College Football’s Bowling for Dollars

The college bowl season is upon us, and this year more games and more money are involved than ever. Is it too much of a good thing?

By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek

One week after this Saturday’s Heisman Trophy Award ceremony, college football’s bowl season begins—spanning 24 days, 35 games, 70 teams, 16 states, more than $281 million in payouts to participating schools and conferences, and, across the U.S., regional economic impact adding up to more than $1.7 billion.

Long gone are the eras of the regional Peach Bowl, the Liberty, the quaint Bluebonnet. In 2011, every single one of the 35 bowl games has a title or presenting sponsor attached—with 11 games claiming only the name of their sponsor company as the event title. From the ridiculous (Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, Belk Bowl, Beef O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl) to the sublime (Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl, Insight Bowl, Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl), the bowl games and the corporate representation behind them represent the New Era Pinstripe Bowl of the college football juggernaut—and of the oft-debated Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

Or, as University of Oregon Head Football Coach Chip Kelly put it after winning the Pac-12 football championship last weekend, “We’re just so excited to represent this university in the Rose Bowl. Now we’re going to drink some Dr. Pepper and mail our Christmas presents with UPS.”

After a scandal-ridden season, led by contemptible allegations at the University of Miami, Penn State, and Syracuse (albeit in that school’s basketball program), it will be good to sit back and take in traditions old and new—and be sure to enjoy them now, because this year’s near-constant conference realignments are gonna mess with tradition in a big way come 2012.

This year’s bowl season, however, is not without controversy. Here’s a blow-by-blow analysis.

Too many bowls?

Maybe. Cynics argue that the “niche bowls” serve little purpose, and that bowl participation is a cash drain on all the schools involved. They ignore the big picture in four ways:

First, the 35 bowls give 70 schools an opportunity to participate in the postseason at a significant level. Overall, nearly half the Division I teams have the privilege of participating in postseason bowl games, a far greater percentage than the roughly 20 percent selected in the NCAA championships in other sports (22 percent in baseball; 20 percent in men’s and women’s basketball; and 24 percent in men’s soccer).

Second, where TV is concerned, adult bowl-game viewers largely comprise that most coveted demographic: college-educated viewers ages 18 to 49. Given this, get set for more than 1,400 hours of bowl coverage this year.

Third, Corporate America loves the exposure, and bowl titles potentially offer an efficient, effective buy. The last time the national championship was played in Arizona, naming right holder Tostitos—which is made by PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay—enjoyed nearly $76.6 million worth of exposure. “What’s really neat about the college space is that you don’t have to be a big multinational brand to get in. … Our affiliation around the sport, starting with the Chik-fil-A bowl, helps build on-campus and beyond relationships,” remarked Steve Robinson, Chik-fil-A‘s senior vice-president and chief marketing officer, at this week’s IMG Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in New York.

Finally, the economic impact for the host region is significant—such as the regional economic impact that adds up to more than $1.7 billion cited earlier.

How did we get to where we are?

This year’s Louisiana State-Alabama BCS selection resulted in the slimmest mathematical difference in the history of the eight years that the current formula has been employed—86 thousandths of a point (including numbers from two polls and six computer rankings). We think we have controversy now: The national championship vote has been split between coaches and writers 11 times since they began voting in 1954.

What is the “mediocrity index” of this year’s bowl games?