2011 College Bowl Pickem

[Tom McManus]

I set up a group on Yahoo to pick the college games. Go to Yahoo Fantasy Games.  It is set up as confidence picks.  The group is Discontinuum, the user number is 23015, and the password is discgolf. This is for fun and bragging rights. Hopefully we can get a few college football experts getting involved in this.

[Tom McManus]

The bowl games are starting soon if anyone is interested in joining this group. Just for fun to track how you are doing.

[pdga#7648]

I got in Tom, but like the NFL picks, you'll probably school me. I only follow the BIG 10 and the FSU Seminoles.  good luck.

[Tom McManus]

I got in Tom, but like the NFL picks, you'll probably school me. I only follow the BIG 10 and the FSU Seminoles.  good luck.

I doubt it, I am not good at all at making college picks.

[CEValkyrie]

I am boycotting all bowls and BCS games. This system is a joke!!!!!!!

[Tom McManus]

I am boycotting all bowls and BCS games. This system is a joke!!!!!!!

For the sake of Illini Basketball please start boycotting their games. At least avoid seeing them in person.

[pdga#7648]

Well StanK, had you made it in on time and picked those first 3 games, you would have probably walked away with it, but this Bama LSU  game will decide a winner. I got Bama with 1 pt. confidence, to your LSU and 4 points. Good luck.

How did the Big 10 fare Tom? not the powerhouse in football that they are in basketball huh? couldn't believe all those teams that lost. 

[Stan the Blue Man]

Well StanK, had you made it in on time and picked those first 3 games, you would have probably walked away with it, but this Bama LSU  game will decide a winner. I got Bama with 1 pt. confidence, to your LSU and 4 points. Good luck.

How did the Big 10 fare Tom? not the powerhouse in football that they are in basketball huh? couldn't believe all those teams that lost. 

I had I dumb mistake IDK Y I choose Wis over Ore lol I was rushing and pretty much just clicking

[CEValkyrie]

I have not had 1 person at school ask or talk about the championship game yet. That is sad. Looks like it was a terrible game by the score.

Is Alabama the champion? What a complete joke this system is.

[Dan Michler]

I read the TV ratings were the lowest since 2002.  I think if people aren't watching and it starts hitting somebody's pocketbook, this system gets changed.  The Broncos/Steelers wildcard game had double the viewers of the BCS title game.

What would you want to see?  A 4 team playoff?

[Tom McManus]

I read the TV ratings were the lowest since 2002.  I think if people aren't watching and it starts hitting somebody's pocketbook, this system gets changed.  The Broncos/Steelers wildcard game had double the viewers of the BCS title game.

What would you want to see?  A 4 team playoff?

I would like to see the bowl games moved up and not dragged out, have everything wrapped up by January 1.   I think a playoff would make more people unhappy then they are now.  People go crazy about teams not getting into the NCAA BB tourney when there are 68 invites.

Look at the rankings prior to the bowl games, which four teams are you going to go with?  There are probably 10 teams that could make a case for the final four.   The bowl games are absolutely somewhat of a letdown to the regular season, but I like the way the season is now.  College basketball is just the opposite, everyone is geared up for the tourney, but the regular season doesn't mean as much.
I realize college athletics is big business, but I think the bowl system is a nice reward for college football players, most of whom will not make the pros.


I am sure that part of this is being older, and being a traditionalist. Just my opinion.

[CEValkyrie]

I would like to see an 8 team playoff starting right away. Waiting until January 9th is unbelievable. Continue to play all the side bowls with any team not making the 8 team playoff.

Some will use the old argument that every game in college football matters. This year shows the opposite. That first game with LSU/Alabama meant nothing.

[pdga#7648]

I don't watch to much college football, some Illini games, and FLA ST. but I really like watching Bowl games. You get to see the talent from everywhere around the country, not just the same schools year after year. I remember when I was younger, there were maybe 7 Bowls,  now there are 35, to many, but the confidence pool for the games is fun, much like the BB like Tom mentioned, the brackets is all I wait for.

[Dan Michler]

I'm gonna agree with Brett, when it comes to the national championship, almost no games matter in college football.  Your team is most likely eliminated from contention long before the end of the regular season.

I agree with Tom that if you had a 4 team playoff, you'd have a ton of people bitching about not getting in.  It wouldn't solve the situation.  I think an 8 team playoff would do the job though.  Of course you'll still have a slew of teams unhappy about being left out, but there won't often be serious arguments that the 9th, 10th, and 11th teams were actually the best in the nation.  Every year you'll have an undisputed national champion, unlike now.  I think the TV ratings for a playoff like this would be significantly higher than for the current bowl games.  Traditionalists like Tom would be unhappy, but you can't please everyone.

People do go crazy about being left out of the CBB tourney Tom, but at the end do you ever hear anybody complain that one of the teams overlooked for an at-large bid got shafted out of a shot at a national title?  Nobody questions the national champion in CBB.

[Tom McManus]

I like the system the way it is, but eight teams is a solution that I could live with.  I do not see eight teams happening though, because that would mean 3 additional games for two teams.  There is no way that college football is going to take one game off the schedule for every team, in order to allow 2 teams to play three additional games.  And I don't see college teams playing 16 games.

I think it will end up being a four team playoff , for every team that you add to the final playoff there will be three other teams that think they deserve one of the spots. I do think it will be four teams,  but I am not sure that there is a perfect scenario for college football.

[Dan Michler]

Every major sport today has started with a smaller playoff that what is currently in place.  I agree Tom, the 4 team playoff is going to happen first.  Baby steps.  I think it would be crazy not to think the 8 team playoff will eventually come to fruition.