College Football Team May Face Punishment for Withdrawing from Bowl Game

Many college football fans have expressed in recent days their unhappiness with the transfer portal window and the potential disruptions its causing to the bowl game schedule and College Football Playoffs.

Georgia Tech receiver Eric Singleton, NC State receiver Kevin Concepcion, USC quarterback Miller Moss, and Duke QB Maalik Murphy are just a few of many key starters who have already entered the transfer portal and won’t be playing in their team’s respective bowl games.

If that weren’t enough, the Marshall Thundering Herd recently withdrew from the Independence Bowl against Army on Dec. 28 because they’ve lost a reported 25 players to the transfer portal since losing head coach Charles Huff to Southern Miss.

Jerod Smalley of NBC4 Columbus recently reported that Marshall could lose a great deal of players from its roster to the portal and having that kind of uncertainty is likely why the school decided to play it safe and not risk playing a bowl game with a depleted roster.

But American Athletic Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti believes teams should be held accountable in some form or fashion should they withdraw from a bowl game, leaving opponents and bowl organizers in tough spots.

“This situation emphasizes a significant challenge impacting college football,” Pernetti told The Athletic. “The timing of the transfer portal and coaching carousel enables this behavior.

“…We should consider legislation that requires programs that accept invitations and commit to bowl games to play the games or be subject to consequences for the impact it has on their opponent.”