Guns & Outdoors Forum

With the way college football is going, are non-playoff bowl games going to fade away?

Was already mostly ruined when teams best players didn't play because they were going pro.

Now Notre Dame refused a bowl game because they didn't make the playoffs (they've been told many times to get into a conference.)

You could say it will give smaller teams a chance to play in a bowl game. Smaller teams won't make as much money though. It's all about the money.

I referred to Alabama's non-CFP bowl last season as the "Doesn't Matter Bowl"
I don't remember which bowl they played in, or who they played. I remember it was a team they should have beaten, but they didn't, because they played like it was a game that didn't matter

Been a long time since I've had the actual time or patience to sit through ANY sports on weekends. My SIL and daughter are big NFL fans and he has the NFL package on his TV. If I'm visiting on a Sunday I might watch 15 mins of whatever is on but they are usually only on as background noise anyway. College games never got my attention.

Some are real thrillers, Like tonight's Troy State v. Jacksonville State, in the something Veteran's bowl in Montgomery AL
Or, the ever popular Birmingham Bowl, where Georgia Southern and Appalachian State will face on 12/29

According to this list, counting all the CFP games, but excluding the Shrine and Senior bowls, there are 47 bowl games
The Pop-Tarts Bowl?
The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl? You'd think Snoop would be sponsoring a bowl game in a state that had "legalized" weed

Edited to add the link to the list, that I forgot:
https://bowlseason.com/sports/bowl/schedule/2025-26

Pfft, it is hockey season....

Chiro1989 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 17, 2025 3:37 pm Pfft, it is hockey season....

Pfffft, it’s hunting season. Then it’s fishing season. Then it’s mowing season. Then it’s watching paint dry season.

CPJ 2.0 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 17, 2025 4:52 pm

Chiro1989 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 17, 2025 3:37 pm Pfft, it is hockey season....

Pfffft, it’s hunting season. Then it’s fishing season. Then it’s mowing season. Then it’s watching paint dry season.

Suns been down at least 2 hours by the time most games start. But you are right, should be sitting in an Ice Castle watching the game AND fishing.

What's it cost the average person to get a ticket to watch the average (non-championship) college football game?

What's it cost the average kid to pay the same college to sit in a classroom for the same amount of time each day to get a degree to help them be a productive member of society?

The answer to the eternal question of "What's wrong with the world" might be somewhere between those two.

It used to be an advantage from a practice perspective for teams to make a bowl since those that didn't would shut it down for the season. Now that doesn't even seem to be a concern. Look at 5-7 FSU for example, they were invited to fill in for a 6 win team that backed out but they also declined.

The whole NIL and transfer portal zoo has significantly reduced my interest in CFB...

jkp wrote: ↑Thu Dec 18, 2025 2:43 pm <snip>
The whole NIL and transfer portal zoo has significantly reduced my interest in CFB...

Yep

Being able to practice is the reason my alma mater accepted a bowl bid at 5-7.

BigSlug, I’m with you. Players are being paid 6-7 figures and still getting free education.

Btw: rumor has it that hotel rooms in Oxford, MS are going for $7k for the Ole Miss, Tulane CFP game.