The Worst Bowl Season Ever

Why is ESPN so preoccupied with mind-numbing, endless, unceasing promotion of the CFP semis?  For the most part, the games turn in to total duds and, worse, ESPN devalues the rest of the bowl slate when they act like only the CFP exists.

With heartfelt congrats to UCF, Michigan State, South Carolina and UAB, this bowl season will go down as the worst.  The CFP semis were the worst ever if you were not Alabama and Georgia fans.  Watching paint dry would been a thrill, comparatively speaking.

Bowl games were scraped because of the Omicron variant.  The Odyssey felt particularly bad for NC State fans.  To have a game cancelled within 5 hours of schedule was AWFUL!  Imagine paying for an expensive, cross-country flight and a hotel room only to have a a 12th-hour rug pulled under your feet.  To add insult to considerable injury, the weather for the NC State fans, on the days leading up to the game, was terrible by San Diego’s lofty standards.

Countless opt outs to boot.  We understand a star running back like Kenneth Walker III opting out.  NFL running backs are not forever.  However, for those of you who want to protect your 4th round draft grade, get a clue!

Purists found another reason to dislike Ohio State:  4 of their stars are defacing the “Granddaddy of them All” by not playing this afternoon.  The Odyssey believes that the Rose Bowl is SPECIAL.  If you listen to the Paul Finebaums of the world, they do not comprehend the singular appeal of the Rose Bowl.  The Odyssey has attended 15 Rose Bowls and there is no better way to start the New Year, especially when the sun is out as it will be when Utah takes the field against the Buckeyes.  The San Gabriel Mountains are beautiful.  Pasadena is a vibrant town.  Watching the sun set is totally picturesque.

As if a metaphor for this season’s bowl travesty, the Odyssey attended Thursday night’s Arizona State-Wisconsin tilt with a heavy heart. We much preferred their format where the Mountain West Champion played a Pac12 team. The Group of 5 keeps getting devalued. Instead, Sin City’s game should have been billed the Disappointment Bowl if truth in advertisement was an industry standard. Wisconsin had seemingly righted the ship after 3 early losses before an upset to Minnesota kept them out of the Big 10 title game.

ASU’s season was a mistake-filled disappointment, marred by undisciplined play.  The game turned out to be appropriate for this bowl season, as it started out as a yawner.  Wisconsin built up a 20-6 halftime lead as Arizona State’s offensive playbook seemed to consist of two plays:  “Jayden Daniels scrambles to the right” and Jayden Daniels scrambles to the left.”

To ASU’s considerable credit, the Sun Devils showed up in the second half.  ASU shut down the Wisconsin offense and made the game an interesting 20-13 affair well into the fourth quarter.  With almost 6 minutes left, credit the Badgers’ criticized QB, Graham Mertz.  On a pivotal 3rd and 12, Mertz threw a beautiful ball 30 yards down field for a critical first down.

Allegiant Stadium is an excellent venue.  UNLV should be able to lure some recruits who otherwise would be disinterested in the Rebels.

Maybe the 4 New Year’s bowl games will offer some salvation for this year’s meltdown.  Now that the bowl system has been trashed, there can be no question as to what the best day of the college football calendar is:  No longer on January 1st, the Odyssey cannot wait for 2022’s Rivalry Saturday.  We are already counting down.  HAPPY NEW YEAR from the ODYSSEY!