Why US loves bowl games - even with mediocre teams

All but the most avid armchair quarterbacks have probably never heard of the Music City Bowl. They've never tuned in to the GMAC or Continental Tire bowls. And the Humanitarian Bowl isn't exactly high on their list of must-sees, either.

Welcome to the 2003-2004 edition of the annual bowl blitz. Of course, most pigskin aficionados will tune in to the Sugar Bowl Jan. 4, when second-ranked Louisiana State takes on third-ranked Oklahoma in the official national championship. (The Rose Bowl will host top-rated Southern California Jan 1.)

But what about all those other bowls - a dizzying slate of 28 games in all? Are they worth the effort? They showcase lesser teams, often with so-so records, critics point out. Some contests attract so little attention and backing that they fade away. (Anyone remember the Cherry Bowl?) But new ones keep popping up to take their place. And the cycle looks self-perpetuating, thanks to a heady mix of TV revenue, community spirit, and college and corporate promotional needs.

As long as college football doesn't go to a postseason playoff system, "I think we'll maintain the status quo," says Mike Schulze of the Football Bowl Association. "The NCAA would like as many teams as possible to enjoy the bowl experience, and there is a desire by more communities to host these games. So when a bowl drops out, another community will likely take its spot."

The status quo does reward mediocrity - and for simple mathematical reasons. To fill all this year's bowl slots, nearly half of all major-college teams (56 of 117) are needed. As a result, teams with 7-5, 7-6, and even 6-6 records wind up playing in games like the Silicon Valley Classic and the Insight Bowl.

Critics have long complained. "Six- and seven-win teams belong on the practice field, not playing on TV in some inane Wednesday night dotcom bowl in late December," wrote Tom Dienhart of The Sporting News in 2000, when there were three fewer bowls than this year's slate. "Reruns of the Weather Channel could get better ratings."

Bowl organizers seem unfazed by the disparaging broadsides. For one thing, bowls usually involve substantial revenue.

The participation of college teams generates excitement and tourism for bowls, which, in turn, reward the schools with sizable payouts from sponsorship, ticket, and television revenues. The more glamorous the bowl, the larger the payout. The bare minimum per team is $750,000, which should cover a school's travel expenses and then some. Altogether, an estimated $185 million will be divvied up this year.

In the Big Ten Conference, which is sending eight teams to bowls, even the three nonbowl-bound members share in the proceeds. Money not spent by teams attending bowls is pooled and divided equally among the league schools.

A feel-good factor also helps perpetuate the secondary bowls. Host communities, especially the smaller ones, love rolling out the red carpet to visiting teams and their followers. "This sort of thing isn't duplicated in any other postseason environment," says Mr. Schulze. He notes that bowls, unlike traditional playoffs, allow 28 teams to end their seasons on a winning note.

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