Several college football programs have publicly declined bowl invitations for the 2025 postseason. These include both fully bowl-eligible teams and 5–7 APR- eligible teams that chose not to play.
Bowl-eligible teams (6–6 or better)
These teams met standard bowl eligibility but opted out:
- Notre Dame (10–2), left out of the 12‑team College Football Playoff and then withdrew from all bowl consideration.
- Iowa State (8–4), citing player health and roster numbers after coaching turnover.
- Kansas State (6–6), declining after head coach Chris Klieman’s retirement and a transition to a new staff.
- Baylor, which stated it was already deep into offseason preparation and declined a bowl spot.
5–7 APR-eligible teams that declined
These teams were 5–7 but became eligible via Academic Progress Rate and turned down late bowl bids:
- Florida State, eligible via APR but chose not to accept any bowl invite.
- Auburn, in a coaching transition and with significant roster instability.
- UCF, citing roster and quarterback availability concerns and choosing not to play a 13th game.
- Rutgers, turning down the Birmingham Bowl to focus on roster building and staff changes.
- Temple, listed among 5–7 teams that passed on bowls.
- Kansas, also 5–7 and reported to have declined a bowl opportunity.
Quick reference table
Category| Teams
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Bowl-eligible opted out| Notre Dame; Iowa State; Kansas State; Baylor 1569
5–7 APR teams opted out| Florida State; Auburn; UCF; Rutgers; Temple; Kansas
1235
If you meant a different season or level (for example, a specific year before 2025 or high school bowls), clarifying that timeframe would narrow the list.
