I could only go back to 78 with the resource I had but I am pretty sure the pattern and ration is the same further back. The 21 years between 78 and 98, stopped there because 99 was the start of the BCS, only twice did more than two bowl games really matter, three in 90 and 91 with the split championships. Outside of the below bowl games all the rest did not matter for that year. Many years the Rose bowl is No. 11 Michigan 22, No. 5 USC 14 or No. 5 UCLA 24, No. 19 Michigan 14 and same with the other bowl games not hosting the #1-#3 teams. Which is no different than what we see now.
78 One Sugar No. 2 Alabama 14 No. 1 Penn State 7
79 Two Rose Bowl No. 3 USC 17 No. 1 Ohio State 16
Sugar Bowl No. 2 Alabama 24 No. 6 Arkansas 9
80 Two Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Georgia 17, No. 7 Notre Dame 10
Orange Bowl: No. 4 Oklahoma 18, No. 2 Florida State 17
81 Two Orange: No. 1 Clemson 22, No. 4 Nebraska 15
Sugar: No. 10 Pittsburgh 24, No. 2 Georgia 20
82 One Sugar: No. 2 Penn State 27, No. 1 Georgia 23
83 One Orange Bowl: No. 5 Miami (Fl) 31, No. 1 Nebraska 30
OUCH!
84 Two Holiday Bowl: No. 1 Brigham Young 24, Michigan 17
Orange Bowl: No. 4 Washington 28, No. 2 Oklahoma 17
Minor bowl and Orange
85 One Orange Bowl: No. 3 Oklahoma 25, No. 1 Penn State 10
86 One Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Penn State 14, No. 1 Miami (FL) 10
87 One Orange Bowl: No. 2 Miami (FL) 20, No. 1 Oklahoma 14
88 Two Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Notre Dame 34, No. 3 West Virginia 21
Orange Bowl: No. 2 Miami (FL) 23, No. 6 Nebraska 3
89 Two Orange Bowl: No. 4 Notre Dame 21, No. 1 Colorado 6
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Miami (FL) 33, No. 7 Alabama 25
90 Three Orange Bowl: No. 1 Colorado 10, No. 5 Notre Dame 9
Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Miami (FL) 46, No. 3 Texas 3
Florida Citrus Bowl: No. 2 Georgia Tech 45, No. 19 Nebraska 21
Split championship
91 Three Orange Bowl: No. 1 Miami 22, No. 11 Nebraska 0
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Washington 34, No. 4 Michigan 14
Sugar Bowl: No. 18 Notre Dame 39, No. 3 Florida 28
Split Championship
92 One Sugar Bowl (National Championship Game) No. 2 Alabama 34 No. 1 Miami 13
93 One Orange Bowl: No. 1 Florida State 18, No. 2 Nebraska 16
94 Two Orange Bowl: No. 1 Nebraska 24, No. 3 Miami 17
Rose Bowl: No. 2 Penn State 38, No. 12 Oregon 20
95 One Fiesta Bowl: No. 1 Nebraska 62, No. 2 Florida 24
96 One Sugar Bowl No. 3 Florida 52 No. 1 Florida St. 20
97 Two Rose Bowl No. 1 Michigan 21 No. 8 Washington State 10
Orange Bowl No. 2 Nebraska 42 No. 3 Tennessee 17
Split Championship
98 One Fiesta Bowl No. 1 Tennessee 23 No. 2 Florida State 16
en.wikipedia.org
Right now there are three bowl games that matter guaranteed. From 83 to 86 one bowl game mattered, the rest only had the team fans and CFB fans watching them. Over 21 years 11 of them had just one bowl game that mattered, 8 years two mattered, and 2 years three mattered. From 99 only one was for the NC except for 03 with the AP split until the expanded playoff.
I believe nostalgia, human natures resistance to change, and way less games being aired on TV until the technology boom plays a large part into personal bias in regards to the importance of bowl games in the past compared to now.
C