Let's Debate: Unless

[PBRME]

So you enjoy our season ending Thanksgiving weekend? I don’t. Doesn’t matter to me if it’s a meaningless bowl game or the playoffs.

 

[paindonthurt]

your team is in the playoff picture, other bowls have lost their appeal. I know you get extra practice but other than that, where's the appeal? It ends up costing the university money, you risk injuries, they are during the holidays when you're already spending tons of money and are hard to work into the schedule. Where do you stand?

I would like to go see a meaningless bowl game this December!

 

[Villagedawg]

"fun to watch" is one thing, but I still don't understand how you all watch when there's absolutely no meaning attached to them. Literally no one cares who won or lost, and if they do, they are just causing their own mental health damage for no reason at all.

I mean the Savannah Bananas are fun to watch, but if it meant losing valuable recruiting time for something that mattered, would you do it? That's the lens you must view this - from our football program.

Well for me, none of the games have any meaning attached really. We go 12-0? Great. That's cool, but what meaning does it have for me a guy who is just watching the games? None really. Does it mean I'm better that everyone else because the team I wanted to win won? They are just fun to watch.
What meaning does watching Seinfeld reruns have?
Collecting model trains?
Bass fishing?
What about bird watching?

 

[paindonthurt]

your team is in the playoff picture, other bowls have lost their appeal. I know you get extra practice but other than that, where's the appeal? It ends up costing the university money, you risk injuries, they are during the holidays when you're already spending tons of money and are hard to work into the schedule. Where do you stand?

I do wish we'd cut it back to around 35 bowl games. 70 teams getting a bowl game is plenty.

I'd be ok with as low as 30 and as high as 40 but they should cap that $h1t at 40.

 

[paindonthurt]

They are meaningless TV fodder. The extra practice is a vestige of a former era. At that point you've been practicing for like 16 weeks, it's pointless. They do not help teams.

The playoff is what matters now. They need to increase it to something to mirrors all the other levels of football and be done with these postseason exhibitions. It's time. December is better spent recruiting. I know the portal is in January now but you know they are talking. Plus you have other areas that need attention.

You always have the absolute worst takes.

 

[Dawgg]

"fun to watch" is one thing, but I still don't understand how you all watch when there's absolutely no meaning attached to them. Literally no one cares who won or lost, and if they do, they are just causing their own mental health damage for no reason at all.

I mean the Savannah Bananas are fun to watch, but if it meant losing valuable recruiting time for something that mattered, would you do it? That's the lens you must view this - from our football program.

So… you only watch games with national championship implications? That seems really reductive.

In my 45 years on this earth, that would be a grand total of about 8 Mississippi State football games… and most of those were in 2014. None of them were in the postseason.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I watch football. I watch Fun Belt and MACtion games in the middle of the week. Bowl games are just more football to watch on a Tuesday night in December. No one is holding a gun to your head to watch it.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

So… you only watch games with national championship implications? That seems really reductive.

In my 45 years on this earth, that would be a grand total of about 8 Mississippi State football games… and most of those were in 2014.

I get what you're saying. BUT.....

We all must admit a few things:

1) Games with national title implications are much more fun to watch, entertaining, and any other objectionable metric we can think of. Players and fans want to be a part of those games. Announcers, hell everybody wants to be a part of those games.
2) The world changed quite a bit when we began transitioning towards the playoff. The last year of the bowls truly meaning something was 2013. Back then your bowl played into your season status. 8-4 with a Gator Bowl was awesome. Players stayed and played in the game, and it helped sort out the end-of-year rankings. That changed slightly in 2014, and was all but out the window in 2024. Players began sitting out bowls around the time of the 4-teamer starting too. And not only that, rivalries were diminished, some of them because we quit playing them with conference realignment, some because that 'honor' of beating your rival became less when you're more worried about the playoff.

You obviously have to keep this within reason too. Obviously there are always disappointed teams who didn't care about their bowl games back in the BCS era. And nowadays even in the playoff era, you have teams like us, who are more excited about 6-6 because we haven't done anything in 3 years. But those are the exceptions.

 

[Perd Hapley]

They absolutely do lose money, many of them do and have for years.

View attachment 988842

Allow me to modify the statement then…..P4 teams absolutely never lose money on bowl games….and most G5 schools also do not.

Whether or not Arkansas State can figure out how to turn a profit from the $300k payout of the Camellia Bowl or Bahamas Bowl is not something that I really care about enough to research, nor is it relevant to me as far as whether bowl games should continue to exist or not.

 

[HRMSU]

As roster costs go up, costs for traveling to multiple locations for playoff games adds to the losses, several of the schools are going to take the Jerry Jones approach. Prefer not to go to any playoff games, but if we do, one and done, preferably at home or the next game after that.

All college programs lose money as well unless they win it all and get the "#1 Natty 8-10 month lift" in enrollment, donations and merchandise sales. But college programs have big donors that realize they are throwing money away in a sense with no measurable ROI other than a fuzzy math brand spend.

In the NFL, the Cowboys as a #1 sports brand already, do actually lose money going deeper into the playoffs. Jerry figured that out years ago.

Uh, disagree with last paragraph. If you are a hater and think there is too much Cowboys coverage now you have absolutely no idea how much coverage there would be if they actually won another Super Bowl in today's media world. It would be massive but as a die hard for nearly 50 years I'm smart enough to realize that Lucy will always pull that football as long as Jeruh is running the front office.

Eta: if they ever do win another Super Bowl their valuation will probably increase 25%-50% and that would make Jeruh a lot of money. It's not that he doesn't want to win he is strategically incapable which he's proven since him and Jimmy had their little brat spat.

 

[MagicDawg]

The first round of playoffs is arguably more disappointing than a low-tier bowl if you lose. My son is at Tennessee and they went to OSU for the first round last year. Lost, and spent the rest of the off-season at home watching 6-6 and 5-7 teams (and bands) take more interesting holiday trips.

 

[Dawgg]

I get what you're saying. BUT.....

We all must admit a few things:

1) Games with national title implications are much more fun to watch, entertaining, and any other objectionable metric we can think of. Players and fans want to be a part of those games. Announcers, hell everybody wants to be a part of those games.
2) The world changed quite a bit when we began transitioning towards the playoff. The last year of the bowls truly meaning something was 2013. Back then your bowl played into your season status. 8-4 with a Gator Bowl was awesome. Players stayed and played in the game, and it helped sort out the end-of-year rankings. That changed slightly in 2014, and was all but out the window in 2024. Players began sitting out bowls around the time of the 4-teamer starting too. And not only that, rivalries were diminished, some of them because we quit playing them with conference realignment, some because that 'honor' of beating your rival became less when you're more worried about the playoff.

You obviously have to keep this within reason too. Obviously there are always disappointed teams who didn't care about their bowl games back in the BCS era. And nowadays even in the playoff era, you have teams like us, who are more excited about 6-6 because we haven't done anything in 3 years. But those are the exceptions.

I actually don’t admit to #1. There have been plenty of sнitty CFP games that were no fun to watch and got turned off midway through. The 2022 Liberty Bowl was WAY more fun to watch than the 2022 National Championship. A fun game is a fun game. The stakes are part of it, but it’s not the end all for whether a game is interesting, fun, or exciting. I think you’re confusing ‘fun’ with ‘prestigious’ as the reason people want to be involved.

For 2 and keeping the Liberty Bowl as an example, are you telling me the Liberty Bowl means less today than it did 10-15-20 years ago? I don’t buy that. It’s still some combo of mid-tier Power 4 teams and upper tier Group of 6 teams that it’s always been.

 

[Dawgg]

The first round of playoffs is arguably more disappointing than a low-tier bowl if you lose. My son is at Tennessee and they went to OSU for the first round last year. Lost, and spent the rest of the off-season at home watching 6-6 and 5-7 teams (and bands) take more interesting holiday trips.

But what could be better than going to Columbus, Ohio is the dead of 17ing winter?!?***

 

[HomeBoyDawg]

Pipe dream but I think it would be cool for non-playoff bowl games to only be played by those with eligibility left for the next season...early practices and an exhibition game for next season. Seniors, etc. could make the trip, have a good time, and help coach from the sideline.

 

[BreckyBratt]

I'm sure one of the G5 teams will go all Marshall Academy so they can play lesser competition for a bowl championship***

 

[Dawgg]

Pipe dream but I think it would be cool for non-playoff bowl games to only be played by those with eligibility left for the next season...early practices and an exhibition game for next season. Seniors, etc. could make the trip, have a good time, and help coach from the sideline.

So… you’d take away a senior’s final chance to play? That’s terrible.

 

[HomeBoyDawg]

So… you’d take away a senior’s final chance to play? That’s terrible.

Punishment for not taking their team to the playoffs!***

 

[Called3rdstrikedawg]

I Like Em!