Everybody loves bowl games, right? To some extent, yes. Players love the swag and the travel. Coaches love the extra practice time. Fans love attending - as long as they can drive to the game.
And ESPN? The Worldwide Leader in Sports absolutely LOVES bowl games, as college football attracts more viewers than just about everything except the NFL. So more bowl games would seem to be a no-brainers, right?
Well, it was until last season, when college football found themselves with more bowl games than bowl-eligible teams. Prior to last season, "bowl-eligible" meant that you had to finish the regular season with at least a .