NEW YORK – After years of relentless expansion, college football’s
nearly monthlong holiday party – the bowl season – finally seems to
have maxed out.
Those involved in the bowl business say that, with the national economy
flailing, events which are as much about tourism and corporate
sponsorship as football now are staring at a set of challenges that
will level off the number of second-tier bowls, if not reduce them.
There are a lot of second-tier bowls to choose from.
“We’re talking about disposable income, and that’s drying up as fast as
water in the desert,” said Paul Hoolahan, chairman of the Football Bowl
Association and CEO of the Sugar Bowl.
The bowl roster now stands at 34, giving 68 teams the opportunity to
play a nationally televised game and be pampered by the host community.
That’s more than half of the 119 schools playing college football at
its highest level.
The NCAA has been liberally licensing new bowls in recent years. Since
2002, 11 new bowl games have been established, while only three have
closed up shop. Two games will debut this season, the EagleBank Bowl in
Washington, D.C., and the St. Petersburg Bowl in central Florida.
