Doeren Discusses the Changes Across College Football After Bowl Win

TAMPA, Fla. — NC State walked into Raymond James Stadium and won its first bowl game since 2017, dominating the Memphis Tigers 31-7 in the Gasparilla Bowl for yet another win over a program that finished the 2025 season with eight or more wins. Nearly all of the Wolfpack's star players participated in the game, marking a significant victory for the program's culture.

Dave Doeren was outspoken about the rapidly changing views of bowl season in the buildup to the game and expressed his view once again after his team hoisted the trophy at the Gasparilla Bowl.

The Playoff hurts

There were also risks with expanding the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12, but to ensure inclusion for all of the power conferences, it was inevitable. After the drama in 2025, it will likely expand again at some point. For Doeren, it's caused unfortunate collateral damage across the sport.

" I think the playoffs are great, but I knew there was going to be a price to pay for that," Doeren said after winning the Gasparilla Bowl. "The bowls that aren't in the Playoff range, some teams aren't going to want to play in them and that, to me, is really sad for the sport. It shouldn't be that way."

Doeren was hinting at the decisions by high-level programs like Notre Dame and Kansas State, which opted to sit out bowl season. Notre Dame's decision drew criticism because of the Fighting Irish's response to missing out on the College Football Playoff after winning 10 games in a row, which included criticizing the ACC, their partner conference, for what they perceived as a flawed system that kept them out of the CFP.

"I'm not sure how you fix that, to be honest," Doeren said. "Maybe you have to make the playoffs bigger. But it's disappointing, because that's all you used to want at this level: to be in a good bowl game, go somewhere together, have a lot of fun, and win the game. The fact that coaches and players agree, nine of them, that was pretty hard for me, just as a true football fan. I don't get it."

Earned it Coach 🤝#1Pack1Goal pic.twitter.com/caBS1fWjMO
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 20, 2025

While not a new issue, the migration of coaches from programs before their bowl games was also on Doeren's mind. He dealt with it when Eli Drinkwitz left to become the coach at Appalachian State in 2019 and just last season, as his defensive coordinator, Tony Gibson, left for Marshall. He was reminded of that issue as he watched Memphis interim head coach Reggie Howard fight to keep his team engaged after his predecessor, Ryan Silverfield, left for the Arkansas job.

"I've lost coordinators, too, so I understand in the heart what Memphis was dealing with," Doeren said. "It was nice to have a full staff for a bowl game. That's the first one I've had in a while."

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