The Southeastern Convention has lengthy been a strong voice in college football. Now that its coaches are signaling help for a 24-team Faculty Soccer Playoff, the results would essentially alter bowl season.
In a Monday article by Chris Low of On3, Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel endorsed increasing the Faculty Soccer Playoff to 24 groups.
“The way in which school soccer is continually altering, that most likely makes essentially the most sense,” Heupel mentioned.
When the Faculty Soccer Playoff expanded to 12 groups in 2024, playoffs or bust grew to become the aim for a lot of within the Energy 4. Since then, bowl video games have seen a drop in viewership, attendance and participation. Additional growth does not coexist with the standard bowl construction. It will swallow it.
Meaningless center tier
Enlargement would supply extra at-large spots and entry to the playoffs for packages, however it will additionally create a tier of packages whose followers would really feel caught in purgatory.
Convention runners-up and three-loss groups are more likely to make the match on this mannequin, so what does that depart for the middle-tier bowls? Exhibition soccer of near-miss groups provides little incentive past going by means of the motions.
The playoff will change into the one supply of relevance, leaving every part else feeling meaningless. Exhibition soccer does not promote within the NIL period.
Decide-out period
Bowl season was already weakened by NFL Draft opt-outs and switch portal entries; now, think about a 9-3 staff that sat on the bubble being omitted and the fallout from it. The motivation hole widens when gamers notice that they are going to face a staff on a impartial website round Christmas with nothing on the road.
Gamers aren’t the one ones opting out. Followers are, too. Touring to see an exhibition sport across the holidays is unappealing. In a Dec. 29, 2025, article from Sports Business Journal, it was reported that “Twelve of 23 non-CFP bowls contested to this point have seen a lower in attendance in comparison with the identical sport final 12 months.”
Followers are already struggling to journey for the sport; they should see one of the best gamers play.
Enlargement supporters promise extra entry, however at what value?
Supporters of increasing the playoff to 24 groups argue that it ensures extra entry and inclusion. They’d inform you that bowl video games had been already dying, and that growth makes December extra significant and creates bigger viewers engagement.
The reality is that the sport is not evolving with an expanded playoff; the reality is that the bowl season followers love is being changed. TV will observe the cash comprised of the playoffs, and bowls formally change into the stock filler.
Bowl season as soon as outlined school soccer. It gave rising packages momentum heading into subsequent season. It created New Yr’s Day traditions. Enlargement will transfer these video games additional into the background. When that occurs, the dying of bowl season is coming; it is being scheduled.
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