There's been so much commentary on the number and meaningfulness or lack thereof I took a look at how many new bowls have been added through the years. I'm not doing a year by year dump of each bowl played that year, just a trajectory over time. Also, we look at a prism that focuses on the "Big" ones for the power conferences, but most of these games aren't.
Rose Bowl (first in 1902 and then annually beginning 1916)
The Orange, Cotton, and Sugar started in the 1930s. The Sun Bowl was added in 1935.
1975 11 bowls
1980 16
1990 19
2000 25
2009 34
By 2016 there were 41.
It gets weird deciphering when the BCS started and the "bowls" were being placed into the playoffs. Thought this might help us see how many freakin' games there are. Since I have a soft spot in my heart for the non-P4 schools I hope they continue if they can be viable enough.
I didn't bother looking at this year.
Rose Bowl (first in 1902 and then annually beginning 1916)
The Orange, Cotton, and Sugar started in the 1930s. The Sun Bowl was added in 1935.
1975 11 bowls
1980 16
1990 19
2000 25
2009 34
By 2016 there were 41.
It gets weird deciphering when the BCS started and the "bowls" were being placed into the playoffs. Thought this might help us see how many freakin' games there are. Since I have a soft spot in my heart for the non-P4 schools I hope they continue if they can be viable enough.
I didn't bother looking at this year.