Last night may have been the first unmistakable sign that we’re witnessing the beginning of the end of postseason bowl games as we’ve come to know them. South Florida’s appearance in the Cure Bowl looked more like a spring scrimmage than a December showcase. Missing four offensive starters — including quarterback Byrum Brown — the Bulls (9–4, 6–2 American) saw their normally explosive offense sputter in a 24–10 loss to Old Dominion (10–3, 6–2 Sun Belt) at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.

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Instead of seeing USF at full strength, fans were treated to quarterback Gaston Moore making the first start of his career and interim head coach Kevin Patrick trying to steer a depleted roster through a bowl game that never found its rhythm. ODU, also without its starting quarterback and several key contributors, wasn’t much sharper, but the Monarchs made fewer mistakes and did just enough to grind out a win in a matchup that at times bordered on unwatchable.

Over 200 Players and Dozens of Coaches Missing in 2025 Bowls

The 2025 college football postseason has exposed the fragility of the traditional bowl system. More than 200 players have opted out of bowl games, including 27 from Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl and at least a dozen from Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. These absences, combined with 10–15 head coaches leaving programs for new jobs or being fired, have left many bowls with depleted rosters and interim staffs. What was once a showcase of college football’s best talent has increasingly become a patchwork of backups and transitional leadership.

Why Players and Coaches Are Skipping Bowl Games

The reasons for this exodus are clear. For players, the NFL Draft and transfer portal loom larger than any non-playoff bowl. Draft prospects avoid injury risk, while portal entrants focus on securing new opportunities. Coaches, meanwhile, are swept up in the annual carousel of firings and hirings, with universities prioritizing recruiting stability over bowl preparation. As CBS Sports, ESPN, and USA Today have reported, the expanded College Football Playoff has only magnified the divide: playoff games retain stars and coaches, while other bowls are left behind.

Impact on Communities, ESPN, and Sponsors

The ripple effects extend far beyond the field. Communities that host bowls — from Tampa to New York — rely on tourism, hotel bookings, and local spending tied to these games. With diminished rosters and waning fan interest, the economic impact shrinks. For ESPN, which holds the rights to most bowls, the decline is even more pressing. Advertisers and sponsors, already frustrated by the absence of marquee players and coaches, see less return on investment. NBC Sports and Fox Sports analysts have noted that sponsors are questioning whether their dollars are better spent on playoff games, where the stakes and star power remain intact.

The Future: A Five-Year Projection

Looking ahead, the trajectory is sobering. By 2026–2027, expect sponsors to consolidate around playoff games, leaving smaller bowls scrambling for relevance. By 2028, ESPN may reduce coverage of lower-tier bowls, focusing resources on the CFP. By 2029, communities that once thrived on bowl tourism could see their events vanish. And by 2030, with a 16-team playoff fully entrenched, the majority of non-playoff bowls may disappear altogether. The nostalgia of bowl season will fade, replaced by a streamlined postseason centered on playoff rounds.

The sad reality is that the expanded playoff, combined with player opt-outs and coaching turnover, signals the end of bowl games as we know them. What was once a cherished tradition is giving way to a new era, where only the playoff matters and the smaller bowls become relics of college football’s past.

The NFC West is on the line tonight as the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, both sitting at 11–3, collide under the lights on Prime Video in one of the biggest Thursday Night Football matchups of the season. With the division crown hanging in the balance and the San Francisco 49ers lurking just behind at 10–4, this game carries massive playoff implications for both teams. Two red‑hot quarterbacks—Matthew Stafford for the Rams and Sam Darnold for the Seahawks—headline a primetime duel that could ultimately decide home‑field positioning in January.

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Key Players to Watch on Both Sides

Both teams enter Week 16 loaded with star power and momentum. The Rams’ offense has been one of the league’s most explosive, averaging 383.6 yards per game, the second‑best mark in the NFL. Running back Kyren Williams continues to be a force, while wideout Davante Adams—though dealing with a hamstring issue—remains a game‑changing presence. Stafford has been sharp, guiding the Rams to wins in four of their last five meetings with Seattle.

Seattle counters with a balanced attack and one of the league’s top defenses, ranking fourth in total yards allowed. Quarterback Sam Darnold has stabilized the offense, while young star Jaxon Smith‑Njigba continues to emerge as a premier playmaker. The Seahawks have won four straight and are undefeated at home in primetime this season.

How to Watch and Listen: Full Broadcast Information

Kickoff:

• 8:15 p.m. ET (5:15 p.m. PT) from Lumen Field in Seattle

National Broadcast:

• Prime Video (exclusive national stream)

Local TV:

• FOX 11 (Los Angeles) for Rams fans
• FOX 13 Seattle for Seahawks fans

Announcers:

• Al Michaels (play‑by‑play)
• Kirk Herbstreit (analyst)
• Kaylee Hartung (sideline)

Radio Coverage:

• Rams: ESPN LA 710 AM, 93.1 Jack FM, Tu Liga Radio 1330 AM (Spanish)
• Seahawks: Local affiliates listed via Seahawks Radio Network

The Final Three Games Will Decide Everything

After tonight’s showdown, both teams face critical closing stretches. The Rams, already playoff‑bound, look to secure seeding with three tough matchups ahead. Seattle, which can clinch a postseason berth with a win tonight, must finish strong to hold off San Francisco and keep their NFC West hopes alive.

With two elite teams, two surging quarterbacks, and the division title at stake, tonight’s Rams‑Seahawks clash on Prime Video has all the ingredients of a December classic.

The Tampa Bay Lightning made a roster move on December 2, 2025, calling up defenseman Maxim Groshev from the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. It is another move in the gradual development that the organization has been monitoring closely in the past few years, and the timing puts him in a position to play at a time when NHL teams usually begin tightening their rotations. 

Syracuse has been relying on him in critical moments this season, and his statistics show that burden. The 23-year-old has gathered seven assists, eight penalty minutes, and a plus-8 rating through 19 games. He has been the most dependable on the roster as far as plus/minus is concerned and is also close to the top of the list among Crunch defensemen in terms of assists, points, and total number of shots produced. Those early-season trends provided Tampa Bay with good grounds to mention him.   

Fans who follow roster moves usually catch news like this right away, often using a mobile phone to instantly track and react to shifting betting odds, prop bets, and live market movements that create new wagering opportunities in real time.

Such movements are usually indicators that the organization believes in the player’s development and that it is time to act in the NHL. In the case of Groshev, the direction he takes renders the easy comprehension of why he is getting this chance. All his 142 AHL games have been played with the Crunch, and his games have so far yielded 17 goals, 51 points, 51 penalty minutes, and a plus-10 rating. The Lightning drafted him in the third round all the way back in 2020 and has developed into precisely the kind of dependable defenseman they projected when they picked him.

Tampa Bay has built a reputation for bringing players along with patience. Prospects are rarely rushed, especially at a position as demanding as defense. Groshev’s size, 6 feet 2 inches and 196 pounds, has always been one of his calling cards, but size alone doesn’t earn a recall. What’s changed over the last two seasons is how confidently he handles shifts at both ends of the ice. Syracuse has trusted him with defensive-zone starts, penalty-killing work, and heavier minutes against opposing top lines. The coaching staff has leaned on him in situations where consistency matters, and his play has held up without dramatic swings in performance.

And there is the fact that the Lightning, along with all NHL teams, change throughout the season. Simple lineup adjustments, injuries, and fatigue can open a door to a young player. The fact that Groshev was recalled does not necessarily guarantee instant ice time, but it does demonstrate that he is considered to be someone who can intervene where necessary without upsetting the setup of the back end. Predictability on the depth of the team is treasured by the teams, particularly on defense, and his history with the Crunch indicates that he can provide it. His plus/minus score this season, along with his number of shots and his potential to contribute to the offense when the opportunities arise, provides the Lightning with another reliable choice.

A call-up also creates a chance for a player to absorb the pace and rhythm of the NHL environment. Even if Groshev spends his first few days in meetings, practices, and walkthroughs rather than in live game action, that experience still carries value. Watching veteran defensemen manage pressure, communicate on the ice, and adjust to different opponents can be as important as the gameplay itself. For young players, these short windows often shape what they take back to the AHL if they return later.

Syracuse, on its end, will have to adjust the blue-line rotation slightly with Groshev away, but this is exactly the kind of development moment AHL clubs are designed to support. The Crunch have seen many of their players move up over the years, and Groshev’s recall fits into that familiar pattern. The coaching staff knows these opportunities are part of the process and often encourages players to embrace the pace when they get the call.

The time of the year also coincides with the time that NHL teams assess their depth as the season approaches the mid-season mark. December serves as a measurement point. The first two months of performance are examined by the organizations, the needs of the roster, and whether a player has proven enough to warrant exposure to the NHL group. Groshev’s numbers were already high, and the consistency he has demonstrated through several seasons in the AHL placed him at the right time. The line of thinking is not hard to follow: he is one of the most prolific defensemen in the history of Syracuse, he has registered significant minutes in any and every circumstance, and he has not exhibited any lack of consistency that would make a call-up a dangerous move.

The Lightning have been successful in using the Crunch as a development pipeline, and the recall of Groshev is no exception. Syracuse has spawned many players who have gotten small NHL chances, and later tend to be in full-time positions. Whether Groshev goes that way will be determined by how he manages to run this stretch and the way the team develops. Nevertheless, entering the NHL setting opens up a new tier of training and cements the demands of the position.

To Groshev himself, the recall is another step in the process, which began when he was drafted five years ago. His experience with Syracuse has provided him with a base that the organization has faith in, and his production in the early season proved that he was prepared to take the next step. Where it leads over the next few weeks remains to be seen, but he arrives with experience, confidence, and a style of play that fits what the Lightning values on their blue line.