How many more opt outs for Kentucky to get invited to Bowl. Lol.

Several teams deciding to decline bowl bids. I think this is the beginning of the end for the bowls in their present form.

@Tigerpride94 I think this needs it's own thread, so I moved your post to a new thread.

From Grok AI.

Bowl-Eligible Teams Opting Out of 2025 Postseason Games.

Below is the confirmed list as of December 7, 2025:

Notre Dame (10-2): Declined after being ranked No. 11 and snubbed from the 12-team CFP bracket in favor of Miami (10-2) and Alabama (10-3). The Fighting Irish issued a statement: "As a team, we’ve decided to withdraw our name from consideration for a bowl game following the 2025 season." As an independent, they face no conference fine.

Iowa State Cyclones (8-4): Players voted to opt out amid a coaching transition after head coach Matt Campbell left for Penn State (replaced by Jimmy Rogers). The team cited insufficient healthy players for safe practices. The Big 12 fined the program $500,000.

Kansas State Wildcats (6-6): Opted out following the retirement of head coach Chris Klieman and related roster uncertainties. Like Iowa State, they were fined $500,000 by the Big 12.

These decisions opened two Big 12-affiliated bowl spots, now filled by 5-7 teams like Mississippi State and Rice.

5-7 Teams Declining Bowl Invitations:

Florida State Seminoles (5-7, APR 990): Top APR among 5-7 teams but declined a bid, possibly due to internal factors like the retention of coach Mike Norvell.

Auburn Tigers (5-7, APR 990): Tied for the highest APR but opted out, leaving spots to lower-APR teams.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-7): Specifically turned down the Birmingham Bowl invitation.

You know, what the hell. Why don’t they just make a field of 64 like the NCAA tournament for basketball. It would be fun, although there would be plenty of beat downs. There’s always going to be  teams, fans, and others complaining with what the playoff is now, what it had been, and what it might become . If the bowl declinations are going to continue, which they will and will worsen, why not? In all seriousness, this should be considered. 

50 minutes ago, hrcarrier said:

You know, what the hell. Why don’t they just make a field of 64 like the NCAA tournament for basketball. It would be fun, although there would be plenty of beat downs. There’s always going to be  teams, fans, and others complaining with what the playoff is now, what it had been, and what it might become . If the bowl declinations are going to continue, which they will and will worsen, why not? In all seriousness, this should be considered. 

I think 6 rounds with 64 teams would be a bit much, I think 16 is the number to shoot for. That way you can get through it in 4 rounds.

As for the Bowls there needs to be a contraction for sure. I think the key to Bowl Game survival is adding an NIL bonus for the players, to give them an incentive to play. There over 40 bowl games now, cut that back to no more than 20 games not including the ones used in the CFP.

There are too many bowls as it is and once the playoff got introduced it makes these games meaningless.  You get extra practices but in an era of player movement that means much less than it used to.

I think the FBS should just mirror the FCS playoffs and make that the postseason.  It's time for a new paradigm.

1 hour ago, DanvilleFan said:

There are too many bowls as it is and once the playoff got introduced it makes these games meaningless.  You get extra practices but in an era of player movement that means much less than it used to.

The bowls were originally designed to give cold midwesterners a chance to vacation in a warm weather spot. Then they became a reward for teams with winning records and a chance to further develop young players. They exist now, almost solely, as a money making venture for ESPN.

9 hours ago, Jumper_Dad said:

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-7): Specifically turned down the Birmingham Bowl invitation.

Nobody wants to go to Birmingham in December? Kentucky fans should have known this. Didn't they have a player choose to take the law exam instead of go to this bowl several years back?!

1 hour ago, DanvilleFan said:

There are too many bowls as it is and once the playoff got introduced it makes these games meaningless.  You get extra practices but in an era of player movement that means much less than it used to.

I think the FBS should just mirror the FCS playoffs and make that the postseason.  It's time for a new paradigm.

How many players in this era see 10+ practices, giving up Christmas break, and heading to a bowl in a smaller venue as a reward? They are getting PAID and many of the players will opt out to enter the portal and hit their next spot. Saw where a guy at UK is planning to leave.....and go to his fourth school in his fourth year.

Honestly I think it is a good thing that the bowls are going away. They literally serve no purpose anymore, and truly never did IMO.  I do think they should expand the playoffs, and possibly have a NIT type tournament if teams that aren't in the playoffs want to. 

46 minutes ago, gchs_uk9 said:

The bowls were originally designed to give cold midwesterners a chance to vacation in a warm weather spot. Then they became a reward for teams with winning records and a chance to further develop young players. They exist now, almost solely, as a money making venture for ESPN.

This is why as a Notre Dame fan I loved the Irish opting out of that silly Pop Tarts bowl.  ESPN was vocal in propping up the SEC/ACC chances and doing negative PR against the Irish.  So good on Notre Dame not giving ESPN ratings/a way to generate revenue from them for that game.