That pair, and others like it, became part of notable trend in the 2024-25 bowl season: 21 of the 30 non-Playoff bowls that aired on an ESPN network through Jan. 2 saw year-over-year viewership increases, the majority of them by 20 percent or more.

College football has put a bow on its historic quarterfinal playoff round of games, but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t some bowl games on the schedule for