College Football Bowl Games Ready To 'Fold' Once Playoff Expands To 24 Teams

With the College Football Playoff set to expand in the very near future, that future seems increasingly bleak for college football bowl games. A number of bowl games have already folded in recent years and that number could rise significantly if the expansion to 24 teams becomes a reality.

According to On3 college football insider Brett McMurphy, multiple bowl game directors have met in recent days to discuss how they’ll navigate a landscape in which college football teams are playing on-campus playoff games rather than attending their games. This morning, McMurphy reported that one bowl game executive declared that the bowl game would “rather fold than abandon decades of tradition as a power conference game.”

“A bowl executive told @On3 the bowl would rather fold than abandon decades of tradition as a power conference game by becoming a G6 vs. G6 matchup in 2027. They may get their wish,” McMurphy wrote on X.

A bowl executive told @On3 the bowl would rather fold than abandon decades of tradition as a power conference game by becoming a G6 vs. G6 matchup in 2027. They may get their wish https://t.co/xdS2OYsC38

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 23, 2026

Fans weighed in on the situation.

In response to that comment, fans and analysts shared a variety of suggestions for how bowl games can save themselves, whether it’s by becoming early-season games or doing everything they can to become college football playoff game hosts.

“Bowls should shift to season kickoff games. Would be better for everyone at this point,” one user suggested.

“Or hear me out bowl directors, you could bid to sponsor the playoff games,” wrote another.

Still others believe that bowl games might as well just fold if they don’t want to live in a world where they get top teams:

“Dear G6 programs and fans. These bowls ain’t loyal! They don’t care about us. If you think they are going to be your savior here, think again. The bowls are dying a death, and we should let them!” one wrote.

“This may cause me to turn on bowls entirely. What an entitled bunch of folks. If this is the Citrus Bowl saying this, it would be rich, given it started as a small-college bowl,” another remarked.

College football is changing in a massive way and it may be completely unrecognizable within a couple of years.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.