Idaho Famous Potato Bowl

[Sitting Bull]

Miserable.

Doesn't make me wish to be in the low end FBS or visit Boise.

[Bisonwinagn]

Miserable.

Doesn't make me wish to be in the low end FBS or visit Boise.

I was just thinking the same thing. If it's not a playoff game who would want to go to Boise on vacation and watch an exhibition game.

[NY Crusader 2010]

I actually almost started this thread. Not that horrible attendance at low-end bowl games or FCS playoff games are anything new...

[veinup]

exciting **** isn't it

[Lehigh Football Nation]

At least Air Force didn't have to fly far to attend.

[mmiller_34]

At least Air Force didn't have to fly far to attend.

They got screwed by regionalization

[centennial]

I was just watching the game. The MAC is a weak conference. CO State also got their ass whooped today.

[ZableNoise]

I almost went to this game with my dad because he's a USAFA alum. After watching parts on tv I'm very glad I didn't

[catamount man]

I enjoyed it myself. Had AFA as one of my picks and I like the WMU coach. He's gonna go far in the coaching ranks. It's an FBS bowl that is shown on major TV. Certainly would go if WCU was in that spot but that's just me. GO CATS!

[veinup]

the appeal of bowl games at all has completely disappeared for me at this point. now that there's a mini-playoff at the end (which i know are still technically "bowl games") the non-playoff ones seem even more worthless. i don't even know/care whether the school i'm currently attending is playing in a bowl game. i know that i'm the odd man out here and most of the nation loves their stupid bowl games. ah well.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

If you told me in 1997 that a bowl game in Boise Idaho would have lasted until 2014 I would have said you're insane. This game was basically a running joke for the first 4 or 5 years it was played. Boise State had finished transitioning to 1A at the time. The blue turf no doubt gave the Broncos some unique attention and the game a viewing quirk but it was still being playing played in Boise, ID. The marketing department behind this bowl did an amazing job of making the city visible and giving Boise State football free pub. I really think this bowl game help grow BSU football.

What struck me most yesterday was the lack of logo's affiliated with the sponsor. There was no real bowl "feel" to it....

[kdinva]

I actually almost started this thread. Not that horrible attendance at low-end bowl games or FCS playoff games are anything new...

listed attendance was 18,200......from my couch it looked closer to 7,000 in the seats.....

[kdinva]

CO State also got their ass whooped today.

Colo St. (MWC) had a great season for them (10-2).....Utah just had everythine working for them, all 3 phases......if they played again, the margin would be < 15, I am sure.....

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Colo St. (MWC) had a great season for them (10-2).....Utah just had everythine working for them, all 3 phases......if they played again, the margin would be < 15, I am sure.....

I don't draw too much from teams that lose their coach then proceed to struggle in their bowl games. That was a tough deal for CSU. If McElwain is still there this game is MUCH closer. Granted, Utah is really talented. I enjoyed watching them play this year. They have guys who fly around the field....

[Sitting Bull]

the appeal of bowl games at all has completely disappeared for me at this point. now that there's a mini-playoff at the end (which i know are still technically "bowl games") the non-playoff ones seem even more worthless. i don't even know/care whether the school i'm currently attending is playing in a bowl game. i know that i'm the odd man out here and most of the nation loves their stupid bowl games. ah well.

That would not be a new phenomenon for 2014.

A combination of the playoffs, media hype, the large number of them and just the current trend affecting attendance everywhere in college football, I expect we will see a lot of empty seats again this year. I remember last year how surprising it was to see bowl games, typically the ones that are always packed (Gator, Orange, etc) with empty seats - in some cases it looked like half the stadium was empty.

The only salvation for most of these bowls is to turn them into a "home" game for a nearby participant.

The one upside I see this year is they have brought back the meaningful Bowls to New Years Day.

[TheKingpin28]

If they just did the new years 6 I'd be fine with that. Why should a team that finishes 6-6 be rewarded with postseason play. Same could be said for REAL playoffs for Division 1-3 and NAIA, but I have a problem with a team who played pathetic get rewarded for mediocrity.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

If they just did the new years 6 I'd be fine with that. Why should a team that finishes 6-6 be rewarded with postseason play. Same could be said for REAL playoffs for Division 1-3 and NAIA, but I have a problem with a team who played pathetic get rewarded for mediocrity.

There should 8 premium bowls and another 10-12 quality bowls that ensure you have all the legitimately good teams in the postseason. This also allows the truly good teams from the G5 a chance to compete against the P5..

Premium Bowls
Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, Cotton, Peach, Citrus, Holiday

Quality Bowls
Independence, Liberty, Alamo, Sun, Outback, Gator, Las Vegas, Pinstripe, Hawaii, Music City

[ZableNoise]

There should 8 premium bowls and another 10-12 quality bowls that ensure you have all the legitimately good teams in the postseason. This also allows the truly good teams from the G5 a chance to compete against the P5..

Premium Bowls
Rose, Orange, Fiesta, Sugar, Cotton, Peach, Citrus, Holiday

Quality Bowls
Independence, Liberty, Alamo, Sun, Outback, Gator, Las Vegas, Pinstripe, Hawaii, Music City

I agree with this so much. The reason we decided not to attend the game wasn't because of location (though Boise in December isn't ideal) but because of the opponent. Who wants to watch their team be rewarded for a great season by getting to play Western Michigan?

[NY Crusader 2010]

A full-blown playoff would, IMO, add some needed juice to FBS football culminating with the national semis on New Year's. Right now, you have three games that really matter, in addition to a handful of good bowl matchups and a giant stinking heap of garbage lower-tier games. It's a little much when you have half the MAC and multiple Sun Belt teams qualifying for these games. What's the reward for winning CUSA, MAC or Sun Belt? You get to play in rinky-dink bowl A as opposed to rinky-dink bowl B.

[MR. CHICKEN]

20382....HEY LET 'EM PLAY...NUFFIN' ON DUH TUBES...MID-WEEK...'CEP ROUND-BALL.......WHICH AH DON'T GET INTA....TIL DUH LAST PIGGY....IS FUMBLED AWAY....xrotatehx..BRAWK!

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

How do people afford to attend these games year after year? If you're a halfway decent FBS team like Washington, Iowa or Cincinnati you almost always go to a bowl but rarely a good one. I could definitely see the novelty of attending the Alamo or Citrus bowl once but to do it on a consistent basis? Heck, my friend dished out over a grand to see Penn State-FSU in the 2005 Orange Bowl as a student. If Temple plays a first/second round tournament game within 250-400 miles of where I live i'll be there. It would have to be a pretty intriguing bowl game for me to hop on a plane to see it. I'd fly to a Final Four no doubt. There's probably a better chance I see Notre Dame play in a bowl. If I had been back east last year for the holidays I would have seriously considered going to the Pinstripe Bowl.....

[Gil Dobie]

UND defeated Robert Morris in the REAL Potato Bowl.

[hebmskebm]

Today's Miami Beach Bowl in Marlins Park may be even lamer than the game in Boise. Some of those pics don't even make it look like a game of football is being played.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/12/22/7435577/miami-beach-bowl-marlins-park-byu-memphis

[813Jag]

Today's Miami Beach Bowl in Marlins Park may be even lamer than the game in Boise. Some of those pics don't even make it look like a game of football is being played.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/12/22/7435577/miami-beach-bowl-marlins-park-byu-memphis
so it's no different than a Miami Hurricanes game then? xlolx

[catamount man]

Yeah but the postgame battle royal MORE than made up for it. LOL!

[Bisonator]

Yeah but the postgame battle royal MORE than made up for it. LOL!

What were they fighting about? The lack of fan support?? xlolx

[superman7515]

How do people afford to attend these games year after year? If you're a halfway decent FBS team like Washington, Iowa or Cincinnati you almost always go to a bowl but rarely a good one. I could definitely see the novelty of attending the Alamo or Citrus bowl once but to do it on a consistent basis? Heck, my friend dished out over a grand to see Penn State-FSU in the 2005 Orange Bowl as a student. If Temple plays a first/second round tournament game within 250-400 miles of where I live i'll be there. It would have to be a pretty intriguing bowl game for me to hop on a plane to see it. I'd fly to a Final Four no doubt. There's probably a better chance I see Notre Dame play in a bowl. If I had been back east last year for the holidays I would have seriously considered going to the Pinstripe Bowl.....

Some people are "fans" of their teams and so they attend games that those teams play in.

[kdinva]

Today's Miami Beach Bowl in Marlins Park may be even lamer than the game in Boise. Some of those pics don't even make it look like a game of football is being played.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/12/22/7435577/miami-beach-bowl-marlins-park-byu-memphis

what makes it more silly, is that the stadium designers had only one set of outfield seats (RF here).....yet the overall dimensions of this stadium (and the one that the Ray's play in) force the FB setup to have one bench in front of zero seats. xcrazyx

[OSBF]

I noticed something interesting in general about the bowls this year

used to be that the typical matchup was something like the 1 from the MAC vs the 7 from the B10

Based on the quick looksee I gave it this year there are only 5 bowls that place "power" conf programs vs lower conf programs

Interesting how this separation of the haves and have nots continues

[kdinva]

.....Based on the quick looksee I gave it this year there are only 5 bowls that place "power" conf programs vs lower conf programs

Interesting how this separation of the haves and have nots continues

Agree........would love to see, say a Marshall v. Auburn, or La. Tech v. Nebraska.....

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Agree........would love to see, say a Marshall v. Auburn, or La. Tech v. Nebraska.....

Those two matchups would be eviscerations with Auburn and Nebraska winning by 20+ points apiece, IMO

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Didn't even notice it earlier but why is this thread in FCS Discussion?

[Laker]

Didn't even notice it earlier but why is this thread in FCS Discussion?

There seems to be a lot of trespassing lately. We may have to use the Castle Doctrine to wake people up.

Ah, I'll go out and change my flat tire so I can make it to my sister's place tomorrow.

[superman7515]

Didn't even notice it earlier but why is this thread in FCS Discussion?

So people can feel better about their team by trying to tear another team down. xlolx

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Those two matchups would be eviscerations with Auburn and Nebraska winning by 20+ points apiece, IMO

I think teams like Marshall and NIU deserve a shot against a solid P5. I'm watching the Boca Raton Bowl right now and I think both teams COULD beat a Nebraska, Wisconsin, LSU, Clemson, Arizona State, Oklahoma etc. this year.