College Football HQ

Every college football team that declined their bowl game on Sunday

Joe Cox|
Notre Dame (and head coach Marcus Freeman) was just one of many schools that turned down bowl bids on Sunday.
Notre Dame (and head coach Marcus Freeman) was just one of many schools that turned down bowl bids on Sunday. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

In this story:

Notre Dame Fighting IrishKansas State WildcatsIowa State CyclonesFlorida State SeminolesAuburn TigersUCF KnightsRutgers Scarlet KnightsBaylor BearsTemple OwlsKansas Jayhawks

Years ago, schools basically cued in line to plead for a spot in a post-season bowl game. Of course, that was an era before every breakfast cereal, motor oil, or obscure mortgage company was sponsoring its own personal bowl game. But Sunday emphasized a growing trend with a number of teams saying 'thanks, but no thanks' to bowl berths on Sunday. The final count included at least 10 teams that turned down bowl berths.

The denials sprang from a variety of potential reasons-- from pouting over exclusion from the College Football Playoff to teams not wishing the dive into postseason play in the midst of coaching changes to teams that had given up hope at a bowl and moved on with the offseason. But Sunday's massive exodus of teams NOT playing in bowls certainly made some college football history.

The Wrath of the Irish

Notre Dame's bowl denial will probably draw the most attention. The Irish finished one spot out of the College Football Playoff, and accordingly decided that they would pass on the gamut of lower bowls. Notre Dame was purportedly offered a spot in the Pop-Tarts Bowl to play the team ranked behind them in the CFP rankings, BYU, but turned it down flat.

All of college football (and even some college basketball celebrities) weighed in on the propriety of the Irish bowl declination, but it's a massive move that could reverberate throughout future bowl seasons.

Two Big 12 Coaching Shifts

Kansas State and Iowa State each turned down bowl invitations. In both cases, there are coaching transitions underway. Iowa State lost Matt Campbell to Penn State and is replacing him with Jimmy Rogers. Kansas State saw Chris Kliemann retire and Collin Klein replace him.

Despite the business excuse, the Big 12 made it clear that the decision was not a popular one at the league level. Both schools were fined $500,000 for turning down bowl bids.

Bowl Denial Dominoes (or Sunday Choas for the Birmingham Bowl)

While the NCAA had exactly the number of teams with six or more wins that it needed to fill the bowl vacancies, these three teams declining bowl berths caused the bowls to have to dip into the pool of 5-7 teams. A multitude of 5-7 teams declined bowl bids before Appalachian State finally completed the bowl picture by agreeing to play Georgia Southern in the Birmingham Bowl.

At least seven teams were reported to have turned down last-minute bowl invites off of 5-7 seasons. The list includes Florida State, Auburn, UCF, Baylor, Rutgers, Temple, and Kansas. The 11th hour bowl chaos led to more than a few jokes online. While the 82nd bowl berth was finally filled, at least 10 teams passed on postseason play on a memorable Sunday.

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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