• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Ratings Suggest Fans Are Still Interested in Lower-Tiered Bowls

  • Five early bowl games have already approached or topped two million viewers.
  • The numbers suggest non-New Year’s Six Bowls are still relevant.
NC Central players celebrate after beating Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The future 12-team College Football Playoff is expected to elevate the relevance of New Year’s Six Bowls, given that all of them will host a playoff game in 2024 and 2025. 

But the new setup has called into question the future for the rest of Bowl Season, which will now be played against a backdrop of a new playoff structure.

For now, fans still appear interested in non-New Year’s Six Bowls — if television ratings are any indication. Five have already notched more than 1.9 million viewers.

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman lifts up star running back Bijan Robinson after scoring a touchdown

College Football’s Future Is Here. Bowl Games May Have To Keep Up.

A 12-team playoff is a win, but what happens to bowl games?
December 17, 2022
  • Vegas Bowl, 2.5M
  • Celebration Bowl, 2.42M 
  • LA Bowl, 2.39M
  • New Mexico Bowl, 2.03M
  • Fenway Bowl, 1.96M

The Celebration Bowl and New Mexico Bowl saw rating increases compared with last year — the Celebration Bowl set an all-time record. This was the inaugural year of the Fenway Bowl.

The Vegas Bowl and LA Bowls saw declines but still topped two million viewers.

Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli believes there will always be a place for lower-profile bowls in FBS football — if for no reason other than the sport’s sheer size.

“Regardless of the playoff being at four teams now or 12 teams in the future…that’s not enough to serve 10 conferences and 130 institutions.” He believes bowls give coaches and players “something to play for.”

Bowl games also provide economic benefits for local communities by drawing tourism and customers to local businesses. Most were launched by local chambers of commerce or charitable organizations, College Football Hall of Fame historian Denis Crawford previously told FOS.

And even if that isn’t enough, Carparelli has plans to keep these bowls relevant — he’ll be exploring incorporating name, image, and likeness deals into the bowl experience and using bowls to promote the future CFP structure.

“The College Football Playoff is great for the game of college football,” Carparelli said. “That being said, Bowl Season is equally important, if not more so, for a greater number of institutions.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) pursues Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025.

College Football Enters Week 3 Up 21% in TV Ratings

Total college football viewership across all networks is up big.
opinion

19 Rising Stars in Sports Media

Who are sports media’s rising stars? Here’s an inside look.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
exclusive

ESPN, Fox One Added 1M Sign-Ups in First 10 Days After Launch

The two high-profile streaming services have strong starts with consumers.
Jul 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Injured Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on from the bench during the first half of a basketball game against the Chicago Sky at United Center.
September 15, 2025

WNBA Ratings Rise 3% in 2025 Despite Clark’s Absence

Caitlin Clark played in just 13 of 44 regular-season games.
Greg Olsen
September 16, 2025

Greg Olsen on Tom Brady’s Raiders Role: ‘More Power to Him’

This season, the NFL has relaxed the special Brady broadcasting rules.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon (25) breaks up a pass intended for Washington Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown (85) on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-18.
September 15, 2025

Amazon Shatters Previous Ratings High for 1st NFL Game

“TNF” viewership surges 35% compared to the 2024 season average.
Las Vegas Aces
September 15, 2025

WNBA Playoffs Face ESPN Fall Crunch For Final Time

The games will be spread across three networks next year.
September 15, 2025

Chiefs’ Fall to 0–2 Dims the Spotlight on NFL’s Top TV Draw

The NFL’s most-watched team sinks to a new low since Patrick Mahomes arrived.
Sep 6, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; General view of a Fox Sports camera station before the game between the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field.
September 11, 2025

Lachlan Murdoch on Fox’s Sports Strategy, FanDuel Plans

The executive calls a forthcoming streaming bundle with ESPN “essential” for fans.