Sports

Kentucky Wildcats News: The Death of College Football Bowl Games?

Published

2 hours ago

17 September 2026

NewsAdmin

A staple of college football could be on its last leg.

December and January always include bowl games, matchups with teams that typically would not play each other during the season, often with unique trophies or postgame celebrations based on the bowl game sponsor. The Duke’s Mayo bath, The Potato Bowl trophy, the Pop-Tart mascot, and all these fun and unique moments could soon become a thing of the past.

Brett McMurphy of On3 wrote yesterday that the 24-team College Football Playoff, which is all but certain to come to fruition, will likely spell the end of the traditional bowl system.

McMurphy notes the change to 24 teams could come as early as 2028, but could be 2030. And what will that mean for traditional bowl games? There could be stand-alone bowl games before the season instead, according to some bowl executive directors.

However, the logistics of that could be tricky when it comes to television contracts, as well as starting fall camp earlier.

We’ve seen a recent decline of bowl games with the expansion of the playoff, as teams that narrowly missed the playoffs opted not to play in them. However, it seems like the 24-team expansion could be what ultimately ends the bowl system.

McMurphy’s piece on the state of the bowl system is well worth the read. You can read it in full here.