College football’s inexplicably always-expanding bowl season | Engel Angle

College football is here, and while the sport is awash in problems its popularity remains almost unchanged. It’s the second most popular sport in America, behind only professional football. And if there’s anyone who knows why bowl games still matter—and why the schedule somehow keeps growing—it’s Nick Carparelli.
As the Executive Director of Bowl Season, Carparelli has his hands on everything involving bowls, from TV deals to scheduling. In this episode, he joins Mac Engel for a candid conversation about the state of college football, the future of bowl games, and why all the handwringing about their decline has been wrong. Spoiler alert: viewership is actually up.
The two also tackle the impact of gambling on fan engagement, the way NIL and the transfer portal are reshaping rosters, and how contracts are encouraging more players to stick around and play in bowls. For Carparelli, bowl games aren’t relics—they’re a vital piece of the college football ecosystem, offering experiences, exposure, and big-time financial benefits for programs and players alike.
Whether you’re a diehard fan, a skeptic of the current system, or just someone who fills out a bowl pool every December, this episode is a crash course in why bowl games aren’t going anywhere.
⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 – The resilience and growth of college football bowls
5:13 – Ego, engineering, and why ignoring science gets risky
9:53 – The evolution and surprising popularity of bowl games
16:54 – Celebrating Sunset Lounge and free shows on Thirsty Thursdays
19:56 – Gambling, NIL, and the future of college football
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