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Too Many Bowl Games End Up In the Gutter

WHEELING — College football’s bowl season is a never-ending menu of blandness.

Bowl games kicked off Dec. 15 with the Celebration Bowl, pitting North Carolina A&T — featuring Wheeling Park’s Elijah Bell — against Alcorn State. Bowling doesn’t end until Jan. 7 with the national title game in Santa Clara.

All told, there are 40 bowl games, meaning 80 teams are needed to fill those slots. Meanwhile, there are only 129 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Consequently, far too many bowl games are saturated with mediocrity. Ten teams with non-winning records were needed to fill bowl pairings. A year ago, 15 teams with non-winning records earned bowl berths.

Bowls used to be a reward for successful seasons. Such is not the case anymore. In 2015, teams with 5-7 records found their way into bowls.

So how many people really care about the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (BYU vs. Western Michigan) or the Camellia Bowl (Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan)? Not many judging by attendance numbers. The Potato Bowl drew a paltry 18,700 while the Camellia Bowl drew a whopping 17,910 in Montgomery, Ala.

Need more apathy? The Bahamas Bowl pitted Florida International against Toledo. A robust crowd of 13,510 attended.

How important can bowl games be? Wednesday’s SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas was canceled due to lightning issues with Boston College holding a 7-0 first-quarter lead against Boise State.

Why couldn’t the game be resumed the next day?

Ohio Valley football fans are interested with WVU and Syracuse in the Camping World Bowl, the Rose Bowl with Ohio State, the College Football Playoffs and maybe only another bowl crumb or two.

The college bowl season has lost its mystique. New Year’s Day was the pinnacle in years’ past — hosting the Cotton, Rose, Orange and Sugar bowls in succession.

Coaches like the bowl season as it gives them another couple weeks of practice time.

Fans, for the most part, do not. That point was hammered home when only 11,029 attended the Frisco Bowl in Texas between Ohio University and San Diego State.

Star players often times are criticized for skipping bowl games as to not jeopardize their NFL Draft stock. But yet a bowl game can be canceled. Makes no sense.

When it comes bowl games, more is not better.

BO KNOWS BASEBALL

The Wheeling Central Baseball School, sponsored by the Beast of the East, will be held Jan. 20-21 at the Mount de Chantal Gym. It is open for ages 7-12.

The camp is under the direction of Wheeling Central baseball coach Bo McConnaughy. The former West Liberty University coaching great is being assisted by Jeremy McConnaughy, Jason Rose, Willie Clegg and Wheeling Central players.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Jan. 20: Focuses on fielding, throwing and base running. Ages 10-12 go from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while ages 7-9 go from 3-6 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 21: Focuses on hitting, pitching and catching. Ages 10-12 go from 9 a.m. to noon while ages 7-9 go from 1-4 p.m.

Cost is $20 per day or $40 for both days when pre-registered while $25 at the door. Family rates are available in advance. Pre-registration is recommended by Jan. 14. Checks should be made available to CCHS Baseball.

Participants should bring a bat and glove.

Online registration is available at cchsknights.org and go to the Athletic webpage and click on the Baseball School icon.

More information is available by calling Bo McConnaughy at 304-280-2981 or via email at bmcconaughy@cchsknights.org.

BUBBA’S BITS

∫ The NFL is becoming — if not already — over-saturated. There was no need to have a pro football game on Christmas Eve night.

∫ Many Steeler diehards are hoping the team cuts Mike Tomlin loose at season’s end. It won’t happen. The Rooney Family doesn’t fire coaches and it would also be hard to find a better head coach.

∫ The Rose Bowl will mark Urban Meyer’s swan song with Ohio State. It also marks the 15th time the Buckeyes have played in the game. OSU is 7-7 in previous Rose Bowls. The Buckeyes are 8-3 all-time against Washington, this year’s Rose foe.

∫ Gary McPherson died earlier this month. He served two tours of duty as assistant men’s basketball coach at WVU. He served as Sonny Moran’s aide with the Mountaineers from 1970-74 before becoming head coach at Alderson Broaddus. McPherson returned to WVU in 1978, assisting Gale Catlett for the next 15 years. His sister-in-law Jeanne Carter resides in Wheeling.

∫ Kudos to the organizers of the Buckeye 8 Challenge. The four-game hoop card last Saturday was entertaining while attracting a nice turnout to Ohio University Eastern.

∫ I have more faith in Baker Mayfield than I do in Lamar Jackson. So I won’t be surprised if the Browns deliver the Steelers a belated Christmas present today.

∫ No matter how you look at it, an 8-4 finish for WVU football is a big disappointment.

∫ Wishing all our readers a happy, safe and prosperous New Year.

NEWSLETTER

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