More Bowl cancelations expected today
December 20th, 2020 at 7:47 AM ^
This will be even higher since Arizona State and Penn State opted out after this tweet and it looks like teams will not be allowed to play in more than one bowl game (BYU and a few other G5 teams were looking to fill some of the vacancies).
Bowl season is (IMO) the best time of the year since there are many games stretched over many days (whereas on normal Saturdays you can't watch them all... at least not easily). Cutting down the bowl season is just a parting shot from 2020.
Edit:
Additional teams to opt out of bowls today: Minnesota, Nebraska, Maryland, Boise State, MSU
December 20th, 2020 at 8:00 AM ^
The National Football league still hasn't cancelled a game. Would like a thread about it in February, please.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:09 AM ^
That's really a different animal, but whatever.
December 20th, 2020 at 12:22 PM ^
He doesn't do "logical thought", no point in trying.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:35 AM ^
Don’t give a fuck about the NFL or how many games they’ve cancelled
December 20th, 2020 at 8:55 AM ^
But they have moved a lot of games. See the Ravens schedule. Also, NFL players don’t tend to live in the same house, to say it is a different animal is a huge understatement in terms of the problem they face in controlling a pandemic.
December 20th, 2020 at 12:38 PM ^
Such a discussion should consider
1. The extraordinary measures taken (since August 1st they’ve been testing daily and have administered close to 1 million tests, they’ve also had nearly 10,000 people wearing contact tracing devices each day). Are these measures replicable by others and are they even appropriate given that others have had trouble getting tests.
2. Have they really made the right decision both in terms of player safety and competitiveness? For instance, should the Denver/Mew Orleans game really have been played when due to Covid protocols, Kendall Hinton had not even been allowed to meet with his teammates before game day.
A few interesting reads on some of these issues.
https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/sports-canceled-covid-nba-nhl-nfl-ncaa-nascar-soccer-league-season-tournament/
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/12/1/21754732/ravens-steelers-covid-absences-nfl-playoffs
December 20th, 2020 at 8:32 AM ^
What is there left to gain at this point if you’re outside of the CFP or NY6 games?
I get that the players and coaches deserve to play another game but risking your health to travel across the country to play in front of a handful of fans/families, while you can’t leave your hotel and a win/loss won’t really effect the landscape past this 2020 in foresight seems... not smart.
I’d encourage our student athletes to stay home and spend time with family during a time when you typically would be prepping for a game.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:42 AM ^
You can say the same thing about the regular season once a team has lost to the point of being out of contention for any titles or big bowls (which is an arbitrary distinction, especially the whole "NY6" term that espn has foisted upon us).
It comes down to whether or not you want to play the game for the sake of playing the game (in normal, non-pandemic years anyway).
December 20th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Also, in normal years, getting four weeks of extra practice is highly valuable for future player development. That is pretty irrelevant this year as it might mean one or maybe two weeks of extra practice because the season is three weeks late.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
Very true. This year is just an absurd aberration, but bowls and the bowl season is never truly "meaningless".
December 20th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Umm...home for the holidays?
A lot of student athletes better not be going home for holidays, unless they want to the family the gift that keeps on giving.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:05 AM ^
All my nieces and nephews have been home from college for a couple of weeks.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:18 AM ^
Your nieces and nephews on a football team with Covid shutdown in the last month?
Repeat,
Student athletes.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:46 AM ^
Herpes?
December 20th, 2020 at 10:25 AM ^
I find your point ironic that players deserve to play another game. It seems that high profile / projected draft players are starting to opt out of the non-CFP "meaningless" games.
Bowl games use to be a reward for a winning season, the trip out of town, sightseeing, activities, etc., has that become passe with this generation of kids - in that they only get up for the CFP games?
December 20th, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
Damned kids these days.
In my day we had to walk 20 miles in the snow to play a bowl game, uphill - both ways. We had to shovel the snow off the field before the game too... and shovel it back onto the field after so the neighborhood kept its winter look.
And we were grateful for the opportunity!
December 20th, 2020 at 11:46 AM ^
Which reminds me, I was hoping there'd be more snow bowls this year, with all the December games. Utah/Colorado had a coating of snow, but I don't remember any outright blizzards.
December 20th, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
My altruistic view is that players and coaches see it as another opportunity to play the game they love but I assume more players are viewing it as an opportunity to get hurt before the draft or lack the motivation with nothing on the line. In other words, I agree with you that the extra bowl game outside the playoffs means jack to these kids. It’s almost a chore now it seems.
A fix would be to expand the CFP or pay the players a certain percentage for the post-regular season, incentivizing play? Your standard conundrum I guess.
December 20th, 2020 at 12:53 PM ^
Most of the bowls are meaningless in a normal year, much less 2020. A handful of the games still have some cache, but the rest are valuable only in that you get a few weeks extra practice. Why go to all the trouble to play a meaningless game in Birmingham, Alabama on Dec. 28th?
December 20th, 2020 at 12:17 PM ^
your statement assumes safer at home with families, who have been with how many others?
December 20th, 2020 at 8:36 AM ^
This will be closest thing we’ve seen to the old days when schools would just claim national championships just for the hell of it. Will be the biggest asterisk for a title I’ve seen in my life.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:05 AM ^
Why would it have an asterisk? Most teams got their conference schedule in, the games they’re short would’ve been OOC cupcakes anyhow. It’s hard to see any team that’s in the discussion for making the playoff having a different record with a few cupcakes added. They’ll select 4 teams like always and those 4 teams will be whittled down to Bama vs Clemson...
December 20th, 2020 at 9:16 AM ^
That's not really true - the majority of P5 teams did *not* get their full conference schedules played. Most teams had at least one cancelation (if not more) and an entire P5 conference (PAC) barely even had a season.
Any CFP champion is coming from a restricted field this year.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
Sorry, I guess I should’ve said the teams that would impact the playoff got their schedule in. The SEC all played 8-10 games, the ACC is the same, Big 12 the same. Hell even BYU got 11 games in. The leagues that chose to start late struggled getting games in.
I don’t really see how you can say the field is restricted when the B1G & PAC 12 are the only major conferences that had issues getting games in. OSU probably gets in while playing 1/2 a schedule (they’re 1 team I think could’ve taken a loss if playing a full slate somewhere along the line) & don’t think anyone in PAC 12 has a legit shot. Group of 5 schools struggle to get in the playoff anyhow, this season is no different for that. Add to it that a bunch of people here always clamor about the SEC not playing as many conference games, well they did this year.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:50 AM ^
When talking about the CFP the PAC is irrelevant every year. Nothing has changed there!
December 20th, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
Two PAC teams have made it in thus far, 2 out of 5 years. They didn't win, but most teams haven't that aren't Bama, Clemson or OSU either.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:10 AM ^
And? They would’ve had an argument if USC didn’t blow it. It’s not everyone else’s fault they tried to start late and couldn’t get their games in. Other big leagues started earlier, had a schedule that allowed for games to be rescheduled, and got 8/9/10 games in, the PAC 12 could’ve done the same thing.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:20 AM ^
Eight games is not a full slate. It's "most" of one, but not all.
USC finished with 1 loss, in their conference championship game. Had they been able to play a full season and finished with the same 1 loss, this would be a different argument.
This has not been a normal season and caveats do apply.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
SEC- 3 teams that played <10 games
ACC- 2 teams that played <10 games
Big 12- 4 teams with <10 games
all the teams in those conferences with less than 10 games played 9. The pac 12 & B1G didn’t get as many games cuz they didn’t start as early. Yes, that’s not a full season, but they’re also almost all conference games, so they missed out on some fluff games, big deal. It’s still gonna boil down to Bama & Clemson this year (most likely), so my opinion no caveat is needed. Maybe the lack of a full season in the PAC 12 let’s a team like Cincinnati get a shot.
you feel differently than I do, that’s fine. Neither argument can be proven 100%...you see a caveat no matter who wins since not a full season was played, I see enough season played that the best teams are still the best teams and more games aren’t gonna change that.
December 20th, 2020 at 11:18 AM ^
The argument would be stronger if the PAC and Big Ten played a similar number of games as those conferences. You earlier said that a single loss had "exposed" USC - so have Clemson, ND and Texas AM been similarly exposed?
December 20th, 2020 at 11:59 AM ^
Guess I’m confused on how to even respond to this.
The B1G and PAC 12 could’ve played the same amount of games, they chose the path they chose.
If you couldn’t see how USC lost that game and who they lost it to, and not see they’re not a title contender, then ok? But yes, I do think ND got exposed as not being a legit title contender last night. A&M lost to Bama early, no I don’t think they have a legit shot. I don’t see how more games for obviously inferior teams would lessen the fact that it’s Bama & Clemson, maybe OSU if they get their shit together but they’re a stretch.
December 20th, 2020 at 12:43 PM ^
The point is that the current system uses to anoint teams who are "CFP-worthy" is rather arbitrary and far too subjective.
You say the ND is not a legitimate contender - yet they are in. What, then, constitutes a "legitimate" contender?
College football can be chaotic in any year, let alone 2020. It is very possible to have a season where no one goes undefeated, and even have a relative dearth of 1-loss P5 teams. It has happened before (pre CFP) and is only a matter of time before it happens again. Then what? It's a bad system and no one should hold too fast to its methods.
December 20th, 2020 at 1:37 PM ^
If that was your point, you should’ve said that at the beginning instead of talking about number of games.
ND took 2OT’s at home to beat Clemson without their star QB and some other starters, when Clemson had those players they’re soundly beat ND, so ND will fair better against Bama? They might get in because they need 4 teams. I’m saying it doesn’t matter who the other 2 are, because it’ll come down to Bama/Clemson. If it makes you feel better to have USC there instead that’s great, who cares.
Some of the games can be chaotic, but how many years lately has it been so chaotic that it hasn’t been Clemson/Bama? In any given year I think there’s few teams who could legitimately be title contenders, thinking of things logically usually points to who should be in.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:52 PM ^
Your original point (from which this mini-dialogue originated) was the claim that no asterisk/caveat/footnote/etc. was warranted to annotate this year's CFP "process". I believe we've covered sufficient ground to show that this year's "process" was incomplete at best and does warrant an appropriate caveat.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:51 AM ^
Because College Football’s 2020 Season is a total abomination of a sports season especially compared to every other major sport that has had to adapt...Oregon qualified for the Pac 12 Championship with only THREE wins because Washington couldn’t field a team due to COVID...and won. I normally don’t watch crap bowl games, but like this entire regular season, I am not going to watch a single bowl game. I had actually assumed that all of the non playoff Bowl Games were cancelled until I saw this thread since nobody is going to travel with COVID spreading this year. I am going to enjoy College Basketball, the NFL and the start of the NBA.
December 20th, 2020 at 10:02 AM ^
And how did the PAC 12 championship game affect the National Championship? All it did was expose USC so people could stop acting like they had a claim to be in since they were undefeated.
Guess I don’t see where this season is a lot different, ya the schedules were goofy and some teams didn’t play as many games, but the best teams are still at the top...People claim fake NC titles anyhow, UCF did it a few years ago, not like 2020’s title is any different, it’s gonna be Bama or Clemson most likely.
December 21st, 2020 at 4:31 PM ^
In the PAC 12...usually the winner of the North plays in the PAC Championship Game and doesn’t get replaced because they can’t field a team. Usually in the PAC, the team representing the North or South has more than 3 wins. Usually in the PAC 12 the teams play a full season. Who said anything about the CFP...I am a USC fan...no USC thought USC was a contender win or lose to Oregon. Not really sure what your point is since it really does not respond to a single thing I said. ?♂️
December 20th, 2020 at 8:48 AM ^
Good. The ncaa only care about the CFP and that has been made clear. FBS has the right idea, tell the ncaa to fuck off and do your own thing
December 20th, 2020 at 8:55 AM ^
It should be called the CFI, College Football Invitational because it sure as hell isn’t anything close to an objective playoff.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:56 AM ^
Uhhh, the NCAA has nothing to do with the CFP.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:55 AM ^
I'm all for reducing bowl games, now and in the future! Nobody wants to watch 2 .500 teams play over Christmas break.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:00 AM ^
As opposed to no games over Christmas break? Besides, some of these "marginal" bowl games end up being the most exciting/entertaining.
Obviously enough people want to watch them, otherwise they wouldn't happen.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:22 AM ^
Crg here is a crown for you : ?
You are the king of this thread! ?
December 20th, 2020 at 9:26 AM ^
I'll settle for cash equivalent.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
The king has spoken; ? ? ? ???
December 20th, 2020 at 9:52 AM ^
Crg, I used to not like you especially with the whole posting of cancellation games before the BIG season started but I must admit you are quickly growing on me :)
December 20th, 2020 at 9:26 AM ^
The TV ratings disagree with you. But feel free not to watch, it's not a holy day of obligation.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:55 AM ^
The Games haven’t actually been played yet...so the ratings are TBD. But I am guessing the bowl ratings will be at an all time low this year for lower tier bowl games.