Bowls question

Is the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game a bowl game?

I think it is, PR guy for a bowl-related event said it isn't.

We had an e-mail exchange, and I made reference to there being 34 bowls, he says 33.

I don't have the option of writing the "33 bowls and national championship game" because that would make the lede too long.

I'm thinking of settling on "all but five bowl games," which should be sufficient.

I just found a reference on Wikipedia to four major bowl games and the National Championship Game are considered "BCS bowl games," making the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game a bowl game.

 

IMO it's a separate game, hosted by one of the bowl committees.

But it's not a bowl game. It's the BCS championship game.

And I don't trust Wikipedia about as far as I can throw a dead mule.

 

I read you felt that way on Wikipedia.

 

Don't listen to PR lies. It's a bowl game. "BCS championship game" stands for BOWL Championship Series championship game. It's hosted by a bowl committee. It's a bowl.

 

Teams get invited to bowl games, right?

The BCS Championship game participants earn their way to play in it.

If there were none of the other 33 bowl games there still would be a BCS Championship game.

I read on Wikipedia a person can throw a dead mule 4.3 feet. I don't believe it.

 

Its a bowl game.

More accurately, like all the rest, its an exhibition game. And usually a poorly played one at that, mainly due to how far apart from the regular season it is played. Bama plays 13 games in 92 days, then its 33 more days until the next game? Its an exhibition.

 

I've always seen the number at 34. It's totally a bowl game.

 

They're not exhibitions though, since the statistics now count as though the games are part of the regular season. But none of them are championships of anything other than the bowl itself, even the BCS championship game (The winner is NOT recognized as NCAA champion). You might as well say the Minnesota-Wisconsin game is a bowl game since they play for a trophy.

What these games are is a bonus 13th or 14th regular-season game for those teams who can finish at least 6-6.

 

Is this actually in the rules anywhere? I know the winner gets the little glass football, but I seem to remember the winner also running around after the game with that standardized NCAA champs trophy.

 

No. The NCAA does not recognize a champion for that level of football. It does not run a playoff or a championship tournament. There is no such thing as an NCAA FBS champion. Only a BCS champion.

 

They could call it a turkey shoot and it would still be a bowl game. Lower-case, however, as opposed to Rose Bowl, etc.

 

Technically, Villanova is the Division I national champion in football. The NCAA refers to what we commonly call the I-AA (nay, FCS) playoffs as the "Division I football championship."
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-footbl/champpage/m-footbl-div1-index.html

This is how the lede reads from the NCAA's news release on the game:

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Deficits are no matter for Villanova. Rallying from behind double digits for a second straight week, the Wildcats topped Montana 23-21 to claim the program's first ever NCAA Div. I national football championship in its first title game appearance Friday in Finley Stadium.