I'm not opposed to bowl games generally, but I am opposed to having them being made out to being the pinnacle of a season, at least for Power Five schools.
If you're Central/Eastern/Western Michigan, Marshall, Fresno State, Coastal Carolina, etc., your chances of putting together a 22-1 run like Cincinnati has, with the luck falling in their favor to give the committee no choice, are no more than a pipe dream. Bowl games can be a good incentive for those teams to get to travel, make the school and conference some money, and gain an experience. Even if the playoff model eventually becomes something like I want, with one Group of 5 champion built in, a lot of teams won't ever come close to reaching that (and would be curb stomped if they ever did). They deserve the bowl games to hang their hat on and to show recruits.
If you're a true contender though, or aspire yourself to be one, it's time to stop pretending like the (Insert Brand Here) Bowl means anything if it's not a playoff game. Its importance is no more than a preseason game.