Has Bowl Season Permanently Changed?

College football bowl season is in full swing, with games ramping up toward the College Football Playoff and the New Year's matchups.

But there seems to be significantly less interest in the less meaningful bowl games in 2023, and if current trends hold, that may become a permanent problem moving forward. Yet again, we likely have the transfer portal to thank.

The Florida State Seminoles are the perfect example. Obviously FSU fans and players are disappointed to be in the Orange Bowl after their infamous playoff snub. But considering they're going up against the Georgia Bulldogs in their home state, you'd assume there'd be a significant amount of interest in taking down a top SEC opponent. There isn't.

And it's not just them; according to OutKick's Trey Wallace, 40-45 players will be missing between both schools thanks to the transfer portal and player opt outs.

That's just one bowl, and stories like this are becoming more common throughout college football.

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 18, 2023: USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) paces the sidelines during the fourth quarter of the team's 38-20 loss to UCLA at the LA Memorial Coliseum on November 18, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Bowl Games Losing Shine Thanks To Massive Changes In College Football Landscape

The USC Trojans are set to take on the Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday night in the Holiday Bowl, coming off a disappointing 7-5 season and hiring a new defense coordinator.

Normally, a bowl game in Southern California, especially in a desirable short vacation spot like San Diego, would be a significant draw for USC fans. Even after a mediocre season. But a quick check of tickets shows plenty of available seats at Petco Park, just hours before kickoff. How could this happen?

Caleb Williams won't play, choosing instead to focus on an NFL future. The Trojans have also been decimated by transfer portal entries, especially on defense after the outgoing staff was let go. Korey Foreman, Malachi Nelson, Tackett Curtis, Domani Jackson, Michael Tarquin, Mario Williams, Raleek Brown are all on their way out, just to name a few. On top of the Williams opt out

So what would normally be a fairly intriguing matchup; top 16 Louisville against a USC team with high preseason expectations, doesn't have much interest.

Drake Maye at North Carolina is another major opt out, and the list of transfer portal entries for all the bowl games is quite literally over 100 players long. Even players like Maalik Murphy, the backup quarterback on the Texas Longhorns, a CFB playoff team, have transferred out early.

Tennessee's Joe Milton, as another example, just opted out of the Citrus Bowl while with the team in Orlando.

How Does This Get Fixed?

It doesn't.

The transfer portal has, in general, been a big win for the players. Kids that aren't getting opportunities where they are now have the opportunity to reinvent themselves with a new team and a new set of coaches.

Bo Nix, a solidly average quarterback at Auburn, transferred to Oregon using the portal after a "miserable" stint under Bryan Harsin. And in Eugene, he excelled, raising his draft stock and becoming a deserving Heisman Trophy contender with 40 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2023.

There are plenty of examples like that throughout the sport. Taking those options away from players now is all but impossible. But it also means that kids have to make their decisions before bowl games start, leading to a mass exodus before what used to be an important game. On top of the now common choice to focus on health and NFL draft prep instead of finishing out your career.

Those incentives aren't changing, without a significant overhaul of both the portal or the inherent structure of the NCAA-NFL pipeline. Which likely isn't coming anytime soon.

Unavoidably, and unfortunately, the diminishing importance of bowl season is likely to become a permanent feature of college football. And it's made what was once a fitting conclusion to the season, with must see matchups, much less fun.