Harry King questions carryover benefit of Bowl win

[WizardofhOgZ]

http://swtimes.com/columns-blogs/harry-king/king-carryover-bowls-questioned

[Jek Tono Porkins]

"This notion that participation in a bowl game one year guarantees a team will be a force to reckon with the following year is poppycock."

I don't know of anyone that makes that argument. I have heard the argument that winning a bowl game gives a team momentum into the next season.

[Seminole Indian]

Think he is ticked off that some programs use playing bowl teams as proof of SOS.

Maybe it irks him that  in the Football Bowl Subdivision, going to a bowl is the mark of a successful season, and was looking for backdoor to badmouth some lesser programs that did.

Maybe he thinks they should stop rewarding the smaller programs with bowl opportunities, or stop playing them.

[GlassofSwine]

Think he is ticked off that some programs use playing bowl teams as proof of SOS.

Maybe it irks him that  in the Football Bowl Subdivision, going to a bowl is the mark of a successful season, and was looking for backdoor to badmouth some lesser programs that did.

Maybe he thinks they should stop rewarding the smaller programs with bowl opportunities.

  Based on the article. I think it irks him more that a team in the Power conferences could play 4 OOC cupcakes and then go 2-6 in their conference and get to a bowl game.

[Uncommon]

Agree with him.

The only thing that a bowl appearance does for your program is some momentum in recruiting and extra practices and development of your non Seniors.  I guess you could also say that it builds more team chemistry since they will be living and eating in the same places.

[Seminole Indian]

  Based on the article. I think it irks him more that a team in the Power conferences could play 4 OOC cupcakes and then go 2-6 in their conference and get to a bowl game.

That's the way I read it, but he still took a littlie swipe and the 'cupcakes'.

[Razorback_Mack]

There's not a college coach in the country that would agree with that article. Bowls equal=More practice and experience which should give you a better team. The Auburn example is just stupid. Chizik just wasn't a good coach. Most high school coaches could win 1 conference game with the talent he had.

[Theolesnort]

Harry needs to stick with golf and the horses because he knows them. As to being in a Bowl and poppycock, well any coach will tell you the extra practice time is really important to player development for next years team and wasn't that the gist about what he was talking about?

[Go hogs go]

I got from the article the he was saying just because you were in a bowl last season doesn't mean your going to be as good as last year. He wasn't arguing the benefits of playing in the bowl just that because we are playing 10 bowl teams from last year it shouldn't determine strength of schedule. I agree I think several bowl teams from last year will take steps back from last year. Auburn, Missouri, Texas a&m all have chances to fall this year.

[WashUhog6]

There's no question that a bowl game benefits a program. It allows more practice time, a chance to play at least a decent non-conference opponent, and something to point towards on the recruiting trail. However, Harry King's point can be supported by numerous examples. It isn't a question of whether a bowl appearance is beneficial, but that it does not guarantee success in the following season even though it is many times used as a metric to predict such success.

Let's look at Arkansas, for example. Bowl appearances by decent to extremely good Arkansas teams in 2003, 2007, and 2011 were followed up by bad teams. Harry points out similar examples in his article, pointing out numerous teams with conference records from 2-6 to 3-5 that made bowl games along with Texas Tech, who lost 5 straight Big 12 games to end last season and finish with a losing record in conference.

Again, there is no question that a bowl appearance is beneficial for a program no matter how big or small. But many changes can happen during the off season--from good to bad--that change the outlook of the following year's team. Add that to teams who are squeaking into bowl games with less than stellar resumes and you have made the point that a lot changes in the time it takes to get from January to September.

[Lanny]

Oklahoma is highly over rated this year because of the bowl game against Alabama.

[Jackrabbit Hog]

The most positive thing that comes from a non-BCS, non-marquee bowl game appearance is security for the coach.  Tough to fire a coach coming off a bowl game.

[MJ2]

A bowl, any bowl is good for the players and the coaches both, but is VERY good for recruiting purposes.     Not going bowling can lead to the demise of a program.