THE MONEY BOWL: Bowl Games we can all be proud of again

by The Football Vets

Now, we have talked about how the new SEC should take the lead in forming the new POWER 4 Conferences in CFB. We have discussed how this aligns well with 12 team playoff system. We have enlightened you on how to make the crap bowls relevant and make money so that even the losing teams in the POWER 4 Conferences earn their keep. We explained their competition against a newly aligned GROUP OF 4 through A RELEGATION PHASE. What we haven’t opined upon is what to do with the rest of the teams during bowl season.

What should you do with the 9-3s and the 8-4s and the 7-5s? If you said make them fight for their lives in a winner take all scenario then we may be thinking alike. OK, OK. We know what you are thinking. Why would a top junior/senior player play out their eligibility, when he isn’t playing for the national championship? We have seen time and time again when top players arrive at the bowl games but never really show up. What if we told you there is a way to get them to play their little hearts out on the football field.

MONEY!

Let’s look at the top 15 Second Tier Bowl Games- You know the bowls that only gamblers really care about, and players dress out because they have too, yeah, those bowl games. Starting with the Citrus Bowl all the way down to the Military Bowl. These bowls, when added together, have an average payout of over $5 Million. That is not bad money. With this scheme they are likely to make more. The schools are going to make more and to ensure the players are on board. Because potentially, they are going to make more. With this bowl season playoff, we are instituting a Million Dollar December Dash to the End. The players are paid in a winner take all; with $30 Million dollars to the winning teams’ players. Each of the schools still get $1.5 Million per game for making the trip.

Let’s explain the math right quick and then let’s walk through a mock playoff based on 2019 Middle tier bowl eligible teams. So how do we get these numbers? Now release the boring MATH. From the beginning we set up a 60/40 split; 60% is split between the schools or $3 Million per game or $1.5 Million to each school per game. What happens to the 40% or the remaining $2 million from the payout? It is pushed forward to the next bowl game. When it’s all said and done the schools making it to the Dollar Dash Championship Game will get $6 Million in total payout. The Players on the winning team get to split up $30 million. That is over $350,000 per player. Do you think this is incentive to get the most out of our college player? Do you think they will show up?

So, before we map the mockup let’s talk location. Location. Location. Location. These bowls need to be destination bowls. Not Just Orlando or Las Vegas but locations people want to go for vacation. Places where fans want to park their RVs or even take cruise to. Now, let’s brainstorm some locations: Bahamas sounds like a warm place to go in winter; Tampa is another warm location; San Diego has a pretty sunset; Arizona is nice in December; the river walk in San Antonio is cool; Hawaii is must. Are you picking up what I am putting down? These are vacation spots. These are great places to go when wet snows have started falling across the country. Great locations for great bowls with great players wanting to play some great football.

Now that we have in mind where we would play these great games. What would the December Dollar Dash look like? Remember the super conferences we talked about before? We are going to take our next top 3 teams from our POWER 4 conferences equaling 12 teams and the Group of 4 Conference Champions for a total of 16 teams. These games will be played Tuesday through Thursday in the weeks following the conference championships. Let’s go to the brackets:

This is how football bowl season should be. Great football for college football fans. We get to plan vacations to warm destinations, enjoy the local fare, and watch some competitive football. The players are giving it all because everything is on the line (Well mostly we do think there should be a consolation prize if you make it to the Money bowl; you get at least 1% of the payout guaranteed). Tell me you wouldn’t be excited for December every year if this would be the bowl schedule?

In four articles we have presented you with a total picture for how College Football should organize and play to rake in the money and give fans the total experience. Four Regional Super Conferences consisting of the Power 4 and the Group of 4 Conferences working in concert would present us with football whenever the NFL isn’t playing. The Season would culminate in three distinct and wildly entertaining playoffs in December that will have us running to the TV faster than Santa can slide down the chimney. The Power 4 Conferences would give the fans 12 teams to vie for the Championship each year. The Relegation Phase would delight our fancy as teams fought for their College football lives. Finally, to round it all off we give you the rest of the teams traveling to warm destination to vie for $30 Million dollars. December delirium indeed.