The Confidential

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Archive for the category “Opinion”

26 May 2016
1 Comment

Once Again, Athletics Disappoints

The Baylor football story has been very interesting over the past several years.  From 1996 onward, the program won the following number of wins: 4, 2, 2, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 4, 3, 4, and 4.  From 2010 forward, the program won 7, 10, 8, 11, 11, and 10 games.  In other words, the Bears won 57 games in the 2010’s after winning 43 in the prior 14 years.  Quite a turnaround.  However, news out of Baylor recently shows that, once again, you simply cannot place faith in athletics–there is routine disappointment.

About a dozen years ago, Dave Bliss lost his job at Baylor due to a murder scandal:

After the murder, one of Bliss’ assistant coaches secretly taped Bliss having a conversation with two players, instructing them to sensationalize stories to police to make it seem that Dennehy was simply another African-American casualty of the drug trade. Bliss resigned from Baylor one day after the August 2003 memorial service for Dennehy.

Now, Baylor has lost the football coach that orchestrated the dramatic turnaround, Art Briles, due to a rape scandal:

In the fall of 2015, Baylor hired Pepper Hamilton to review its past treatment of sexual assault claims. Outside the Lines reported last week that some Baylor officials, including coaches, knew about incidents of sexual assault, domestic violence and other acts of violence involving football players, but most players didn’t miss playing time as punishment.

Thus, Baylor is simply moving from one felony scandal to another in this millennium.  Not exactly something to be proud of.

Of course, those looking at athletics for “pride” are often left holding the bag.  How many icons have denied various transgressions (from steroids to tax evasion), only to later have to admit to same when the evidence mounts?  How many icons have squandered their fortunes on vices and foolishness?  How many icons have left this earth far too early, due to an inability to control themselves off the field with anywhere near the diligence of their athletic discipline?  Lance Armstrong.  The New England Patriots.  Michael Jordan’s odd career.  Even prestigious Duke seems to merely be escaping punishment.

What happened at Baylor (again) is not a surprise, no matter how shocking.  All sports fans treasure their athletics.  And perhaps fans do so a bit too much.  Too many fans would rather win while bending rules than win honorably.  Sadly, all fans get for their fandom is memories and a lighter wallet.  It is the players and coaches that actually do the winning.  Nevertheless, modern sports has figured out a way to make fans feel like every bit the “winners” that the players are.  And with money increasing exponentially in even college sports, the ethics will get blurrier and blurrier.

Baylor is unlikely to get the death penalty, of course.  This is 2016 and there would be far too much litigation for it to be worth it.  But a Penn State type penalty may be looming.  Enough to keep the TV money flowing to the Big XII, but also punish Baylor significantly.  And it will likely be deserved.

For now, it is also prudent to await more details.  The first details are not always the true details.  And the reaction to a scandal these days is not always proportionate to the culpability.  Perhaps Art Briles is a good, ethical man.  Perhaps not.  Time will tell.  The foolishness is beginning with a presumption that coaches and players are good men and waiting for them to inevitably prove us wrong.

Posted by acaffrey in News, Opinion and tagged , ,
11 May 2016
1 Comment

Syracuse A.D. Mark Coyle Already Leaving Position

Welp, that did not take long.  Recent athletic director hire Mark Coyle is already leaving Syracuse for the greener snowier pastures of Minnesota.  Syracuse.com refers to “family reasons,” which would be a very good reason for such a move.

At Minnesota, Coyle will be able to compete in a division with Wisconsin and Nebraska in football–a step down in competition from Florida State and Clemson.  Of course, the history of Gophers’ sports is not exactly riddled with bowl successes and Final Four runs.

In any event, Minnesota is likely flush with all that Big 10 cash, as that conference shows its true colors by putting money ahead of every decision.  And, in reality, it is only that the Big 10 is simply better at converting athletics into cash than most other conferences.  The same hypocritical agenda is in place in the ACC, as well as all other conferences.  Meanwhile, the sheeple of this world continue to believe that Universities have any morally sound agenda whatsoever.  Regardless, Minnesota has money than Syracuse simply does not.

As for Syracuse, they are still a P5 school that can pay more than most other non-P5 schools.  As the Coyle hire was good, there is reason to be confident that the Trustees will make another good hire.  For the most part, other than (a) not getting joined in a conference with Penn State somehow; and (b) hiring Greg Robinson, Syracuse athletic directors have done a very good job over the past 40 or so years.

Posted by acaffrey in News, Opinion, Syracuse correspondent and tagged , , ,
30 Apr 2016

ACC In the NFL–2016 Draft Update After 3 Rounds

Yesterday, the Confidential recapped Round 1.  There was an error–there were only 31 picks because New England lost its first round pick to whatever latest scandal they were embroiled in.  For whatever reason, having 6 of 31 picks just looks a lot better than 6/32.  Still, it was hard to call Round 1 spectacular with so much Notre Dame influence.  Day 2 did not do much to improve the analysis.  But, upon further review, there is nothing for the ACC to hang its head about.

Here is a list of the ACC players taken in Round 2:

  • Kevin Dodd, DE Clemson (Tennessee Titans)
  • Jaylon Smith, LB Notre Dame (Dallas Cowboys)
  • Nick Martin, OL Notre Dame (Houston Texans)
  • Mackensie Alexander, CB Clemson (Minnesota Vikings)
  • Tyler Boyd, WR Pittsburgh (Cincinnati Bengals)
  • TJ Green, S Clemson (Indianapolis Colts)
  • Roberto Aguayo, K Florida State (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
  • Adam Gotsis, DL Georgia Tech (Denver Broncos)

After 2 rounds, the ACC had 14/63 picks.   That is 22%.  With 5 major conferences, right about where the ACC should be to maintain par.  However, with 4 of those being Notre Dame, and the fair perception that Notre Dame is not really an ACC football school, that drops things to 10/63, or 16%.  Still, that is not horrible given that 8 of those 63 draftees were not from P5 schools.  10 out of the 55 P5 players drafted works out to 18%, maybe 1 draftee short of where the ACC “should be.”  Certainly not worthy of concern.

Here is a list of the ACC players taken in Round 3:

  • Keivarae Russell, CB, Notre Dame (Kansas City Chiefs)
  • Joe Thuney, OG, NC State (New England Patriots)
  • Kendall Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech (Washington Redskins)
  • C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame (Seattle Seahawks)
  • Jacoby Brissett, QB, NC State (New England Patriots)
  • Justin Simmons, S, Boston College (Denver Broncos)

Of the 98 players drafted in the first three rounds, 20 were from the ACC (including Notre Dame).  That works out to 20.4%.  If you exclude Notre Dame’s impressive six draftees, that drops things down to 14.3%, roughly 1 in 7 draftees being from ACC schools.

The Confidential is of the opinion that the ACC should strive to supply approximately 17% of the draftees each year.  That corresponds to 1/6th of the draftees, with 1/6th also apportioned for the SEC, Big 10, Pac 12, Big 12, and “other.”  As for the “other,” the NFL certainly does not shy away from taking players with potential from outside the P5.  In fact, 15 of the 98 players drafted through 3 rounds were from schools outside the P5.

Here are the “by conference” totals:

  1. Big 10: 22
  2. SEC: 22
  3. ACC: 20 (including Notre Dame)
  4. Other: 15
  5. ACC: 14 (excluding Notre Dame)
  6. Pac 12: 10
  7. Big XII: 9

If you do not include Notre Dame as an ACC school, even an unspectular first three round still has the ACC well ahead of the Pac 12 and Big XII for producing players.  Even adjusted for fewer teams, the Pac 12 and Big XII still fall short of meeting the 1 draftee per school ratio that the ACC meets.  If you include Notre Dame, then the ACC bumps right up behind the Big 10 and the SEC.

The best way to sum up the first three rounds from an ACC perspective is to state that it has been an “OK” draft.  The draft has done nothing to suggest that the ACC is not worthy of every respect as a football conference.  Regardless of whether you count Notre Dame as an ACC school, the ACC is still a solid “third” in producing NFL talent.

Posted by acaffrey in Draft, Football, Opinion and tagged , , ,
10 Mar 2016
1 Comment

Syracuse Orange: Is the NIT Actually Better For The Team? No.

If you watched Syracuse Orange basketball this season, you saw a very flawed team.  You absolutely did not see a team capable of getting to the Final Four.  A few good wins do not change that, especially with several months in between them.  This was just not a very good team.  Yet it is squarely on “the bubble,” meaning that it could still somehow eke into the field.  The question that begs is whether Syracuse would be better off in the NIT this year.  The answer is “no.”

Before proceeding, let’s not pretend that any program would turn down an NCAA bid to go to the NIT.  Even if you have a one in a trillion chance of winning it all, you want that opportunity.  You also want that exposure and experience for the players.  You never, ever turn down an NCAA bid.  Instead, the issue is whether it would be better for Syracuse to (a) be in an NCAA field where winning 2 games is unlikely; or (b) in an NIT field where there is a chance of winning the whole thing and playing several games.

The thing about (b) is that it ignores reality.  Boeheim is what he is–he is never going to play young players just to get them experience.  He does not do it against Cornell in December, he is not going to do it in the NIT where it is win or go home.  The idea that we would suddenly hand over the team to young players ignores all history and tendencies.  At best, it would be a few extra minutes in games other than blowouts.  Maybe there could be a blowout in an NIT game, but that would be it–one.  If this team was capable of blowing out opponents, it would not be on the bubble in the first place.

And is it fair to Silent G to keep him on the bench?  He deserves to score and impress NBA scouts.  Cooney, for all his ups and downs, does not deserve to be benched.  Coleman needs work on all facets of his game, so it would be foolish to not play him as much as possible.  And so on.  How can you play ANY game with a goal to get experience, rather than win?   This is not the NFL preseason, it is a one-and-done tournament.

But perhaps most importantly, there is no reason to believe that this team could win more games in the NIT playing younger players.  If this team’s young players were not good enough to play limited roles during the season in big time games, there is no reason to believe that throwing them out there in NIT games is going to lead to automatic wins and “experience.”  Stated otherwise, these young players would lead Syracuse no farther in the NIT than the experienced players would in the NCAA.  And, if that is the case, what good is the NIT?

There is no need for a few more home games in the Dome in front of 11,000 apathetic fans.  Historically, Syracuse has blown games against Florida State and UMass in similar situations where the bubble went the wrong way.  The deep NIT runs have been few and far between.

All in all, there is little or no silver lining to going to the NIT.  Syracuse fans do not need to jump off buildings if the Orange are sent there, and there is certainly no reason not to take the games seriously (as fans or players), but do not pretend that it is “actually better” for Syracuse to go to the NIT instead of the NCAA.  At least, that is the opinion here.

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, March Madness, Opinion, Syracuse correspondent and tagged , , , , ,
29 Feb 2016
1 Comment

As Always, Duke Gets Away With It

There is no debate that Coach K is a great coach.  Let’s just put that off to the side.

There is no debate that Duke is a great academic institution.  Let’s put that off to the side also.

There is no debate that Duke has had and continues to have elite basketball athletes.  Let’s put that off to the side.

The question that begs is why it is that Duke can do no wrong in the eyes of the NCAA and the ACC?  The latest example of this is a tripping issue involving Grayson Allen.

First, let’s look at the video:

Oh, wait.  That was a different tripping video involving Grayson Allen.

Here is the video:

As Oliver Wendell Holmes famously remarked: “Even a dog knows the difference between being kicked and being stumbled over.”  And people have a bit more intuition than dogs…. and “instant replay.”  Quite obviously, whatever academic credentials Allen has, they are not backed up by even a shred of common sense.  Instant replay has been around for a generation (or two) and will show what happened.

Or decency.  You can see him raise in arms trying to convince the referees that he had not done what he actually did.  So not only did he commit the act, he tried to get himself out of the inevitable punishment.  If this were a trial, it would not be hard to find Allen “guilty” of both the act and having the requisite intent.  (And that is not counting the repeated tripping attempts and that tripping is not particularly manly in its own regard).

But why shouldn’t Allen be this way–there is no punishment when it comes to Duke.  Coach K is not about to punish Allen (which should be held against the mantra that Coach K is such a “great guy”).  And the ACC and NCAA are not going to punish Duke or Allen.  The school, coach, and players are, essentially, immune.

Think that this is hyperbole, let’s consider the other instances where Duke was NOT punished for conduct that would have led to a punishment of non-Duke institutions:

  • Duke was allowed to say “we were not aware” with respect to Corey Maggette.  Note how Jim Boeheim did not get away with that same explanation and nor will Rick Pitino.
  • Duke was allowed to get away with Lance Thomas putting $30,000 cash down on jewelry and obtaining $70,000 in credit on a “how were we supposed to know” basis, even though the NCAA had JUST punished Memphis and John Calipari for a similar failure to be omniscient.
  • Actually, this Syracuse.com article lists a bunch of similar reasons to question the narrative regarding Duke basketball and Coach K.  Check it out.

In a world where Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, and Jim Boeheim can have wins vacated, it remains perplexing that Coach K has skated despite the above transgressions.  And his refusal to do what the ACC would not with respect to Allen should be yet another black eye on his record.  That is still a very good record, but not the perfect record that the narrative wants you to believe.

Perhaps Coach K will state in 2022 that he should have suspended Allen.  But recognizing your mistake years later–i.e. long after the acknowledgement will change anything material the situation–is no different than Allen crying innocent when the videotape proves otherwise.  Too little, too late.  And the trend also undermines the defense.

The bottom line is that… as always, Duke gets away with it.  And the fact that this is not surprising is disappointing.

Posted by acaffrey in Basketball, Opinion and tagged , , ,
26 Feb 2016
1 Comment

Should ANY Syracuse Athlete Be Allowed to Wear #44?

A photo in a blog entry over at NunesMagician.com featured a Syracuse lacrosse player wearing the hallowed #44.  Indeed, this year’s lacrosse roster has Matt Harris donning the number.  And there are other Syracuse Orange players wearing the number: field hockey’s Megan Evangelista and lacrosse’s Mary Rahal.  No athlete should have their number taken away.  And this is not to criticize any of the three for choosing that number–few Syracuse athletes would turn down the opportunity to wear #44.  But, moving forward, should Syracuse retire the #44 for all sports?

On this issue, the Confidential remains silent.  First, it is not clear that #44 should be retired for football, much less all sports.  Second, on the other hand, #44 is a number that identifies with Syracuse unlike almost any other number at any other institution.   Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Derrick Coleman, John Wallace.  The zip code.  And so on.

Instead of opining, the Confidential will simply invite commentary: If the 44 is retired from football and basketball, and is the number that defines the University as a whole (see the zip code change), does it make sense for any Syracuse athlete to be allowed to wear the number?   Let us know here or on Twitter.

 

Posted by acaffrey in Opinion, Syracuse correspondent and tagged , ,
15 Feb 2016
2 Comments

The Top 44 Football Players in Syracuse Football History

The legend of the number 44 and Syracuse is well-known to any fan that watches an ESPN game featuring Syracuse.  If you need more, see here.  In any event, with 44 such a crucial number for Orange fans, it only stands to reason that all lists involving Syracuse should be the “Top 44.”  And so it is.  Here are the top 44 Syracuse Orange football players–based on their college, rather than professional, accomplishments:

  1. Ernie Davis–the sole Heisman Trophy winner at Syracuse and the first African-American to win the award, as well as the second legendary #44.  Oh, and he was part of the 1959 National Championship team.
  2. Jim Brown–almost a #1 based on his dominance and status as the first legendary #44.
  3. Floyd Little–the third of the trio of #44 backs that dominated the 1950’s and 1960’s, Floyd Little cements his status by being a constant contributor to the program decades later.
  4. Don McPherson–of all the QBs in Syracuse history, McPherson was the one that went 11-0-1 and had Syracuse finish in the top 5.  That had not happened since the top 3 were on the field and has not happened since (1987 to present).
  5. Tim Green–this local phenom helped restore Syracuse by deciding to stay home and wear the Orange.  The Syracuse defense under Coach Dick MacPherson was stout and it began with Green and company.  45.5 sacks is still atop the Syracuse list.
  6. Donovan McNabb–two BCS bowl appearances and four years at starting QB have McNabb way up the list.  Next to McPherson, Syracuse accomplished much under McNabb, including some HUGE wins.
  7. Joe Morris–the Syracuse leaderboard still has Joe Morris at #1…. above all the legendary #44’s and others.
  8. Marvin Graves–2nd in all-time passing yardage and led Syracuse to consecutive 10-2 seasons.  A very, very good QB that gets overshadowed by McPherson and McNabb.
  9. Marvin Harrison–while Art Monk had a notable pro career rivaling Harrison and played in less pass-happy times, one cannot deny Harrison’s numbers atop of the Syracuse record charts.
  10. Dwight Freeney–while Green was tough, Freeney’s speed is unlike anything ever seen before or after.  He could dominate games and did.
  11. Walter Reyes
  12. Larry Czonka
  13. Art Monk
  14. Markus Paul
  15. Dan Conley
  16. Ted Gregory
  17. Ryan Nassib
  18. Donovin Darius
  19. Darryl Johnston
  20. Kevin Abrams
  21. Bill Hurley
  22. Jim Collins
  23. Anthony Smith
  24. Alec Lemon
  25. Tommy Myers
  26. Arthur Jones
  27. Chandler Jones
  28. Rob Moore
  29. Shelby Hill
  30. Qadry Ismail
  31. Quinton Spotwood
  32. Jim Ridlon
  33. Keith Bullock
  34. John Mackey
  35. Scott Schewedes
  36. David Bavaro
  37. Rob Drummond
  38. Kevin Mitchell
  39. Tony Romano
  40. Jim Ringo
  41. Terry Wooden
  42. Kevin Johnson
  43. Joe Alexander
  44. Vic Hanson

Obviously, there are more than one way to list 44 players…. so what do you think?  Did we miss anyone deserving–especially old and recent… seemed like a bias towards the early Carrier Dome era (1980-2000)?  Could have spent additional hours on this–making sure nobody was missed.  How about the rankings?   Is your top 10 different?

 

Posted by acaffrey in Opinion, Syracuse correspondent, Syracuse Top 44 and tagged , ,
04 Feb 2016
2 Comments

ACC Recruiting Recap

With another football letter of intent signing day passing by yesterday, the analysis begins.  The major outlets take their subjective weight given to players and look at how those players accumulated at schools.  If there was ever an example of “garbage-in, garbage-out,” it would be this task.  Nevertheless, throwing out all the subjectives, there is certainly some sort of correlation between “good recruiting classes” and results (except at Texas and Miami).  So here is what folks think of the 2016 football recruiting classes.

RIVALS

Here is the overall top ten listed at Rivals.  As you can see, Florida State and Clemson crack the top 25.

Rank School Total 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars Avg Points
1
Alabama
 24 5 10 9 3.83 2885
2
Florida State
 25 1 18 4 3.72 2816
3
Ohio State
 24 2 15 7 3.79 2704
4
Michigan
 28 1 15 12 3.61 2603
5
Clemson
 22 3 10 6 3.59 2530
6
LSU
 23 0 15 6 3.57 2515
7
Mississippi
 24 2 10 12 3.58 2507
8
USC
 20 2 11 7 3.75 2429
9
Auburn
 21 2 11 6 3.62 2403
10
Georgia
 20 3 10 6 3.75 2387

As for all the ACC schools:

  • #2  Florida State-twitter seems to suggest a disappointment that this is not deemed the #1 class.  But the Seminoles would certainly prefer a national title over a recruiting rankings title.
  • #5 Clemson–in-state rival South Carolina was way down at #26.
  • #12 Notre Dame–between UCLA, Texas, and Florida makes sense.  Behind Mississippi does not.  And rival USC is a few spots up at #8, while Stanford is a few spots down at #18.
  • #22 Miami–Miami has never had trouble getting talent and this is a decent class for Mark Richt in just a few weeks.
  • #24 North Carolina–ahead of historical blue blood Nebraska, neighbor South Carolina, and current elite school Oregon.  Good things happening in Chapel Hill.
  • #30 Pittsburgh–Pitt has had good recruiting classes year after year–the benefit of being located in Pennsylvania, adjacted to Ohio, and next to both New Jersey and the D.C. Corridor.
  • #31 Duke–we are used to top classes in hoops, but the Blue Devils on-field success is translating into better football recruiting classes, including a class better than football stalwarts Wisconsin and Arkansas… and a top half class within the ACC.
  • #37 Louisville–a decent class, but Cards fans cannot like seeing Kentucky up at #28.  There is an SEC bias, to be sure, but who would have expected that?  Still, #3 in the Atlantic.
  • #43 NC State–squarely in the middle of the Atlantic at #4.  Ahead of Wake Forest, but behind Duke and UNC.  Ahead of Syracuse in the division, but behind Louisville.  Not good, not bad.
  • #49 Virginia Tech–as a ranking, this must be disappointing.  Houston, Northwestern, and Brigham Young should generally not out-recruit the Hokies.  Chalk it up to a new coach.
  • #57 Syracuse–being behind Washington State, Iowa State, and Indiana is ordinarily disappointing, but new coach Dino Babers worked some magic to get Syracuse above four other ACC schools in just a few weeks.
  • #62 Virginia–former coach Mike London was a good recruiter, and the coaching switch seemed to cost Virignia slightly.  Not much of a new coach bounce.  UCF, Temple, Vanderbilt, and Colorado State were among the schools to have better ranked classes.
  • #63 Wake Forest–hey, anytime the Demon Deacons avoid the basement, it is a good thing.
  • #68 Georgia Tech–having only 18 recruits hurts, but should Georgia Tech EVER be below Western Michigan in recruiting?  They do recruit for a system, though, and the system players usually suffer in the rankings.
  • #82 Boston College–sigh.  Only Kansas has a worse recruiting class among P5 schools.  Miami of Ohio has a better class.  But better than neighbors UConn and UMass.  And similar classes did not prevent BC from having a great defense.

What do you think?  Are you happy with your school’s class? Disappointed?  Dispute these RIVALS rankings?  Let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion, Rankings, Recruiting and tagged , , ,
20 Jan 2016
1 Comment

Syracuse & Zack Mahoney

It is amazing that Syracuse fans are so quick to turn on Zack Mahoney and conclude that he is incapable of playing QB for Syracuse.  On what basis can any Syracuse fan make that statement?

Mahoney’s first game experience came against Central Michigan, where Mahoney ultimately led Syracuse to the overtime win in his first game action.  While offensive coordinator Tim Lester showed little confidence in him in regulation, overtime went well for the Orange–resulting in a victory.  In his next outing, all Mahoney did was overcome a terrible start to keep Syracuse competitive against then-#2 Louisiana State.  In his next outing, Mahoney kept Syracuse competitive against #1 Clemson.  While the passing was not good, Mahoney’s legs kept Syracuse close.

Between the LSU and Clemson games, Eric Dungey was given five games at QB for Syracuse.  Syracuse lost all five games–South Florida, Virginia, Pitt, Florida State, and Louisville.  All good opponents, but certainly not LSU or Clemson.

In the final two games, Mahoney and the Orange were defeated soundly by North Carolina State on the road, which ultimately was the end of the Scott Shafer era.  However, in the final game under Shafer, Mahoney led the Orange to the win.

The numbers are Mahoney on the season are not great.  Dungey completed 59.7% of his passes, while Mahoney only completed 46.2%.  However, Mahoney was 24 for 59 against LSU and Clemson, Syracuse’s two toughest opponents.  This certainly helped drag down Mahoney’s numbers.  Also, Mahoney did not play against Rhode Island or Wake Forest, and was only allowed to attempt 4 passes against Central Michigan (all 4 of which were completed).  Three of Dungey’s four best QB rating games were against Rhode Island, Wake Forest, and Central Michigan.  Dungey’s two worst games were at Florida State and Louisville.  Good opponents make QBs look worse than bad opponents.

None of this is to suggest that Mahoney deserves to start over Dungey.   Dungey certainly throws a better deep ball and has that certain intangible quality that you look at in a QB.  The mobility is a huge plus.  But the idea that Mahoney cannot be a 2nd or 3rd string QB on Syracuse moving forward is a bit absurd.  Not many QBs in Syracuse history have kept the Orange competitive against top 5 opponents–even in the Dome.  Mahoney did.  In his first year for Syracuse, without a ton of reps before the season due to his depth chart status.  Let’s not give up on the kid just yet.

 

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Opinion and tagged , , ,
09 Dec 2015

NCAA Bowl Change Necessary–But Not What You Think!

There is plenty of discussion regarding bowls given that the 40 bowl games this year required 80 teams to fill them–requiring the selection of a few 5-7 teams and one bowl game featuring a matchup between two teams from the same conference.  There is certainly ample reason to revise the bowl system to add some…. well…. sanity.  Surely, eliminating some bowl games would make some sense.  But an even more important change is necessary–allowing all schools to have the same number of additional practices–either to be used in preparation for a bowl or during the Spring.

It is an odd situation that the NCAA is so geared towards the haves at the expense of the have nots that only bowl eligible teams get to continue practicing.  In many ways, this is the biggest reward for a meaningless bowl–a chance to let some young guys get valuable reps in practice.  But once upon a time bowl games were only for 20 or so teams, meaning that a large majority were not getting those practices.  While unfair to the inferior teams, the greater good of having meaningful bowl games prevailed.

Now, however, 80 teams get bowls and about 40 do not.  So what once was a reward for a minority is now a penalty for the minority, as 1/3 of the FBS schools lose the extra practices by not making a bowl.  This, in turn, creates a demand for bowl spots.  This demand for bowl spots creates a demand for bowls.  And this leads to 40 bowls, too many of which feature teams at or (now) below .500.

One way to even things up and reduce the demand for bowl games is simple–just allow all teams to have the extra practices.  The only exception would be for the playoff teams–who are allowed enough practices to do what is necessary.  All remaining teams would get the same number of practices (say…15) between season’s end and spring ball–and teams could use them as necessary.  Call them “winter practices.”

In fact, it is perplexing that a team playing in a mid-December bowl will get less extra practices than a team playing in a comparable bowl scheduled for early January.  There is no reason for this whatsoever.

With this change, all schools would be able to have 15 winter practices.  Some schools may use all 15 for their bowl game.  Other schools might want to use 10–even if bowling–to add 5 more to the spring.  Other schools might prefer to skip a meaningless bowl game to have all 15 winter practices in the spring.  This makes complete sense if a school is breaking in a new quarterback, and certainly where there is a coaching change.

From there, the bowl games can return to some sense of sanity.  With demand for bowl spots no longer linked to the extra practices, the bowl games can once again be rewards for above average teams, rather than avoiding the penalty of being below average.  There is certainly some reason for someone to complain about a change like this.  But it seems like a very easy way to level the playing field and drive out the meaningless bowls.

Posted by acaffrey in Bowls, Football, Opinion and tagged , , ,

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