The LA Bowl, a relatively new tradition in college football’s postseason, has been discontinued following Washington’s December victory over Boise State. Organizers announced Thursday that the game, played at SoFi Stadium, won’t return for a sixth season, bringing the anticipated total number of bowl games for the 2026 season down to 40.
A Shifting Bowl Landscape
The future of college football bowl games is uncertain as the sport navigates expansion and player decisions.
“after five great years, the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium will no longer be moving forward,” a statement from LA Bowl organizers read. “It has been an honor for our staff and volunteers to bring college football to one of the world’s greatest venues.We want to thank the athletes and football programs who participated and, most importantly, the college football fans who joined us over these past five seasons.”
as its inception in 2021, the LA Bowl showcased teams from the Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences. The game consistently featured new matchups, with Boise State being the onyl program to participate in the event twice.
Mountain West extends part
the discontinuation of the LA Bowl is part of a larger conversation about the value and future of bowl games in college football. With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, the importance of many traditional bowl games has diminished.
“The bowl system is a driven system,” Carparelli told The Athletic. “Through the 100 years of bowl games, no one has ever dictated how many bowl games there are.They’ve been strictly a function of host communities that want to host them and teams that want to participate. If at any point in time, the institutions decide as much as we love the bowl system, we may want to participate at a different level, then the bowl system will adjust accordingly. But no one’s in a position to say what the number is, or to make any of those decisions. The market will dictate it.”
Increasingly, players are opting out of non-College Football Playoff games, raising concerns about competitive balance. Bowl practices also present challenges for recruiting efforts.
For many programs, bowl games no longer carry the same prestige as a reward for a successful season, particularly with the heightened focus on reaching the College Football playoff.
Did you know? Boise State was the only team to appear in the LA Bowl more than once.
