After nearly three decades as a fixture in the college football postseason, the Detroit-based bowl game is officially shutting down. The game, which frequently featured teams from the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference, won’t be returning next season-or any season moving forward.
This marks the end of a 29-year run for the bowl, which weathered name changes, sponsor shifts, and plenty of late-December drama. Most recently known as the GameAbove Sports Bowl, it served as a postseason destination for teams in the Midwest, often spotlighting programs that didn’t quite crack the New Year’s Six but still earned the right to extend their seasons.
For fans in Michigan, this one hits close to home-literally. The Detroit-based bowl was the closest postseason game geographically for Michigan State, and while the Spartans were frequently projected as a possible participant, they never actually played in it. Their last local bowl appearance came way back in 1984 at the Cherry Bowl in the Pontiac Silverdome, a completely separate event.
The bowl had long-standing tie-ins with both the Big Ten and the MAC, giving it a unique regional identity. It wasn’t the flashiest matchup on the calendar, but it offered a valuable opportunity for mid-tier teams to cap off their seasons with a win, and for fans in the Midwest to enjoy postseason football without traveling far.
The cancellation is part of a broader shakeup in the bowl landscape. The LA Bowl and Bahamas Bowl have also been scrapped for the upcoming 2026 season, signaling a shift in how the postseason slate is being structured. Whether it’s due to financial pressures, evolving media rights deals, or changes in the College Football Playoff format, the bowl ecosystem is clearly in flux.
For now, the curtain has closed on a game that gave players one more chance to suit up, coaches another opportunity to build momentum, and fans a reason to cheer during the holidays. The Detroit-based bowl may not have been the most high-profile, but it carved out a place in college football’s postseason tradition-and for nearly 30 years, that was enough to make it matter.