Looking at the list of bowl games, one thing stands out like a granola-chomping hippie at a Toby Keith concert.

The record 6-6 is all over the bowl list like a spreading rash.

It’s one 6 short of the number of the Beast, but it’s still supremely evil. It’s a stunning indictment on the folly of the corrupt bowl system, which should be allowed to die quietly when the new playoff system arrives in 2014.

Ole Miss is one of 11 teams that slipped into the bowl extravaganza with a 6-6 record, along with its opponent in the BBVA Compass Bowl, the thoroughly mediocre Pittsburgh Panthers. The Rebels and the Panthers, who actually pushed top-ranked Notre Dame to the limit, aren’t the worst of the bunch. Not by a long shot.

That honor goes to Georgia Tech, which sneaked into the Sun Bowl against disappointing Southern Cal with a 6-7 record. That requires an NCAA waiver. That wouldn’t be so egregious if two teams with strong records, Louisiana Tech (9-3) and Middle Tennessee State (8-3), were not staying home. Speaking of the Yellow Jackets, the Conference USA-bound Blue Raiders thoroughly dismantled them in Atlanta, 49-28, in a game that wasn’t even that close.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away when TV money hadn’t corrupted the game with its filthy tentacles, there were only a few bowl games. Making a bowl game was a huge boost as it represented a plus for the coaches (an extra few weeks of practice) and the players (a nice trip to a warmer climate).

Now, there are bowl games from sea to shining sea as every city with a football stadium tries to angle into the action with mixed results. As recently as 1988, there were only 13 bowls. Even though the NCAA has limited the number to 35 bowls, there are always games sinking in a sea of empty seats, red ink and garbled sponsor names with another bowl ready to roll into its place without skipping a beat.

As for TV money tentacles, seven of the bowl games — the Armed Forces, New Mexico, BBVA Compass, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s and Meinke Car Care bowls — are owned by ESPN.

Why would ESPN need to own those bowl games? They’re relatively inexpensive live programming run during the holidays when loads of people are guaranteed to be parked in front of the TV, munching on Aunt Clara’s fruit cake with a choice between a rerun of History Channel’s “Ancient Aliens” and mediocre football. It’s good business, if not good football. It’s an easy sell to advertisers, who are dealing with a societal trend with serious consequences for them.

It’s understandable why advertisers want to use live sports to reach consumers. With the rise of DVR, people are taping shows to watch when they desire and fast-forwarding through the commercials. Live sports doesn’t lend itself to DVRing and is a boon to advertisers.

ESPN and other networks don’t have to share much of that revenue either. The payouts for schools in bowl games barely cover expenses. In the case of several teams, the bowl actually results in a loss when schools have to eat unsold tickets bought from the bowl at face value.

Let’s just hope the bowl swamp gets drained by the playoffs, the roster of games shrinks to a more manageable number and the phenomenon of a 6-6 bowl team is one destined for the dust bin of history.

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Steve Wilson is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. You can follow him on Twitter at vpsportseditor. He can be reached at 601-636-4545, ext. 142 or at swilson@vicksburgpost.com.