Photo Of 'Embarrassing' College Football Bowl Game Crowd Sparks Concern

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Photo Of 'Embarrassing' College Football Bowl Game Crowd Sparks Concern

Is bowl season ending?

The 2025-26 college football bowl season is still going, of course. But with the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams – and perhaps 16 teams in the future – there's less and less attention on non-playoff bowl games. There's a growing concern that bowl season will go away altogether.

“The bowl system we know now is officially dead,” a college football bowl executive said, via On3 Sports’ Brett McMurphy.

They added: “RIP. It was a nice run while it lasted.”

SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA – DECEMBER 18: Bowl Season painted on the field before the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl game between the UAB Blazers and the BYU Cougars at Independence Stadium on December 18, 2021 in Shreveport, Louisiana. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Bowl season attendance continues to drop, while bowl season TV ratings aren't looking great, either.

It seems like everyone only cares about the College Football Playoff.

The attendance of Saturday's BYU vs. Georgia Tech bowl game, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, sparked concern about bowl games moving forward.

Is bowl season dying?

When crowds are like this, it's tough to see bowl games – non-College Football Playoff bowl games, anyway – lasting.

It certainly doesn't help when schools like Notre Dame are refusing to play in non-College Football Playoff bowl games.

But it's also tough to see bowl season lasting for much longer.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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