Bowl Organizers Scramble After Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State Decline Bids

Bowl organizers scramble after Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State decline bids. With 41 bowls and 82 eligible teams, APR rules shape matchups this season.

Three programs — Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State — surprised bowl organizers by declining postseason bids despite being bowl eligible. Their decisions created an unexpected ripple as committees raced to fill slots in a season with 41 bowls and 82 teams that reached the six-win benchmark.

The bowl season usually runs on a predictable cadence of conference tie-ins and automatic selections. When eligible teams decline bids, organizers must pivot quickly. That scramble affects not only matchups but travel logistics, television slots and local economies that rely on bowl-week visitors. For fans and media, the headlines raise questions about why established programs would pass on bowl play.

Teams decline bowl invitations for several reasons. Common explanations include concerns over player health and injuries, coaching changes or staff turnover, and program decisions to prioritize player opt-outs for NFL preparation. While not every declined bid has the same cause, the trend underscores how modern college football priorities — from player welfare to strategic planning — can reshape the bowl landscape.

With 41 bowls and sixteen conference tie-ins, the pool of 82 teams initially met demand. But after declines, organizers look to contingency plans. NCAA rules allow bowls to invite 5–7 teams based on Academic Progress Rate (APR) standings when there aren’t enough six-win teams willing to participate. Independent programs and teams with strong APRs are often first considered. Organizers also negotiate swaps among conferences and seek willing teams with records that make competitive and financial sense.

For bowl organizers, flexibility is now as important as historical tie-ins. Quick communication with conferences, athletic directors and media partners helps lock down replacements and preserve marquee matchups. For fans, the late shuffle can mean new and unexpected pairings — sometimes creating intriguing games that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

As the season progresses, watch for official updates from bowl committees and conferences. The decisions by Notre Dame, Iowa State and Kansas State highlight a changing bowl selection process: one where eligibility no longer guarantees participation, and where APR rules, program priorities and logistics all play a role in shaping college football’s postseason.

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