Bowl games will not count against redshirt eligibility this season, according to a report by ESPN’s Cole Cubelic.
Per Cubelic, the NCAA has issued a “one-time waiver” which “exempts postseason participation from the limit of four contests a student-athlete may participate in with using a season of competition.”
This means that players with redshirt eligibility that have already played in four games will be eligible to play in a bowl game and still preserve their redshirt. If a player plays in five games, he cannot redshirt that season.
Utah freshman quarterback Nate Johnson has played in four games this season — against Arizona, Stanford, Oregon and USC in the Pac-12 championship. With this waiver, Johnson can play in the Rose Bowl vs. Penn State and still have this season count as a redshirt year. Johnson would be a redshirt freshman next season.
As of now, this is only a one-time waiver for this season, but it will be interesting to see if the NCAA continues the rule going forward.