I love the bowl games and their tradition. But by adding three more -- the San Francisco, Hawaii and Queen City bowls -- the bowl system opens itself to more criticism because 56 teams, or more than 60 percent of bowl-eligible teams, will be participating in the postseason.

With so many bowls, the system loses its credibility. While bowl games are a great opportunity for teams to be rewarded for a good season, it would be in college football's best future interests to streamline the bowl system.

The NCAA needs to figure out a way to move forward with the bowls that are the most deserving, that generate money and that provide the most enjoyable and best experience for everyone involved.

From a public-relations standpoint, the newer bowls have a difficult task trying to compete with the more established bowls. Every year fans anxiously await the bowls that have a rich history, no matter who is playing in them, because they typically offer strong matchups.

The only way for a young bowl to compete is to guarantee an exciting matchup, which can be done if they can lock into a big-time conference. Without great matchups, a bowl will be shortlived because the financing needed to keep it running could dry out in two or three years.

A game like the Citrus Bowl, which pits the Big Ten No. 2 against the SEC No. 2, is a no-brainer every season. The same goes for the Holiday Bowl, which has the Pac-10 No. 2 against the Big 12 No. 3. Because the Citrus and Holiday bowls each have a long history of entertaining games, people look forward to watching them every year. Both games typically draw strong ratings and attendance.

That doesn't mean the new bowls will be unable to survive. The Tangerine Bowl is a perfect example of a bowl trying to start anew and doing it the right way. Last year the bowl had Pittsburgh, a Big East team that finished the regular season with five straight wins, and N.C. State, an up-and-coming ACC team under coach Chuck Amato.

And it was a great game. Now the Tangerine Bowl has locked in the ACC No. 4 and a Big 12 team for next season. Because the Tangerine is trying to find the best possible matchup, it should ultimately be successful.

Matchups are the key to long-term bowl success. Bowls build a reputation with a certain element of excitement that will bring fans back every year. It's doable for the new bowls as long as they offer us quality over quantity.

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay.