So we all just saw one of the most enticing college championships in quite a while when Miami and Ohio State battled to overtime.
The game was filled with a grandeur unmatched this season. Only Willis McGahee’s injury could spoil what was a spectacular afternoon in Tempe, Ariz., at the Fiesta Bowl.
Now college football needs to get off its high horse and make sure spectators don’t have to endure any more Seattle, Silicon Valley and Motor City Bowls.
There were 28 bowls this season, making enough space for 56 programs to participate in postseason play. There are 117 teams in division I-A. That’s a tad bit of an overload.
Just under 11,000 attended the Silicon Valley Football Classic between Fresno State and Georgia Tech. How many of those went home crying after the game because they spent at least $30 per ticket? I’m gonna guess just under 11,000.
Priceless.
The NCAA needs to take a long look in the mirror, focus on what is necessary, then go from there. And that means the postseason, especially.
The money may be there for the extended postseason, but getting through it seems more like a death march than a leisurely trip into sports paradise.
When I got around to watching the Miami and Ohio State game, not only did I confuse the game for a high school contest, but it seemed like it took longer between the first bowl and the last bowl of the season than the entire regular season.
The postseason should be a sprint, not a marathon. Especially when that involves collegiate athletes who may never get paid for their actions on the collegiate turf.
Take McGahee for instance. The sophomore was set to enter the NFL draft later this year. Some were arguing he could be a top 10 pick, a potential Pro Bowler within the next few years, and a good bet someday to break NFL records.
Instead, he now gets to endure a season of painstaking recovery from surgery that resulted from a severe injury involving his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee.
OK, you say, it’s a horrible thing that happened to him, but it’s the kind of thing that can happen in a championship game.
That’s well and all. But now let’s make this situation hit a little closer to home.
Let’s say, for example, that this happened to Onterrio Smith. Only, it wasn’t in the Fiesta Bowl. It was in the Seattle Bowl, the game that meant nothing more than an opportunity for Washington fans to get in their last Oregon jabs of the season.
How would you feel then? Probably a bit heartbroken.
There’s no question that every collegiate team felt grateful to be invited to a bowl. Every player says there’s no experience like it.
But in Seattle? In Boise? How about Tennessee?
It’s just a case of the NCAA taking an opportunity to make some money on top of the Bowl Championship Series. With sponsors throwing around cash like they found it in the cushion of their couches, the big-wigs in Indianapolis have been getting bigger eyes by the day.
Like every other collegiate program, spending needs to be curbed. Not only because these bowl games are getting to be a strain on the fans, but also because of the athletes. As I pointed out before, the possibilities of a career-ending injury increase with each game. And of course, these games really don’t have much of a bearing on the final standings.
So what should the NCAA do? Limit the postseason to 15 bowls. Let’s make sure every AP Top 25 team gets into a bowl. Those are the teams that are most deserving. Making sure only teams that have eight wins be eligible is another step in the right direction.
The best bet would be to bottle up the intensity of contests like the Alamo Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl, then spread it out over a shorter span. After all, the more college football product there is, the less time the average fan will have to spend watching the old boob tube.
Geez, I never thought I’d say I wanted to see less football.