Bowl Games Face Uncertain Future With a 24-Team CFP

Momentum for an expanded, 24-team College Football Playoff continues to surge forward, with an expectation that it will arrive as soon as 2027. Its implementation will create a ripple effect across the sport, and in regard to the postseason, the future of bowl games is squarely in focus. 

It’s been a staple in the sport for over a century. The first bowl game, the Rose Bowl, was played in 1902. The number of games has steadily increased, reaching over 40 this decade. But the sport has evolved; the CFP’s inception in 2014 and the introduction of NIL (name, image, and likeness) and the transfer portal have affected team and player participation over the last several years. Now that a 24-team field is approaching, the larger question is whether bowls still have a place in the new landscape. 

“More than 80 FBS teams played in the postseason last year,” Nick Carparelli, executive director of Coca-Cola Bowl Season, which oversees more than 40 postseason games, said. “With 24 in the playoff, there will still be nearly 60 deserving teams that want a place to play, and fans will still want to watch. 

“We’re working with the conferences now to determine how many opportunities their institutions are going to want and need beyond the CFP, and the bowl season is going to be flexible enough to fit the postseason demand into the next cycle.” 

Bowl season will undoubtedly change, whether that’s in scheduling, the number of games, conference affiliations, etc., but industry sources indicate that there’s still strong interest amongst conferences at all levels to keep bowls afloat. Past interest, it becomes a math problem of the availability of teams in a 24-team era.

“There’s a rush to judge the future of bowl games,” a Group of 6 bowl game executive director told Front Office Sports. “I think it’s a little unfounded at this point.”

Ratings and Reality 

Carparelli points to the numbers when discussing bowl game viability. While the future of bowls seems in doubt, non-CFP bowl games turned in impressive ratings last year. ESPN and ABC carried all but three bowl games last year (Arizona, Holiday, and Sun); of the ones it did, an average viewership of 3.1 million per game was a 13% year over year increase from the 2024 season. 

The Cheez‑It Citrus Bowl between Michigan and Texas (9.1 million) and Pop‑Tarts Bowl between BYU and Georgia Tech (8.7 million) were the two most‑watched non‑CFP/New Year’s Six bowls since the 2019-20 season

“We’ve heard from television that inventory is very valuable to them for programming in the 10-day period between rounds of the Playoff,” Carparelli said. “And the fans have spoken. In the last two years, bowl game viewership has risen 25%. It would be very challenging to find other sports programming that could even come close to that.” 

Of the non-CFP bowl games this season, the ACC has the most possible affiliations of the Power 4 conferences. Including alternate selections, the ACC has 12 possible games, followed by the Big 12 (eight), SEC (eight), and Big Ten (seven). 

If the 24-team playoff were in place last season, 11 of the 12 additional playoff spots would have gone to Power 4 teams; the other spot would have gone to Notre Dame based on last season’s final rankings. Every team but Notre Dame, who opted out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, played in a bowl game last year. The number of teams available moving forward will change the math and quality of team inventory. How affiliations and inventory look moving ahead is a conversation that’s started. 

“At this time, we are going to enter into discussions with our conference partners, SEC and Big Ten, and our broadcast partner, ESPN, to determine the business model(s) for our evaluation and determination for next steps,” the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl said in a statement to Front Office Sports. 

Within the Group of 6: American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, and Sun Belt, the conferences average around four concrete affiliations before alternate slots are available based on the number of Power 4 teams that can fill slots. Industry sources indicate that the Group of 6 interest in bowls remains incredibly high, as there’s not a direct correlation, or guarantee, between an expanded playoff and more access. 

“I don’t see having to change or do anything different than what we’ve been doing,” the Group of 6 bowl game executive director said. “There’s a lot of people who want to speculate about the future of bowl games … I’ve had conversations with both my conference partners, and as we sit and talk here today, there’s no thoughts in their heads of anything different.” 

One talking point within bowl game restructure is the idea of repositioning bowls to early season kickoff games. It’s a concept more difficult in reality for several reasons, including the autonomy that bowls have over their games as standalone enterprises in its current format, versus moving it to the regular season and that autonomy shifting towards conference-controlled rights.

“Early season kickoff games are counted as regular season games, and factored into the national championship selection process,” Carparelli said. “As a result, it might be very hard to dictate to teams who they’re going to play and where they’re going to play the game. Currently, those early season kickoff games are voluntary participation amongst the two institutions to move somebody’s home game to a neutral site for a financial benefit.” 

A New Bowl Era

Bowl season will look different in 2027 and beyond, but substantial conversations about its structure are more of an off-season topic once the dust of the 24-team format settles. But confidence remains that they will remain a postseason fixture, even as Power 4 schools jockey for as many playoff spots as possible. 

“I’m very active in speaking directly with conference commissioners, athletic directors, and head coaches,” Carparelli said. “There are many programs in Power 4 conferences that continue to embrace the bowl game opportunity in the event that they do not qualify for the playoff.” 

Another layer of bowl games that coaches in particular appreciate is that it allows for several extra weeks to be around the team, versus being apart for several weeks as the NCAA transfer portal opens. The window has changed this year, with the portal opening on Jan. 4, 2027, but having the additional time with the players is something that’s considered valuable. 

“Having the guys around, having them engaged with the coaching staff and football rather than being home, I think it’s huge,” Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said last year ahead of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. “You get away from these guys, they have all this time in an idle mind, and it’s not good. For our guys to be able to be focused on what’s next, have great intent as we’re in the building, and be able to be together, I think it’s a huge advantage.” 

With the final details of the 24-team playoff still unknown, the focus within the non-CFP bowl community is to continue its momentum over the last two years in viewership this winter. Above all, continuing to evolve and adapt, as the sport is doing constantly, is the top priority. 

“I know that bowls are going to continue,” the Group of 6 bowl game executive director said. ‘They’re going to continue to be important in the communities that they take place in. I don’t know what the participation in them is going to look like, who’s going to be in, but there’s a lot to be laid out yet. What I tell you today could be different tomorrow.”