Earlier this season, Dana Holgorsen bemoaned the fact that the college football playoff had become all that people care about. 

 

To some extent, I think he's right. The playoff gets so much attention during the college football season. Heck, ESPN airs an entire show each week dedicated to unveiling the playoff committee’s rankings. BCS games were big in the past. The playoff has become bigger.

 

There are only four teams that make the playoff though. There are 128 teams competing in Division I football. 78 of them make bowl games (not including the four playoff teams).

 

Odds are, your team will not make the playoff. Does that mean the season isn’t successful if you don’t make it?

 

What about these “other bowls?” Should you care about them? 

 

I’m starting to think I may be one of the few people left that likes all of these college football bowl games. My reasoning is pretty simple. 

I like college football. I like watching college football. So, if there are 40-some additional games that are going to be played in December and January, count me in. 

 

I know most of them "don't mean anything," I don't care. It's football. We go nearly nine months with no games. That’s too long, in my opinion. As a fan, why would I want nine months with no games to become 10 months. 

 

Here's the other thing. If you don't like the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl or the Dollar General Bowl, fine. Just don't watch it. Pretty simple fix. Don't watch. Easy. 

 

Some of this 'don't care' attitude seems to have found its way to West Virginia's participation in the Russell Athletic Bowl. I've been surprised at the number of people who have said they don't like this game or don’t like the matchup with Miami. 

 

Maybe some of it has to do with Holgorsen's comments following the Baylor game. He openly discussed a New Years Six bowl. He said a team with as many wins as West Virginia had usually goes to a New Year’s Six bowl.

 

Did that set fans' expectations that anything less wasn't good enough? I've heard from callers to our Sportsline radio show and on Twitter saying they don't like having to play an 8-4 Miami team in the bowl. They wanted a "better" opponent. They felt WVU had earned the right to play a better opponent in the bowl. 

 

I'm on the island again here, apparently, because I think Miami will be a fun opponent. I also think WVU playing a game in Florida is a heck of a lot better than playing another game in Texas (Alamo Bowl) or in Arizona in the middle of the night like last year.

 

West Virginia fans can drive to Florida if they want. And, from a recruiting standpoint isn't this a no-brainier? Isn't it reasonable to assume West Virginia receives some (at the least) benefit from getting to practice for a week in Florida and then play a game in the state? How many Florida recruits will be able to attend a WVU practice while the team is there? 

 

Would I have loved to see WVU matched up against Pitt in this game? Yes. But, absent that matchup and not wanting to see Virginia Tech to close this season and open the 2017 season, the next best option, in my opinion, is playing Miami. 

 

West Virginia has no opponent that even resembles a rival right now. At the very least, getting a chance to see a team that WVU played for years and hasn't met in more than a decade, interests me. 

 

Frankly, I'm surprised more of you don't seem to agree with me. 

 

I know a New Year’s Six bowl game would have been preferable. But, given WVU’s losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, that just wasn’t a realistic option. The Big 12 has one team playing in a NY6 bowl and that’s league champion, Oklahoma. 

 

A game against a former "rival" in a location that benefits West Virginia seems like a good deal to me. Add in the fact that it gives us one more chance to watch this team and extend the football season by a few months and I’m on board.

 

What am I missing?

 

Leave a comment below or send me a tweet @BradHowe07 and let me know if you like the upcoming Russell Athletic Bowl against Miami. 

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is of Quincy Wilson's 2003 run against Miami where he turned in one of the greatest plays in WVU history, while Daikiel Shorts is shown hauling in a touchdown pass last week in the second photo. Third photo is a celebration in the end zone after Robert Waker's game-cllinching TD against Miami in 1993, while bottom picture is one of the last involving WVU and the Hurricanes. All photos, with the exception of Daikiel Shorts by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com, courtesy of WVU Sports Communications.