Ranked Grind Suggestion

A common complaint that returning players have is the necessity of grinding from a lower rank than their MMR. RIOT forces players to grind up from a lower rank in order to achieve End of Season rewards. This leaves players feeling like they are spending a lot of time spinning their wheels to get back to the same rank they have always been for the past eight seasons instead of making progress towards higher ranks. At the same time, it's an unfair system. If your MMR is much higher than your current rank, then you still have to beat players of your true rank while playing promos for a lower rank! Meanwhile, players who are progressing their MMR naturally can earn the same ranks by playing against easier opponents. The system clearly punishes returning players! And then there's the problem that 10 games has never been a reasonable number of games to play to qualify for any End of Season Reward...

What if: Returning Players kept their rank from the previous season but simply didn't qualify for end of season rewards until they finish playing 50 games? RIOT would be forcing players to earn their End of Season Rewards, by maintaining their existing rank instead of grinding up to their existing rank. And players could be making progress towards the next rank while they are working towards their End of Season rewards. And returning players wouldn't be unfairly punished by the system by forcing them to play significantly higher MMR opponents to make it through a lower ranked promo.

What do you think? Is this a better way? How many games should RIOT require before players qualify for an End of Season Reward? I understand that it takes about 30-40 hours to grind 50 games. Is 50 enough? What about 100?

Note: This thread did not pass approval in Gameplay+ because: "I don't think this is the kind of issue that we're looking for on G+. There's not a lot of data analysis here; it's mainly just an opinion and a poll about other's opinions."