Is 2025 when College Bowls Die?

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The reality is that bowls died the minute the playoff era began. It was playoffs or bust. Also, with the portal now, if you aren't contending for the playoff, a big % of your roster is mentally checked out by December. Bowls are turning into a glorified scrimmage for coaches to play their backups and seniors who aren't going pro.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but I don't blame Notre Dame for doing it. They should have been in 100%.
 




TruthSeeker said:
End the bowls. It got out of hand.
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I don't like that idea. Maybe make it so that there are only about a dozen bowls outside of those already incorporated into the CFP. I counted and I believe there are now 36 bowls outside of the CFP.
 


mggoph said:
I don't like that idea. Maybe make it so that there are only about a dozen bowls outside of those already incorporated into the CFP. I counted and I believe there are now 36 bowls outside of the CFP.
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Or maybe have lots of bowls and folks who don't like it ... just watch the ones they like?
 

I think the bowls and ESPN want them to continue. The issue I see is more and more teams opting out going forward
 

disco said:
I think when the 5-7 teams choose not to accept, in some cases they've sent the kids home already and don't want to call them back.
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That makes sense, some of the teams may have already had 2 weeks off, gone through their exit interviews, already made staffing changes, scattered around the country, etc. Really checked out.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Or maybe have lots of bowls and folks who don't like it ... just watch the ones they like?
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Oh, I'll watch them all. But, good point. It's just that it seems so watered down compared to what it was back in my "good ol days".

But you are right. I imagine the market will take care of itself.
 



TNGophfan said:
I think the bowls and ESPN want them to continue. The issue I see is more and more teams opting out going forward
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I could certainly see the players looking at it that way. If you care about the education, you'd probably like to spend December studying. Otherwise, a decent number are probably thinking about the portal. Even if you plan on coming back to your team, if you tear an ACL your coach might have to go to the portal and get your replacement.

I just don't see the benefit to the player anymore. Being paid money more than makes up for the free headphones and junk they get from the bowl.

Now if they got a share of the money from the bow game....
 

disco said:
I think when the 5-7 teams choose not to accept, in some cases they've sent the kids home already and don't want to call them back.
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Sent them home? Aren't they living on campus? First week of December seems early to be done with finals and on Christmas break already.

I agree with the premise though, that they've kinda checked out on the season.
 

Bowls were dead to me when a Gopher team under .500 played in one.
 

Prior to expanding the playoffs to 12 teams, FBS football had something special in the sports world: half of the teams playing in post-season had a chance to win their last game.

Traditionally the bowls have just been encores for those teams who finished at least .500 (and occasionally some below .500). I looked forward to seeing those and some of the most entertaining bowls I've watched over the years involved teams I knew little or nothing about. Sometimes I'd decide who I wanted to win as the game went along.

Sports media convinced so many people across the country that having an expanded playoff to determine the true #1 in the country was imperative. My question was always: Why? Even in the four-team playoff, one or two of the teams seemed to outclass the others.
 



I do not get why teams are opting out. Treat it like an NFL preseason game if you want and allow younger, inexperienced players a chance to show what they can do.

I think it's the top 10-20 players on rosters that are hurting the other 90 or so guys.
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
Prior to expanding the playoffs to 12 teams, FBS football had something special in the sports world: half of the teams playing in post-season had a chance to win their last game.

Traditionally the bowls have just been encores for those teams who finished at least .500 (and occasionally some below .500). I looked forward to seeing those and some of the most entertaining bowls I've watched over the years involved teams I knew little or nothing about. Sometimes I'd decide who I wanted to win as the game went along.

Sports media convinced so many people across the country that having an expanded playoff to determine the true #1 in the country was imperative. My question was always: Why? Even in the four-team playoff, one or two of the teams seemed to outclass the others.
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100% took the words from my mouth, especially about half the teams ending with a W.
 


GophersInIowa said:
I do not get why teams are opting out. Treat it like an NFL preseason game if you want and allow younger, inexperienced players a chance to show what they can do.

I think it's the top 10-20 players on rosters that are hurting the other 90 or so guys.
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Coaches don't like doing this anymore, as showcasing younger, less-known talent creates a market for them, making them more expensive (or potentially too expensive at middling NIL programs).
 

corcorangopher said:
Bowl games have been slowly dying for a while.

First it was too many so they were watered down.
Then stupid sponsor names so you didn’t even know where or why the game existed.
Letting 6-6 teams play. Heck, having 5-7 teams get Bowl Games.

Rose Bowl losing its purpose.

Playoff becoming all that matters.

Players declining to play.

Now teams declining to play.

I used to like Bowl season….and Pizza
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Wrong.

Way too much money involved and no one cares about the names of the bowls et al.

CFB is the second lost popular sport in America and people will watch it in their TVs over the lazy month of December; always follow the 🥬
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
Prior to expanding the playoffs to 12 teams, FBS football had something special in the sports world: half of the teams playing in post-season had a chance to win their last game.

Traditionally the bowls have just been encores for those teams who finished at least .500 (and occasionally some below .500). I looked forward to seeing those and some of the most entertaining bowls I've watched over the years involved teams I knew little or nothing about. Sometimes I'd decide who I wanted to win as the game went along.

Sports media convinced so many people across the country that having an expanded playoff to determine the true #1 in the country was imperative. My question was always: Why? Even in the four-team playoff, one or two of the teams seemed to outclass the others.
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My problem is that this is not different than the NFL where a team might just have a bad day or match-up in a big game. Doesn't mean that we should predetermine that that might happen and only have 2-4 teams in playoff. The FBS has 136 teams and 9-10 FBS conferences. The playoff should be representative of that. Now I don't think that all FBS G5 conferences should have a spot, unless expanded to 32 teams because football is different than basketball.

In my opinion putting more teams in the playoffs will lead to helping other issues within the College Football world. Calendar, hire/fire, portal, etc.
 

50PoundHead said:
There was an article that contended that Notre Dame's stomping out (and KSU and Iowa State as well though more politely) that the bowls just don't matter that much anymore and teams opting out could lead to a death spiral. That might be going overboard. As long as ESPN is selling ads and people are making bets, the bowls will stick around. I think all the betting sites will help keep things going.
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Draft King’s Bowl will be a thing in the next few years; they’ll takeover for some sponsor who departs.
 


topos said:
Coaches don't like doing this anymore, as showcasing younger, less-known talent creates a market for them, making them more expensive (or potentially too expensive at middling NIL programs).
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That's fair but I don't think a program like Notre Dame has to worry about it too much.
 

Right now there is about 40 bowls outside of the CFP I think?

If they went down to 24 or so and teams had to have a winning record to participate, I think it would be way better. Maybe some teams would be butthurt at being left out at 7-5, but in all reality at 7-5 you didn't have a great season. But like has been posted, people will watch two 6-6 teams play on a Friday night in late December because there is nothing else on...
 

Ope3 said:
For me, the Bonus football is additional 8 CFP games created when the field was expanded.

After watching those, I just don't give a rip about teams 13-70 or whatever, aside from the Gopher Bowl game. I barely care about that.

That's just me. I'm astounded they continue attract an audience. It's not unique. The NFL Draft gets eyeballs too, why is beyond me, but to each their own.
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And see for me the only game I will watch is the Gopher Game. I have zero interest in the "playoff". We already have a professional football league and I can barely stand watching that...

So much free time now :)
 

Dave H said:
And see for me the only game I will watch is the Gopher Game. I have zero interest in the "playoff". We already have a professional football league and I can barely stand watching that...

So much free time now :)
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Last year I watched all 11 Playoff games, but that 1st Round was largely a snooze fest. Probably will wait until NYD/Quarters this year.
 

corcorangopher said:
Bowl games have been slowly dying for a while.

First it was too many so they were watered down.
Then stupid sponsor names so you didn’t even know where or why the game existed.
Letting 6-6 teams play. Heck, having 5-7 teams get Bowl Games.

Rose Bowl losing its purpose.

Playoff becoming all that matters.

Players declining to play.

Now teams declining to play.

I used to like Bowl season….and Pizza Hut.
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The Hut has been outpizzaed
 

Ope3 said:
Last year I watched all 11 Playoff games, but that 1st Round was largely a snooze fest. Probably will wait until NYD/Quarters this year.
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Cool. I dont care about the games so I dont watch. Watching a bunch of professional teams that are affiliated with schools entices me zero. If I am out at a bar and its on tv I will check it out...otherwise I could think of a dozen things I would rather do.

Same holds true for basketball.

Whatever the crap college sports is now is completely unappealing to me. Its all the worst aspects of pro sports and none of the great parts of college sports.
 

Ope3 said:
Last year I watched all 11 Playoff games, but that 1st Round was largely a snooze fest. Probably will wait until NYD/Quarters this year.
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Indiana and tOSU was the only game I watch this past weekend in entirety and had some buddies over to do so. The rest of the games I was in and out of.

Last year I watched nearly every minute of the playoffs. Probably will do so again this year.

I think if CCG's became play in games, I'd be more likely to make a point to watch.
 

gopherbadgerman said:
Right now there is about 40 bowls outside of the CFP I think?

If they went down to 24 or so and teams had to have a winning record to participate, I think it would be way better. Maybe some teams would be butthurt at being left out at 7-5, but in all reality at 7-5 you didn't have a great season. But like has been posted, people will watch two 6-6 teams play on a Friday night in late December because there is nothing else on...
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Yeah, there was a time when making it to a bowl wasn't easy and required a pretty good season. Those days are long gone, to make a bowl now you just have to not suck.

Fewer games with better matchups would certainly increase the value of making a bowl game but that ship sailed many years ago. Now it is just programming for the holiday season because people have shown over and over that they love watching football, even if the matchup isn't all that desirable sometimes.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
Indiana and tOSU was the only game I watch this past weekend in entirety and had some buddies over to do so. The rest of the games I was in and out of.

Last year I watched nearly every minute of the playoffs. Probably will do so again this year.

I think if CCG's became play in games, I'd be more likely to make a point to watch.
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Usually, I am in Vegas for Conf Championship Weekend so I normally watch them with a keen interest. Even went to the PAC12 Title game 3 times, which was fun.

This year those plans fell through, so I was at home for the first time in a while. I watched the SEC game live and the Big 10 game Saturday morning on DVR because I had other things to do the night before.

Managed to not know the score ahead of time for the Hoosiers upset.
 

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