NCAA Approves Fifth New Bowl Game

Say it isn't so? Not another bowl game!

The NCAA on Wednesday approved a new postseason football bowl game in Houston starting next season.

It will replace the former Houston Bowl and is the fifth new game approved by the NCAA Postseason Football Licensing Subcommittee since the end of last season.

The bowl, which has not yet been named, will be managed by Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, which is affiliated with the Houston Texans of the NFL.

The name of the new bowl and other details will be announced later. In April, the NCAA approved a fifth Bowl Championship Series game, which will be played in Glendale, Arizona, along with the International Bowl in Toronto, the Birmingham Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl.

Bowls that were renewed for next season are: the AutoZone Liberty, Capital One, Champs Sports, Chick-Fil-A, Emerald, FedEx Orange, Gaylord Hotels Music City, GMAC, Independence, Insight, Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas, MasterCard Alamo, Meineke Car Care, MPC Computers, Motor City, All-state Sugar, Outback, Pacific Life Holiday, San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia, Fort Worth, Rose, AT&T Cotton, Hawaii, Tostitos Fiesta, Toyota Gator, Vitalis Sun and New Orleans.

Don't get me wrong, I love college football. I love the atmosphere, the crowds and the future NFL stars that dazzle us every Saturday. But do we really need more bowl games. There's already too many teams who don't deserve to be in one and now the NCAA has approved five new games since the end of last season.

Some will argue that it makes the game better, it's better for the fans and the schools gain money which helps in recruiting and other improvements, it helps create excitement...blah, blah, blah.

Any team that is 6-5 doesn't belong in a bowl game. Period, end of story. I don't care if they were 0-11 the previous season and the feel good story of the year, 6-5 or God help us 6-6, just doesn't cut it. Why reward mediocrity? If I was a coach and my team went 6-5, I'd be pissed!

The bowl system has been in place for a long, long time and most of the good ole' boys in the NCAA don't want to see that changed. The NCAA, along with the universities, love to count all the money that rolls in from corporate sponsors during bowl season.

The problem is that all these games are watering down college football and taking away what makes it special. To tell the truth, nobody, even the most diehard college football fan, cares about two 6-5 teams playing in a bowl game. Unless you are/were an alumnus or it's your favorite team.

Nevertheless, the NCAA will keep creating more bowl games and continue to reward mediocrity. Remember, North Texas State made it to a bowl game a few years back with a 5-6 record! Excellent.

College football is a great institution, but like all institutions it desperately needs some overhauling. Too bad it's not going to happen for a long, long time. Not while the dollars are flowing and the status quo is secure.

All I know is when the first International Bowl kicks off in Toronto and the NCAA smiles as it tries to win the hearts of Canadian fans, I'll be at home, the TV turned off, with visions of a true playoff system dancing in my head.


Check out the most complete guide to coaching youth football ever created!