Can't Wait For Saturday More than enough bowls to cover the Big Ten

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May 5—***

The list of available bowl slots following the 2026 college football season has dwindled. Most fans — not me — would say that is a positive thing.

Postseason games in Detroit, Los Angeles and the Bahamas have gone the way of the Bowl Alliance (remember that?)

Will there be more trimming in the coming years? Maybe. It depends on if the folks in charge of the College Football Playoff decide to take a bold step and expand the field to 24 teams.

Some will resist the change, fearing what it will do to the bowl system. By my count, adding 12 teams means the loss of six bowl games. I could get rid of those on the first pass with very little pain to the tradition and history of the sport.

Games in nice stadiums located in destination cities will continue to exist. And the Power Four conferences figure to have landing spots for teams that want to continue playing.

One bowl projection by CBS Sports pits Illinois against Florida State in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte N.C. After games the past two years in Orlando and Nashville, adding a new state to the list of bowl sites would be a good thing. Illinois has not played a bowl in North Carolina.

Of course, the preference for Illinois and all teams is to be a part of the CFP. If that doesn't work, nice to know the season can still continue.

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