The bowls are going to have to pay the teams and players them selves. Pay the players $10K a player and you could fill a roster. Schools are going to require covering all costs for the teams.

If you opt out of bowl games. your off season starts Dec 1 or 8th instead of Jan 1.

Commander-In-Beef said:

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Dock their pay for the bowl games they skip. I like the idea of letting the system destroy itself. Call me an 'old head' but I enjoyed CFB more when players were loyal to an institution and coaches didn't get poached during the season.

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You do realize that whatever replaces the current situation is going to look even less than the college football of yore.

YouBet said:

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Other than a couple of bowls that have done a great job marketing their game and creating some fun around it - Pop Tarts Bowl is a must watch - they mostly suck. They don't mean anything and any player that is potentially bound for the NFL doesn't play.

In my ongoing realization that I want all things to reset about 20-30 years ago, I would almost rather we go back to the old school bowl system where no NC is really crowned. The AP picks someone and then we mostly ignore it because the Cotton, Rose, Sugar, and Orange Bowls were the actual end of year culmination of the sport. I miss those days.

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Agree but back then I was naive enough to believe those with votes in the AP poll watched games or at least read the box scores. We know the Coaches Poll members don't.

Buford T. Justice said:

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Virtually, all of the bowls are owned by ESPN.
They want their cake (I.e.,money), and want to eat it too. I totally get why a program would not want to go to a non-playoff "bowl," but ESPN is going to want them to show up for the clicks and views.

Keep in mind, it's all about the student athletes.

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The extra month of practice used to mean something. I guess they aren't about that extra work now. And LOL at pulling the "student athlete" card. I guess we should just pay these guys not to work. Seems like a very sustainable system.

Bowls can cost your school money, even if part of a P4 conference with revenue sharing. I can understand using a coaching change to decline a bid; it provides cover.

But yeah, too many, said so for years. Burn it all down, go to 16 team playoffs, no auto-bids, all schools get December/January practice time regardless of playoff status.

And kill the portal until after the playoffs, along with early signing. Coaches cannot be hired until after the playoffs are complete. Level the fields as best we can, at least until we end up with salary caps and such.

superunknown said:

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YouBet said:

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Other than a couple of bowls that have done a great job marketing their game and creating some fun around it - Pop Tarts Bowl is a must watch - they mostly suck. They don't mean anything and any player that is potentially bound for the NFL doesn't play.

In my ongoing realization that I want all things to reset about 20-30 years ago, I would almost rather we go back to the old school bowl system where no NC is really crowned. The AP picks someone and then we mostly ignore it because the Cotton, Rose, Sugar, and Orange Bowls were the actual end of year culmination of the sport. I miss those days.

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ahhh yes, this explains why Aggies celebrate stuffing Bo Jackson, injuring Ty Detmer and stealing Tim Brown's towel the way our peers celebrate championships

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I am like you and that must make us late 50 to early 60s in life.

In all of the various threads I've seen on TA on this subject, I have not seen any opinions from the perspective of an NIL donor, major contributor to the program. Would be enlightening to hear their views on this.

I see both sides. They must be astute at business or whatever means they came into their wealth and maybe view opting out as an inherent risk when they invest in a program and are ok with it.

Conversely, they, in most cases, worked hard for that money, are obviously passionate or fanatical about Texas A&M. Otherwise, they wouldn't invest to that level and could be pretty ticked that they did not get to have one more party with their buds and alumni watching a year ending "reward" for their program/investment even if the bowl is mostly inconsequential. Maybe see it as shorting their investment and changes their contribution level thereafter. Don't know. May not bother them at all. It's all pretty interesting and certainly different from what it was.

Bowl games should be played in April or May instead of boring spring games so recruits and transfers have a chance to get into the program and showcase what the next season will look like.

So many keep using "extra practice" as a reason to play your bowl game.

The transfer window opens right when bowl season ends so a lot of teams are going to have significantly different rosters after the bowl game ends anyway.

I just don't think it's nearly as relevant as everyone seems to think it is. Kirby Smart has said spring practice is more for culture fit and learning how to practice than setting any expectations so all the more reason these bowl practices aren't as relevant with the new transfer window.

As an avid football fan, I will admit that I watch few bowl games if not part of CFP.

warrington said:

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The bowls are going to have to pay the teams and players them selves. Pay the players $10K a player and you could fill a roster. Schools are going to require covering all costs for the teams.

If you opt out of bowl games. your off season starts Dec 1 or 8th instead of Jan 1.

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The bowls will have to start paying the rosters to play. Simple, then the tv folks will decide if worth it to continue the toilet bowls. So many were added, it watered down the bowl season. Times have changed fast. No need for the 'newer' ones.

Schools can't waste possible nil on bowl trips for staff, families, bands, and cheerleaders.

You don't even want to dismiss the starters for the season and play it out with your 3rd stringers because if someone plays too well in the Alamo Bowl, they'll use it as leverage in the portal.

Alpha Texan said:

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You don't even want to dismiss the starters for the season and play it out with your 3rd stringers because if someone plays too well in the Alamo Bowl, they'll use it as leverage in the portal.

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Good point...some programs have already stopped their spring games due to this. Why play a meaningless bowl game and put your 2s and 3s on display just for them to get poached by someone else.

NIL and Transfer rules make these bowl games utterly pointless, expensive, and even risky to play.

Okay let's analyze this briefly.

A total of 10 teams opted out of bowl games:

- Notre Dame
- Kansas State
- Kansas
- Iowa State
- Florida State
- Auburn
- UCF
- Baylor
- Rutgers
- Temple
- Rutgers pic.twitter.com/sPg0YC58Xd

— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) December 8, 2025

Don't ask me why Rutgers is listed twice. But here's the real story.

Notre Dame 10-2
Kansas State 6-6
Kansas 5-7
Iowa State 8-4
Florida State 5-7
Auburn 5-7
UCF 5-7
Baylor 5-7
Rutgers 5-7
Temple 5-7

Most of them aren't bowl eligible until the bowls needed to change the rules so they could all get teams. Fewer bowls means back to 6 games minimum for bowl eligibility.

aggiehawg said:

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Notre Dame 10-2
Kansas State 6-6
Kansas 5-7
Iowa State 8-4
Florida State 5-7
Auburn 5-7
UCF 5-7
Baylor 5-7
Rutgers 5-7
Temple 5-7

Most of them aren't bowl eligible until the bowls needed to change the rules so they could all get teams. Fewer bowls means back to 6 games minimum for bowl eligibility.

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I remember when schedules were normally 11 games, and 7 wins was required to be bowl eligible. It wasn't that long ago

kb2001 said:

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aggiehawg said:

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Notre Dame 10-2
Kansas State 6-6
Kansas 5-7
Iowa State 8-4
Florida State 5-7
Auburn 5-7
UCF 5-7
Baylor 5-7
Rutgers 5-7
Temple 5-7

Most of them aren't bowl eligible until the bowls needed to change the rules so they could all get teams. Fewer bowls means back to 6 games minimum for bowl eligibility.

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I remember when schedules were normally 11 games, and 7 wins was required to be bowl eligible. It wasn't that long ago

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I would make it to be 8 wins minimum to be bowl eligible as a start.

Quote:

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I would make it to be 8 wins minimum to be bowl eligible as a start.

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That wouldn't work when the SEC goes to a 9 game conference schedule. (An idea I also vehemently oppose as just being stupid as it harms the conference as a whole.)

TXAG 05 said:

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wangus12 said:

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BenTheGoodAg said:

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It feels like it's time for bowls to end for non-playoffs.

But it sure is fun to watch ND get raked over the coals for being titty-babies about bowing out.

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While I think there are definitely too many bowl games, I don't want them to end. I love have daily college football for the better part of 2 weeks while I'm at work

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This. Don't know why so many people hate the bowl games. They are fun, and usually a lot better games than the playoffs, which have been mostly blowouts.

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Because 95% of the bowl games are nothing more than exhibition games and the players treat them as such. Half the starters opt out of the game, and half of the teams seem like they are using interim coaches. I watch them because they are better than nothing, but they aren't some type of culmination of a great season for most teams - especially teams that are .500 or sometimes even worse.

When the regular season went to 12 games, the requirement for bowl eligibility should have gone up to at least 7 games, if not 8 games. But it still wouldnt' make a difference on the players opting out.

And as far as the playoff games - up until this year we haven't had playoffs, no matter what anybody says. 4 pre-selected teams isn't a playoff. At least this year there is some level of actual playoff format, even if people are crying about bubble teams or teams with 3 losses either getting in or not getting in.

Bowl games with a lot of opt outs arent fun for anyone.

gA_CMAB_FA said:

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AGDAD14 said:

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Those players who will never get another chance to play after college, which is more than 90%, CARE! That has always been my motive for supporting college athletics.

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^^^^This x10

The bowl trip of 5 or 6 days, no matter what crappy bowl it is, will be the last time they will be wined and dined and given free swag and electronics. It means a lot, plus many will get extra practice in for next season and an off chance of impressing the coaches when some lose interest or opt out.

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Definitely can't argue against that

BenTheGoodAg said:

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It feels like it's time for bowls to end for non-playoffs.

But it sure is fun to watch ND get raked over the coals for being titty-babies about bowing out.

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Yep Bowls need to go away but for the smaller conferences maybe. Pointless.