re: How can they fix the bowls?

1. Fewer bowl games

Most are not compelling. To do what I think is necessary, it is going to involve more prudent use of money from ESPN.

2. No conference tie-ins

The conference tie-ins are the chief reason the matchups are not compelling and often repeated in the upper-middle bowls. How many times have Wisconsin or Iowa and LSU played each other? Just roll the bowls under the CFP banner and largely share the revenue between the conferences/teams.

3. The bowls extend NIL contracts to the players

Gift bags and a trip to a local tourist venue is not enough. ESPN needs to seed the bowls with money to better encourage participation. For big time athletes, they can negotiate bigger deals.