Monday, December 26, 2011

Happy Bowl Season!

Knightly prepares
for the Sugar Bowl
The Legal Watchdog previously reviewed Death to the BCS, which highlighted some of the problems with college football.  In part, the book demonstrated how schools in lower- and mid-tier bowls were losing their shirts, while the bowl executives were raking in huge sums of money.  (Since reading that book I've been even more aware of the near-empty stadiums at these early bowl games—a depressing sight, to be sure.)  But CBSSports.com just reported that even Clemson, winner of a major conference, will loose money by going to the BCS Orange Bowl.  But instead of crying out for a playoff, what does the Clemson AD say?  He repeats the mantra about the intangible benefits of going to bowl games, including the exposure they give to participating schools.  Tom Fornelli responded, "Yes, and that exposure for the program helps in things like recruiting, which helps bring even better players to Clemson.  Players that will help Clemson consistently win and get to bowl games and lose more money."  Tom has a point: The Orange Bowl is as prestigious a bowl as Clemson (and nearly every other school) can realistically hope for, so what good is the additional exposure?  The current system does appear to have failed everyone except the bowl executives.  When even the top-tier bowl games don't produce any money for the participating schools, it might be time for a playoff.  

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