Kudos on bowl game; wear blue

I want to congratulate the University of Kentucky football program on earning bowl eligibility after a six-year drought.

However, earning a bowl berth does not mean what it used to mean. Because of the voracious appetite of ESPN for programming content, there are now 41 NCAA-sanctioned bowl games requiring 82 teams.

There are 128 teams in the FBS. Subtracting the five teams on probation leaves 123 teams eligible. Thus, 66.7 percent of the teams start the season with the possibility of earning a bowl berth. If the “everyone gets a trophy” philosophy continues, there will soon be bowl games for every team.

As a UK employee, I have seen UK spend thousands and thousands creating and using its “See Blue” mantra. Note to the athletics department: That is blue — not black, anthracite or gray. After all, it is not the Big Anthracite Nation.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 7:38 PM with the headline "Kudos on bowl game; wear blue."