New Year's Days past

[RedSea_rivals91325]

New Year's Day used to be a great holiday because it was THE day for college football. The big bowls and the best teams were all there, and at least a couple of them would be meaningful for the national championship picture. Now it has only afterthought bowls, take 'em or leave 'em, with the games to decide a champion all off on other days. Just aint the same.

I think I also liked not having a playoff. It was always kind of interesting debating who deserved the top poll spots after New Year's, when it wasn't entirely clear, and the present system still leaves people unhappy with who got those 4 spots chosen by a committee. Might as well have the polls decide it as far as I can see. IMHO.

 

[Truehuskerfan]

New Year's Day used to be a great holiday because it was THE day for college football. The big bowls and the best teams were all there, and at least a couple of them would be meaningful for the national championship picture. Now it has only afterthought bowls, take 'em or leave 'em, with the games to decide a champion all off on other days. Just aint the same.

I think I also liked not having a playoff. It was always kind of interesting debating who deserved the top poll spots after New Year's, when it wasn't entirely clear, and the present system still leaves people unhappy with who got those 4 spots chosen by a committee. Might as well have the polls decide it as far as I can see. IMHO.

I'm one of the few who never wanted a playoff in the first place. But now that they have one, and there's no chance of ever doing away with it, I think it needs to be expanded to 8 teams.

 

[Redscarlet]

I'm one of the few who never wanted a playoff in the first place. But now that they have one, and there's no chance of ever doing away with it, I think it needs to be expanded to 8 teams.

8 most deserving with confernce champions or just the best 8 teams?.

 

[Truehuskerfan]

8 most deserving with confernce champions or just the best 8 teams?.

I think you have to go with the Power 5 conference champions getting automatic bids and then 3 at-large teams.

 

[Can o' corn]

Yeah, New Year's ain't what it used to be. I miss the old days.

 

[TripleOption67]

New Year's Day used to be a great holiday because it was THE day for college football. The big bowls and the best teams were all there, and at least a couple of them would be meaningful for the national championship picture. Now it has only afterthought bowls, take 'em or leave 'em, with the games to decide a champion all off on other days. Just aint the same.

I think I also liked not having a playoff. It was always kind of interesting debating who deserved the top poll spots after New Year's, when it wasn't entirely clear, and the present system still leaves people unhappy with who got those 4 spots chosen by a committee. Might as well have the polls decide it as far as I can see. IMHO.

Right there with you. I miss the old New Year's day games. Started off with the Cotton, then Fiesta, Rose, then flipping channels between the Orange and Sugar bowls. In the late 80's they added the Citrus and Outback bowls to the New Year's lineup.

The good old days of not knowing for sure who would end up number 1 until that evening and praying for upsets along the way. Or even having to wait until the next day to see who is voted #1.

That was college football.

 

[oldjar07]

People really like to complain. There's great games all day today. Sure they don't play all the bowl games today and the title game isn't played today, but that's a good thing as you get a chance to actually see more teams play.

 

[HUSKERFAN66]

Right there with you. I miss the old New Year's day games. Started off with the Cotton, then Fiesta, Rose, then flipping channels between the Orange and Sugar bowls. In the late 80's they added the Citrus and Outback bowls to the New Year's lineup.

The good old days of not knowing for sure who would end up number 1 until that evening and praying for upsets along the way. Or even having to wait until the next day to see who is voted #1.

That was college football.

Crowds were a lot bigger too. I ve never seen attendance this bad

 

[Husker4real_rivals373787]

I’ll bet there would be less complaining about this kind of stuff if Nebraska had been better at football the past 20 years.

 

[newAD]

Yeah, New Year's ain't what it used to be. I miss the old days.

I miss the old days too, but I have to be objective. Do I miss it because it was so great, or it was it because it was a rare year Nebraska wasn’t involved on January 1 bowl games? If Nebraska didn’t play in the Orange, they made appearances in the Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton, etc.

However, objectively, FBS/D1 football has been and continues to have the stupidest and most worthless way of determining a champion in all of American team sports. Not even arguable.

Throughout history teams haven’t earned national championships, they won a dog show trophy.

I’ll argue forever that Nebraska was clearly the best team in 71 and 95. However, I wish Nebraska could have proven it on the field in 94 and 97 (because I feel they were the best team). Had there been a playoff maybe things shake out differently in years like 81,82, 83, 84, 87, 93, and 99? Just imagine how Osborne’s tenure could have been different had he got a chamionship or 2 in the early 80s.

1970 we share the title with Texas who lost their bowl? How many other years were there split dog show contest winners? Notre Dame claims how many titles where they didn’t play in bowl games?

Future generations will look back at College Football and scratch their heads at the senselessness of the process.

 

[NikkiSixx_rivals269993]

Iowa sucks

 

[bravest fb]

I miss the old days too, but I have to be objective. Do I miss it because it was so great, or it was it because it was a rare year Nebraska wasn’t involved on January 1 bowl games? If Nebraska didn’t play in the Orange, they made appearances in the Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton, etc.

However, objectively, FBS/D1 football has been and continues to have the stupidest and most worthless way of determining a champion in all of American team sports. Not even arguable.

Throughout history teams haven’t earned national championships, they won a dog show trophy.

I’ll argue forever that Nebraska was clearly the best team in 71 and 95. However, I wish Nebraska could have proven it on the field in 94 and 97 (because I feel they were the best team). Had there been a playoff maybe things shake out differently in years like 81,82, 83, 84, 87, 93, and 99? Just imagine how Osborne’s tenure could have been different had he got a chamionship or 2 in the early 80s.

1970 we share the title with Texas who lost their bowl? How many other years were there split dog show contest winners? Notre Dame claims how many titles where they didn’t play in bowl games?

Future generations will look back at College Football and scratch their heads at the senselessness of the process.

So you are ok with a team winning a NC without winning their conference or even their division?

 

[Harry Caray]

I liked having the playoff games on a Saturday. People have to work the day after New Year's.

People here just like the old way because that was back when we were good enough to play on New Year's Day every year. An 8-team playoff will be much more exciting than the old way.

 

[newAD]

So you are ok with a team winning a NC without winning their conference or even their division?

Where in what I said do you get the impression I’m ok with that?

2011 is one of the biggest jokes in college football. LSU beats Bama, at Bama. Then has to play them again in the MNC game??

 

[newAD]

So you are ok with a team winning a NC without winning their conference or even their division?

If you mean would I be ok with an 8 team playoff where the 5 conference champs get the top 5 seeds, a group of 5 team like UCF gets in, and 2 at large bids get in at seeds 7-8, then yes I’d be perfectly fine with an at large team that doesn’t win it’s conference winning the championship, if they had to win 2 games on the road and then won the championship.

 

[Alum-Ni]

The semis need to be played on New Year's Day IMO. New Year's Day football is the definition of college football, baffling to me why the sport would abandon the day with its biggest games.

 

[oldjar07]

The semis need to be played on New Year's Day IMO. New Year's Day football is the definition of college football, baffling to me why the sport would abandon the day with its biggest games.

There's plenty of big games on today. Would be stupid to have playoff games with all the other New Year's 6 bowl games.

 

[saluno22]

I've had old bowl games on in the background the last few days (no cable). There is so much mention from the late 80s and early 90s about a desire for a playoff from the broadcast teams. Specifically...
- 1988 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida State (1987 season)
- 1989 Orange Bowl vs. Miami (1988 season)
- 1990 Fiesta Bowl vs. Florida State (1989 season; Florida State lost their first two games of the season, then ran the table in dominant fashion with a win over the eventual MNC Miami)
- 1991 Citrus Bowl vs. Georgia Tech (1990 season; my goodness was Johnny Mitchell amazing in that game)
- 1992 Orange Bowl vs. Miami (1992 season)
- 1994 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State (1993 season)

The broadcasters in all of these games mentioned how nice it would be if there was a playoff to settle the controversy of so many good teams.

Thank you, YouTube.

EDIT: I'm clearly a masochist because Nebraska lost all of those games.

 

[bigboxes]

I'm one of the few who never wanted a playoff in the first place. But now that they have one, and there's no chance of ever doing away with it, I think it needs to be expanded to 8 teams.

Yup. Exactly like I have always felt. We lost a lot of tradition when we created the BCS and later the playoffs. Once down, however, we need an 8-team playoff to do it right.

 

[Alum-Ni]

There's plenty of big games on today. Would be stupid to have playoff games with all the other New Year's 6 bowl games.

No it wouldn't. All the big games that mattered used to be on NYD. The Semis would be awesome on Jan. 1.

If you have to move the prestigious Outback Bowl a few days earlier

 

[timnsun]

I think you have to go with the Power 5 conference champions getting automatic bids and then 3 at-large teams.

But that would severely limit SEC participation... the best they could do is 4 teams in.

If they go with top 8, everybody knows how strong the SEC is... the sky’s the limit on how many SEC teams get in.

 

[Dawills12]

No it wouldn't. All the big games that mattered used to be on NYD. The Semis would be awesome on Jan. 1.

If you have to move the prestigious Outback Bowl a few days earlier

I agree with you 100% the rose bowl will never move their slot on new years day. Rose bowl seems to play important role that affects previous and today's national championship

 

[Alum-Ni]

I agree with you 100% the rose bowl will never move their slot on new years day. Rose bowl seems to play important role that affects previous and today's national championship

Sugar Bowl won't either cause the SEC won't budge their timeslot if the Big Ten won't