Bowl Season or March Madness?
Watching Michigan B-Ball win tonight gave me a possibly false sense of optimism about our tournament chances. Going 2-2 to finish the regular season would give us a very strong resume and doing any damage in the conference tournament on top of that would make us a near lock for the tournament. I don’t even remember the last time Michigan made the tourney, which is quite sad. I believe it was ’98 when I was only 6 years old and I didn’t even follow sports then. This got me thinking about another point. I would almost rather see U-M make the tourney than have the football team make a good bowl game (note that I said GOOD bowl game).
Many reasons could be why I feel this way. It could be that since its basketball season right now I feel more of a connection with basketball than football. Probably not, or could it be that since we haven’t made it in a decade I am desperately clinging on to the fact that we actually have a chance to go somewhere with our basketball team, which lest you forget, is nothing short of a miracle. Possibly this could be the reason, but I don’t think so. Or possibly that the OOC wins vs. Duke and UCLA gave me a false sense of hope that no doubt led me to think we can be a contender. Once again, no…
So that must mean that I like the basketball team more than the football team. Right? No, once again. In fact I love football much more than basketball and follow the football team more closely than the basketball team. I play varsity football, not basketball. So why then would I rather have U-M make the tourney than the football team win 9 games instead of 6 or 7, which in fact is the most likely scenario for this upcoming season.
This leads me to pose my actual question. Which postseason is better: College Football Bowl Season or March Madness? I would have to go with March Madness as I alluded to already. It is a much better atmosphere than the bowl season with Dick Vitale screaming about how UNC will go all the way this year and seeing multiple games on my TV at once during the first couple rounds and plus its overall a better format than the bowl system. Yes, I’m ragging on the BSC system, but that’s not the only reason why it’s better. By having a single elimination bracket with 65 teams you get the absolute best team in the nation when it matters most. In college football there may be a better team that wins the Rose Bowl or The Sugar Bowl than the team that brings home the title (true to this year). Also, watching Cinderella teams such as Davidson or George Mason provides such great storylines for the tourney and makes me feel good inside. I also enjoy filling out brackets and desperately rooting for Duke to win their Sweet 16 game, when in reality I hate them with all of my heart, just for the off chance of winning the extra 20 bucks. Oh yeah and did I mention the atmosphere of the whole process. Everybody gets pumped up about the tourney and I couldn’t say the same about bowl season.
Once again, I like football way more than basketball, but I just really that U-M makes the tourney. So, which postseason do you like better? Discuss
February 20th, 2009 at 1:15 AM ^
I dont know why you have to have a tradeoff with the basketball and football teams. Michigan making it to a bowl game and to the 64 are not mutually exclusive. Of course march madness is the better postseason. Football doesnt have a postseason.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:19 AM ^
I was just saying that I would rather make it to the 64 instead of making a high tier bowl game, which everybody wants badly and some are even predicting. The bowl season is definitely a postseason btw...
February 20th, 2009 at 1:20 AM ^
Bowl season is bowl season, but March Madness is also Wrestling championship season.
February 20th, 2009 at 1:31 AM ^
I've actually spent a good deal of time thinking this over before. I'm convinced bowl season is superior (in no small part because football >>>> basketball), but it is certainly flawed. Here the major flaws I see holding it back.
1) Too many bowls - How excited can I really get to see East Carolina play Colorado State. The crappy bowls are scattered throughout December (& some in January(!)) diluting the season and distracting from the games anyone cares about. Solution: raise the bowl eligibility limit to seven wins and cut half a dozen of the crap bowls that drag on through half of December.
2) Stupid Sponsorships - What fanbase really wants to brag that they won the Meinke Car Care Bowl? Or the Papajohns.com Bowl. Solution: Every bowl must have a non-sponsor name (Ex: Capitol One Citrus Bowl or Rose Bowl presented by Citi)
3) The BCS - Solution: MGoPlayoff
I know money (#1 and #2) and stupidity (#3) will probably prevent these from ever happening, but it's so nice to dream.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:30 AM ^
I for one am not confused by your hypothetical question. I understand that these two situations are not mutually exclusive, thus it's a hypothetical scenario.
I think this is a very good question. Of course under recent circumstances, the 5 years prior to this past year, I would say March Madness in a second. However coming off a 3-9 season making a bigger bowl, Citrus or better, would be oh so sweet and do my heart good. I am also a much bigger college football fan than bball.
I guess to answer your question I would lean towards March Madness just to end the drought. That said I think our chances of dancing are 50% after tonight's win. Conversely our chances of going 9-3 this fall has be somewhere south of 20%. And for that reason this is a very tough call.
February 20th, 2009 at 9:56 AM ^
I think the excitement of bowl season is tied more to an individual school(s) that you root for, while the excitement of March madness is more diffuse.
February 20th, 2009 at 10:38 AM ^
I am just going to say that...
I would rather see Tate Forcier running over a USC defender in the endzone in the BCS Championship in Pasadena, for the win, than Manny Harris nailing a buzzer beater in Detroit for the Final Four to beat Duke.
I would rather see an upset by a program like Ole Miss over ESPN's favorites Texas Tech (picked it!!!), than ESPN's annual darling who pulls an upset or two, like Davidson.
I would rather see Rich Rod hold a crystal football than John Beilein holding a crystal basketball.
I would rather see great games every day during bowl season like So. Miss.-Troy, WVU-UNC, Fresno-CSU, UTAH-ALABAMA, Fla.-OU, Texas-OSU, and that's just off the top of my head. March Madness provides quite a few thrillers, but I can't watch the whole games because 1.) They are all on CBS and 2.) They're all condensed into a few days.
I would rather see a team who played excellent all year win a championship (in a plus-one format, not necessarily a two team deal) than a team who got hot and started making shots consistently.
I would rather see Michigan kick the crap out of Ohio State at the Big House than at Crisler. (Enforces that football > basketball).
That being said I like both, but the best team rarely wins in basketball and most often in football, picking bowl games are easier when one game does not affect the other. In basketball it irritates me when my final four teams are upset early and the whole thing is ruined.
Besides football is bigger in Michigan than basketball is anyways.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:47 PM ^
USC this decade, and FSU in the 1990s, might take issue with your contention that the best football team wins it all most often.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:07 PM ^
But how can you tell? It's pretty much all perspective.
February 20th, 2009 at 11:56 AM ^
...If for no other reason than that every NCAA postseason game actually means something. Namely, every team can get a step closer toward a (somewhat-less-mythical) national championship, that everyone in the basketball field of 65 has a chance to earn on the court regardless of how big or small the school is.
Compare that to bowl season, where only two teams had any realistic hope of actually being voted #1 at the end. Utah, Texas, Penn Shhtate and USC were only fighting to be in the argument.
Even when U-M misses the basketball tournament, Selection Sunday and the first Thursday of the tournament are still two of the best days of the year, IMO.
But of course, White Tiger's post sent a thrill up my leg like Chris Matthews. I'd give the firstborn of everyone on this board to see us win another MNC in Pasadena, but that's pretty much the only exception to the rule.
February 20th, 2009 at 3:22 PM ^
I can just see it now...
(Jim Brandstater voice, it's better that way)
"4th and goal at the twenty yard line-USC 35, Michigan 31. 2 seconds left on the clock, time for one last shot for the undefeated Wolverines. Four wideouts, Tate and Toussaint in the backfield. Tate takes the high snap, drops back, Toussaint picks up a USC linebacker on the blitz. The pocket breaks down and Tate pulls up and darts past the line. He weaves through the secondary, three Trojans miss tackles. USC's star safety (to be named, you may fill in the blank) sprints at Tate, and is crackback blocked by Miller! He's at the ten, USC's star cornerback (to be named also) is going to cut him off! Tate ran him OVER!!! Touchdown MICHIGAN (a la Ufer) MICHIGAN WINS!!! Tate Forcier in the endzone to beat the trojans AND WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!"
I got excited writing this.
February 20th, 2009 at 12:01 PM ^
I think March Madness is way more entertaining than the bowl season. The bowl season is so long and drawn out and you inevitably don't give a crap about many of the games.
February 22nd, 2009 at 8:20 PM ^
Unlike USC, FSU arguably had its chances, though.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:58 AM ^
One thing: I can't understand getting excited about Cinderella and at the same time claiming that a tournament provides the best teams and the best matchups, every time. George Mason was obviously not the fourth best team in the country.
February 26th, 2009 at 9:03 PM ^
but it's whoever's playing the best come tourney time and that's is all that really matters
February 27th, 2009 at 10:26 AM ^
No it is not, the champion is the best team. Or should be the best team. George Mason got lucky as did Davidson. Arizona and New York in the NFL were obviously not the best teams either. College football is the only sport which guarantees 1 vs. 2 or 2 vs. 3 or 1 vs. 3 etc.
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