Empty Bowls

Think about it. Would a nonconference game pitting South Florida against East Carolina be televised by a national cable network?

Not likely, you'd say. But on Saturday, ESPN dragged its cameramen, announcing crew and satellite truck to Birmingham, Ala. to broadcast the Papa Johns.com Bowl, where the Bulls and Pirates faced off in a not-too-sexy matchup of mediocre teams. South Florida ended up winning 24-7, if you're interested. But it's doubtful you care.

Who would, except alumni of the two schools involved and people betting their Christmas bonuses on the over-under? The World Series of Poker and BodyShaping probably got better ratings than this game.


Sure, nobody is forcing us to to watch this stuff and believe me not many will be tuning in to see Middle Tennessee State play Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl. But why are college football fans presented with such an inferior product over the holidays?

The answer, of course, is because somehow somebody is making money. That's great — but in the eyes of many the sport loses its integrity. Too many undeserving teams have qualified for the postseason. And in turn the bowl landscape has become comical with all of the polysyllabic title sponsors and boring matchups that will be forced down our throats over the next 14 days.

The most wonderful time of the year?

Not if you're a college football fan. Sorry but the MPC Computers Bowl does not whet my appetite for the national championship game featuring the two top-ranked teams in the nation — Florida and Ohio State. In actuality, it's a turnoff.

It also adds to the argument that college football's postseason needs to be overhauled. People across the country have called for a playoff system because the current Bowl Championship Series rankings create controversy. But do the NCAA and the college presidents really need any more convincing that something is wrong than by being asked to watch some of these bowl matchups?

Surely not. Even they would probably want to change the channel.