I don't understand college football

[WI inferiority Complexes]

I should preface this by saying I'm not a football fan, (including the NFL).

That said, I'm either missing something about college football, or the bowl season is extremely overrated.  I was talking to a customer yesterday who is a Northwestern alum.  He was very excited about watching NU's bowl game against whoever-the-hell they played.  He even said, "Hopefully, this time tomorrow Northwestern is Holiday Bowl champs!"

I know college football moved to a four-team playoff, giving importance to postseason games for those 4 schools.  For the rest, what could you equate a bowl victory to?  I'm assuming it's a "bigger" victory than any regular season game, but I can't think of any other sport where a team wins a postseason game, doesn't advance, and isn't a champion.

[GGGG]

Well if you aren't a college football fan, you probably don't understand.  Bowls are a tradition that is a fun way to end a season.  And people watch them.  The ratings are pretty incredible considering they don't mean anything substantive.

[tower912]

Must not have had any draft worthy senior sitting out.

[JWags85]

They are also, depending on location, a cool opportunity for the players to visit somewhere as a mini-vacation and they also get pretty cool gift bundles.  So from a player perspective, you bust your ass for 6 months, and even if you're not playing for a championship, you still get to visit somewhere you'd probably not and get some cool stuff, when normally you are on high alert for any benefit received during the year.

Motivations vary.  As you see teams who had a disappointing season, expectations wise, often get smoked as they go through the motions

[forgetful]

They are also, depending on location, a cool opportunity for the players to visit somewhere as a mini-vacation and they also get pretty cool gift bundles.  So from a player perspective, you bust your ass for 6 months, and even if you're not playing for a championship, you still get to visit somewhere you'd probably not and get some cool stuff, when normally you are on high alert for any benefit received during the year.

Motivations vary.  As you see teams who had a disappointing season, expectations wise, often get smoked as they go through the motions

And the university (read taxpayer or student tuition) foots a large, extravagant bill for them.  Football loses money for the overwhelming majority of Universities and these meaningless bowls are huge money pits. 

[augoman]

I don't usually get excited by the bowls, but yesterday was a great sport viewing day.  I was thrilled by my Wildcats' win over Pitt, pumped by the Blue Demons challenge of 'Nova, and ready when MU took the court.
Northwestern is 'my' football team for various reasons (not the least of which is our absence of same) and I always consider them the underdog in athletic contests due to enrollment and standards.
Understand college football?- what's to understand? most college sports are simply irrelevant and the bowl games are no different. Ffor Northwestern it was a chance to beat a top 25 team and create some notice of their program.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

I don't usually get excited by the bowls, but yesterday was a great sport viewing day.  I was thrilled by my Wildcats' win over Pitt, pumped by the Blue Demons challenge of 'Nova, and ready when MU took the court.
Northwestern is 'my' football team for various reasons (not the least of which is our absence of same) and I always consider them the underdog in athletic contests due to enrollment and standards.
Understand college football?- what's to understand? most college sports are simply irrelevant and the bowl games are no different. Ffor Northwestern it was a chance to beat a top 25 team and create some notice of their program.

Justin Jackson is an absolute stud. Too bad he has zero breakaway speed, because his field vision and fighting through contact are second to none.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

Understand college football?- what's to understand? most college sports are simply irrelevant and the bowl games are no different.

There's no other postseason I can think of where a team wins, but doesn't advance to a next round.  Bowl games are the only "irrelevant" postseason games in any sport. 

[MU82]

I should preface this by saying I'm not a football fan, (including the NFL).

That said, I'm either missing something about college football, or the bowl season is extremely overrated.  I was talking to a customer yesterday who is a Northwestern alum.  He was very excited about watching NU's bowl game against whoever-the-hell they played.  He even said, "Hopefully, this time tomorrow Northwestern is Holiday Bowl champs!"

I know college football moved to a four-team playoff, giving importance to postseason games for those 4 schools.  For the rest, what could you equate a bowl victory to?  I'm assuming it's a "bigger" victory than any regular season game, but I can't think of any other sport where a team wins a postseason game, doesn't advance, and isn't a champion.

I'd equate a bowl victory approximately to a first-round NIT victory (followed by a loss in the next round). Better to be invited than not, better to win than lose, but ultimately it means little to nothing.

If I were a fan at a school that had both football and basketball (and I liked both teams), I'd be much more excited about a victory in a good regular-season basketball event - say, the Gavitt Games or the Legends Classic or something - than I would be about winning the Beef O Brady Bowl. But maybe I am prejudiced because I've never rooted for a college football team.

I agree that it is amazing the ratings these games get considering they are slightly less important than the lint in my belly button.

As for being rewards for the athletes, it's not often that one gets to go to Detroit in December! (I know there are a lot of cool trips, too.)

[warriorchick]

The folks who run the Music City Bowl were brilliant.

They invited a mediocre Tennessee team and sold out the stadium within minutes.  I hear the nosebleed seats are going for $85 a pop.

[Pakuni]

The folks who run the Music City Bowl were brilliant.

They invited a mediocre Tennessee team and sold out the stadium within minutes.  I hear the nosebleed seats are going for $85 a pop.

It's actually the SEC's choice of which team it sends to the Music City Bowl. Obviously Tennessee made good sense for the school, and the bowl committee, but it's ultimately the conference's decision.

Fans watch the non-playoff bowl games for the same reason we've watched MU games in February and March the past two seasons. They find it entertaining, even when it's meaningless in terms of a championship.

[HouWarrior]

I should preface this by saying I'm not a football fan, (including the NFL).

That said, I'm either missing something about college football, or the bowl season is extremely overrated.  I was talking to a customer yesterday who is a Northwestern alum.  He was very excited about watching NU's bowl game against whoever-the-hell they played.  He even said, "Hopefully, this time tomorrow Northwestern is Holiday Bowl champs!"

I know college football moved to a four-team playoff, giving importance to postseason games for those 4 schools.  For the rest, what could you equate a bowl victory to?  I'm assuming it's a "bigger" victory than any regular season game, but I can't think of any other sport where a team wins a postseason game, doesn't advance, and isn't a champion.

Any long term alum/fan of Northwestern can be excused for being excited at their relatively recent success in FB..for decades they never had a sniff at a bowl game .......only one outright Big Ten Championship since joining in 1953....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Northwestern_Wildcats_football_seasons

[JWags85]

The folks who run the Music City Bowl were brilliant.

They invited a mediocre Tennessee team and sold out the stadium within minutes.  I hear the nosebleed seats are going for $85 a pop.

Meanwhile the Badgers playing a very good, but nationally unknown WMU team in a monstrous stadium in Dallas, and tickets are available for $5.

[GGGG]

Which is why the big bowls hate when they host Group of 5 conference champs.  Their fan base is either too small, or doesn't care enough, to travel.  And unless you have a local team, this is what's going to happen.  If UW was playing Oklahoma or some other B12 school, attendance wouldn't be an issue.

[muwarrior69]

If we went to the NIT I would go to the Garden to cheer them on. If MU had a football team and had a chance to play in the Rose Bowl you would not go or watch the game on TV? I would and I think many alumni would too.

[rocket surgeon]

There's no other postseason I can think of where a team wins, but doesn't advance to a next round.  Bowl games are the only "irrelevant" postseason games in any sport.

don't forget about da pro bowl-talk about meaningless...i've seen thanksgiving day neighborhood scrums more exciting