With the inaugural College Football Playoff (CFP) a confirmed success, the NCAA is expanding the sport's bowl game lineup.
Unnamed sources told ESPN Tuesday there will be three additional bowl games: in Tucson, Ariz., Austin, Texas and Orlando, Fla. The expansion now puts 82 FBS teams in bowl games, a whopping 65 percent of the entire playing field.
The sources said the NCAA will make a formal announcement later in the week, but that the games have already received certification.
ESPN's Brett McMurphy learned the bowl games' conference affiliations will be as follows:
The Arizona Bowl at the University of Arizona's Stadium in Tucson: Mountain West vs. Conference USA (Mid American is a possible backup for either side)
Austin's bowl game's name is currently unknown, but will reportedly be played in the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium: American vs. Sun Belt
The Cure Bowl and the Citrus Bowl in Orlando: American vs. Sun Belt
The Arizona and Cure Bowls will reportedly be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
20 years ago, just before the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) era began, there were 18 bowl games. During the BCS' life from 1998 to 2013, the bowl lineup grew from 20 to 35 games and now the CFP era is growing the lineup even more.
The current qualification to make a bowl game is six wins, or a .500 record, but 5-7 teams may soon have to be allowed to play in such games.
Wright Waters, executive director of the Football Bowl Association, told CBS Sports he has "quit worrying about numbers."
