College Football Bowls explained: Why are there so many bowls and how do they work?

There are 43 bowl games in college football. But have you ever wondered why there are so many bowl games? Interestingly, there's a very critical reason behind that. Check that out below

Updated on Apr 21, 2024  |  01:46 AM IST |  105.7K
Image Courtesy: Twitter
Image Courtesy: Twitter

In college football, there are a total of 43 bowls or bowl games, as of the 2023-24 season. But have you ever wondered why there are so many bowls in college football and how they indeed work? Well, it's time we find that out. Keep reading to know everything on this topic. 

The reality behind the large number of college football bowls

In college football, there are about 43 bowl games as of the 2023-24 season and there's a reason why this number is so large. Recently, the expansion of bowl games took place on ABC and ESPN, as a part of being the channels under the umbrella of The Walt Disney Company. The more bowls mean more revenue. 

Image Courtesy: Getty

The 43 bowls are a great revenue source as businesses are more willing to spend on advertisements during the holidays. The viewership of college football is more during the weekends, considering people have their time off from their jobs and work. And the idea of more bowls has turned out to be profitable. 

Image Courtesy: Getty

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According to Standard Media Index, the Rose Bowl generated about $33.9 Million in ad revenue in 2019. Moreover, in that season, the combined three College Football Playoff games generated about $176 Million for the three games. This number would be huge considering last year's Six bowl games in New Year were the most-watched in the last three years.

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So the real reason why there are so many bowl games in college football is because more games generate more revenue. But how did it all start? How does a team qualify for bowl games? Well, there's a dedicated set of rules and regulations if passed can get a team eligible for bowl games. 

How does a team get into Bowl games?

For a team to qualify for bowl games is no simple task. As per the NCAA, any team to qualify for bowl games must have a record better or equal to its overall losses. The minimum requirement is 6-6. Bowl games are exclusive to only the team teams in college football and choosing the best is no easy job.

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With the expansion of more bowl games, the eligibility rules by the NCAA have also been relaxed a bit in the last couple of years. The association has allowed teams with the non-winning record to fill the available slots. But we should never forget that, in college football, it's more about the celebration of tradition and less about competition.

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