The Brief
-
High-level college football administrators are proposing new models for the postseason bowl system.
-
One proposal includes ten new bowls that pit Power 4 teams against one another, with no conference tie-ins, eliminating matchups with Group of Six schools.
-
Calls for changes to bowls have come as a result of potential College Football Playoff expansion.
DALLAS – College football administrators are considering making big changes to how the postseason bowl system works.
Power 4 vs. Power 4 only?
What they’re saying
Yahoo Sports reports that high-level college administrators have discussed changing the number of postseason college bowl games.
Advertisement
One proposal suggests creating 10 bowl games that pit Power 4 teams exclusively against one another. These 10 bowls would be played at current bowl sites but wouldn’t be beholden to existing conference tie-ins.
Presently, there are over 40 bowl games, many of which pit Power 4 schools against Group of Six programs. This includes College Football Playoff games like the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
Most bowls have specific conference tie-ins: the Sugar Bowl is contractually obligated to take the SEC Champion.
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 10: Cotton Bowl logo center field prior to the Ohio State Buckeyes versus Texas Longhorns College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl Classic on January 10, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A changing ecosystem
Dig deeper
The calls for change come as conferences debate on whether to expand the College Football Playoff. The tournament currently sits at 12 schools, but there have been calls to expand it to 16 or 24.
Advertisement
The more schools advance to the postseason, the less there are to take part in bowl games.
Money goes into this proposal as well. The rights to the potential games could be sold to the highest bidder and distributed to the schools. The top-10 non-CFP bowls last year paid out more than $50 million combined.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: Fernando Mendoza #15 of the Indiana Hoosiers scrambles while under pressure from Rueben Bain Jr. #4 of the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
What about the Group of Six?
Many bowl games pit schools outside the Power 4 conferences against one another. Local bowls like the Armed Forces Bowl and Frisco Bowl typically see matchups between smaller schools.
Their survival could depend on networks needing to fill air time during the holiday season, according to the report. Those bowls still average millions of viewers despite featuring non-marquee teams or stakes.
Advertisement
ESPN, the primary bowl game television broadcaster, would have to sign off on any changes.
What’s next
Changes to the bowl system would not come until the 2027 season, the report says. Most bowl game tie-ins with conferences and television partners expire after the upcoming season.
The Source
Information in this story came from a Yahoo Sports report.
