I'm going to make a pledge to all seven of my regular readers right now; during this upcoming holiday season, I will watch every single one of the 35 college football bowl games on TV.\nWhy on earth would someone put themselves through that kind of torture?
Well, I'll tell you, pessimistic, alternate voice. It's because I love college football. As I've said before, I think it's even better than the NFL. I love the pageantry. I love the traditions. I love the history and most of all, I love the spirit.
Helluva lot of pageantry in the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg bowl, is there?
Here's the better question: How could you not want to watch a matchup between the two perennial powerhouse conferences, the Big East and C-USA?
I will admit this year a lot of the games have third-tier sponsors. The S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl to be played in Yankee Stadium, and of course, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, which is played the day before the National Championship game for reasons beyond understanding.
That doesn't turn you off from the bowl festival a little bit?
Not at all. Take a team like Southern Methodist, currently projected to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - not to be confused with the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman.\nYou don't think that for those kids, that game is the pinnacle of their athletic careers?
Most likely, they won't be playing Sundays. For those players, this game is a culmination of years and years of hard work. Now they get to play on national TV. That's something special.
But the football is going to suck.
Not necessarily. And my principles for a football game are like my principles for beer - as long as it's cold, I'll drink it. As long as it's football, I'll watch it.
For everything but the National Championship game, it just really doesn't matter.
It matters to the players. It can sometimes decide if a coach keeps his job. It matters to the recruits.
Does any event in sports really matter, anyway? Would life not go on if the Super Bowl didn't exist? The only reason sports ever matter is because people care about them. And a lot of people care about bowl games. Fans will travel from all across the country to see their teams play. That makes it important.
Not all of these teams would make a playoff even if there was one. That doesn't mean they shouldn't reap the rewards of a strong regular season and have the opportunity to compete in a postseason.\nBut it's not a playoff. We shouldn't watch until there's a playoff.
See, it doesn't matter this year. Assuming Oregon and Auburn win out, we'll have the two best teams in the country playing for the national championship. I know TCU is good and all, but Oregon and Auburn beat better teams. There's really no argument to be made that they aren't the best.
But that's what makes bowls so great - TCU does get a shot at postseason play, just like every other team that's bowl-eligible.
That list also includes teams such as Tennessee, whose record was ... wait for it ... 6-6. The Volunteers just accepted a bid to a bowl game last week. Are they really worthy of postseason play?
Is a college basketball team that posts a losing record during the regular season but wins its conference championship worthy of postseason play?
Fine, fine fine. How on earth are you actually going to watch all those games? Aren't a bunch of them on at the same time?
Hadn't thought of that one.
Read More
Virginia baseball drops two of three in home series with Georgia Tech
By Ryan Weiner | 22 hours agoThe Cavaliers dropped a crucial series, and will need to rebound quickly heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Virginia track and field delivers strong performances at Virginia Challenge
By Tanmayi Patil | YesterdayThe Cavaliers displayed impressive performances across the board over the weekend.
No. 4 men’s lacrosse falls in “heroic” game against No. 7 Syracuse after fourth-quarter charge
By Cole Huff | YesterdayWhile Virginia failed to win, the game provided an excellent feel for what the NCAA Tournament will be like, preparing the team for May.
