With the expanded CFB playoffs, will we now see an NIT playoff version?
Bowl games are fading, and people like tournament formats. I say yes.
Would probably make sense to do something with the other four conference champions (which lets face it would basically be a G5 playoffs).
Used to be bowl games were for the best teams, such as the SWC Champion always got the Cotton Bowl. You needed to have a quality season to get invited to a bowl.
Now, you don’t even need a winning record. It took all the honor out of being invited to a bowl.
I remember some Sam Houston St. fans wanted to remain an FCS school so they could play for a national title in the playoffs instead of get invited to some “hot dog bowl”.
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Unfortunately that’s their life now - CUSA title game and a hot dog bowl
My take is all remaining bowl games should become play-in. Instead of a bowl game being two invitations it should be four with a round of games at campus stadiums. Cut the number of bowls in half while increasing the number of games and also make making a bowl an achievement again.
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The only reason the bowls are still around is because they are profitable for TV. Sponsors may change but the bowls come back year after year.
I view the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as the NIT playoffs of football. It’s not exactly the same, but it does play second fiddle to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
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Bowl games still get good tv ratings because they are “events”. The first couple rounds of an NIT tournament would likely not get as much viewership. I keep thinking the lower bowls will drop off but they only seem to be expanding.
Bowl games mean less today but they’re TV dollars so doubt they’re going away. There’s twice as many 1A of FBS schools than there used to be. Too many bowls? Not if you like watching college football during the holidays. It gives you a chance for a positive end to the season. Nobody does it better than DIV III football but we’ll never get there.
I disagree. I don’t think it would be a G5 playoff. As a matter of fact,the networks would try to include every big name team from the P5 that was not eligible for the CFB Playoffs.
I could see them saying something like:
16 teams
All Conference Champs not in the CFB Playoffs are automatic
Must, at least, win your division, if the conference has divisions
Must have a winning conference record.
Must have a winning record.
Basically, it will be G5 conference champs, and P5 Runner ups, and maybe a G5 Runner up or a few P5 ranked teams
P5 runner ups already slot into the NY6. They would never agree to play G5 champs. So thats a non-starter.