The Slow, Inevitable Death of the Bowl Game

December 28, 2025

By Keith O'Brien

The Atlantic

The bowls have been dying a slow death in terms of cultural importance since 1998, when the college-football power brokers instituted the first national-championship game open to teams from every major conference. But the new college football playoff has turned them into consolation prizes, late-season scrimmages with no stakes whatsoever.

Read Article