How the Bowls would have worked out if 6-6 teams had not been allowed

The NCAA is has differed, to the conference commissioners, the decision to continue to allow a 6-6 team to a bowl in the future.  The NCAA conference commissioners are likely against it.  And I agree that going to a bowl game should mean something.  With the number of bowls that are in place, however, there needs to be some capitulation on behalf of bowl committees.  They will have to concede that a team from a weaker conference with a better record is a better invite than a mediocre team from a power conference.

It should be obvious that if 6-6 teams are not eligible for bowl games, then some bowls will have to be decertified.  I am OK with seeing the Beef 'O' Brady's, New Mexico, New Orleans and Pinstripe Bowls go away, but let's say that they do not.  Those bowl committees would then have to settle for FCS schools in place of schools from power conferences.  Therefore, here is how I think some bowls would have changed had this rule been in place for 2011-12.

Criteria, at least 7 wins and eliminated from the FCS playoffs before the Final Four.  The Final Four was the Champion North Dakota State, plus Sam Houston State, Montana and Georgia Southern.  There will probably be enough schools with 8 or more wins at the FCS level to ensure that no 7 win teams from FCS conferences are in bowl games.  There were 14 teams with a 6-6 or worse record in bowl games this last season, where there were 25 FCS teams that did not make the final four with 8 wins or more.

Second, some of the smaller and colder-weather bowls will get to put up with the smaller college teams where other bowl-eligible teams will travel to bigger bowls.  You would not see Appalachian State vs Towson in the Gator Bowl.  Those smaller bowls will not take just anyone, but teams that are close to get the largest crowd possible.

Third, the Pioneer Conference, Ivy League and SWAC (a conference of traditional African-American schools) do not normally participate in the FCS playoffs, but would be eligible to be substitutes in bowl games.

Fourth, no bowl will be FCS vs FCS.

Big Sky:
Montana State 10-3

Big South
Stony Brook 9-4

Colonial
Towson 9-3
Old Dominion 10-3
Maine 9-4
New Hampshire 8-4
James Madison 8-4

Great West
North Dakota 8-3

Ivy
Harvard 9-1

MEAC
Norfolk State 9-3
Bethune-Cookman 8-3

Missouri Valley
Northern Iowa 10-3

Northeast
Duquesne 9-2
Albany 8-4

Ohio Valley
(None)

Patriot
Lehigh 11-2
Georgetown 8-3

Pioneer
Drake 9-2
San Diego 9-2

Southern
Wofford 8-4
Appalachian State 8-4

Southland
Central Arkansas 9-4

SWAC
Jackson State 9-2
Alabama State 8-3
Alabama A&M 8-4
Grambling State 8-4

New Mexico
Old Match-up
Temple (8-4) vs Wyoming (8-4)
New Match-up
Maine (9-4) vs Wyoming (8-4)

Comment: Remember what I said about travel?  Here is an obvious exception.  No bowl near Maine, no deserving FCS school near Albuquerque.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Old Match-up
Utah State (7-5) vs Ohio 9-4
New Match-up
Montana State (10-3) vs Ohio (9-4)

Obvious choice to put the Bobcats who had a whale of a season in 2011.  There are not many schools that could travel to Boise and play in a warmer climate, but Montana State is one of them.

New Orleans
Old Match-up
La Laf (8-4) vs San Diego State (8-4)
New Match-up
La Laf (8-4) vs Grambling State (8-4)

A traditional African-American college in New Orleans seems like a good idea.  GSU plays here at least once a year.

Beef 'O' Brady
Old Match-up
FIU (8-4) vs Marshall (6-6)
New Match-up
FIU (8-4) vs Towson (9-3)

Passed up Stony Brook from the more deserving Towson.

Las Vegas
Old Match-up
Arizona State (6-6) vs Boise State (11-1)
New Match-up
Utah State (7-5) vs TCU (11-1)

No good options for MWC bowl opponents, but USU fans would travel to Las Vegas.

Little Cesar's Pizza Bowl
Old Match-up
Purdue (6-6) vs Western Michigan (7-5)
New Match-up
Northern Iowa (10-3) vs Western Michigan (7-5)

This seemed like the most obvious choice for the Detroit-based bowl.

Poinsettia Bowl

Old Match-up
Louisiana Tech (8-4) vs TCU (11-1)
New Match-up
San Diego (9-2) vs San Diego State (8-4)

When was the last time that the Torreos and the Aztecs met on the Gridiron?

Independence Bowl
Old Match-up
North Carolina (7-5) vs Missouri (7-5)
New Match-up
Louisiana Tech (8-4) vs Missouri (7-5)

Move La Tech closer to home and against a weaker opponent.

Military Bowl

Old Match-up
Air Force (7-5) vs Toledo (8-4)
New Match-up

Lehigh (11-2) vs Toledo (8-4)

Again, seemed like the obvious choice for a bowl in DC.

Armed Forces Bowl

Old Match-up
BYU (9-3) vs Tulsa (8-4)
New Match-up
SMU (7-5) vs Central Arkansas (9-4)

Brought SMU closer to home against a nearby FCS school.

Pinstripe Bowl

Old Match-up
Iowa State (6-6) vs Rutgers (8-4)
New Match-up
Harvard (9-1) vs Rutgers (8-4)

Probably a more interesting match-up for Rutgers than they would have had otherwise.

Music City Bowl

Old Match-up
Mississippi State (6-6) vs Wake Forest (6-6)
New Match-up
Temple (8-4) vs Appalachian State (8-4)

Certain that the Mountaineers would bring a good crowd to Memphis.

Meineke Car Car Bowl

Old Match-up
Northwestern (6-6) vs Texas A&M (6-6)
New Match-up
Jackson State (9-2) vs Air Force (7-5)

Another traditional African-American college playing close to home.

Liberty Bowl

Old Match-up
Cincinnati (9-3) vs Vanderbilt (6-6)
New Match-up
Arkansas State (10-2) vs Wofford (8-4)

The Terriers and the Red Wolves would have both been excited to play here.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

Old Match-up
Illinois (6-6) vs UCLA (6-7)
New Match-up
BYU (9-3) vs Boise State (11-1)

Had to find a way to bring the Cougars and the Broncos together.

Gator Bowl

Old Match-up
Florida (6-6) vs Ohio State (6-6)
New Match-up
Cincinnati (9-3) vs Tulsa (8-4)

The traditional Gator Bowl, which has BCS aspirations, would not have settled for an FCS school.

BBVA Compass Bowl

Old Match-up
Pittsburgh (6-6) vs SMU (7-5)
New Match-up
Alabama State (8-3) vs North Carolina (7-5)

UNC playing closer to home.

GoDaddy.com Bowl

Old Match-up
Arkansas State (10-2) vs Northern Illinois (10-3)
New Match-up
Old Dominion (10-3) vs Northern Illinois (10-3)

If I were to bet on an FCS team beating an FBS team in a bowl, this would be the game.

In conclusion, I agree that a 6-6 team is not worthy of a bowl appears.  I also agree that there are too many bowl games and some need to go away.  With 4 or 5 bowl games gone, in most years a FCS team will not be needed, but 2011 was unusual.  But perhaps Harvard with the season they had in 2011 deserved some sort of post-season.  It will be interesting to see how it all pans out in the end.