 for 21 passing, with 21 interceptions.

You must have a lot of spare time on your hands, and no family to enjoy...to sit through some of these hideous matchups!!!

Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters (last month)

No, I just don't think your school name has to be Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas or USC for your school to play Division I football.

Non-conference mismatches are a part of college football. The only problem is when you schedule three or four of them.

J T from Jenks (last month)

AGREE MIKE.....

dryoungster (last month)

The NFL regular season is sooooooo much better and meaningful.

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Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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