College Football Bowl Season Takes Shape as Regular Season Comes to Close
With just under three weeks left until the start of bowl season, the landscape is taking shape. As of now, 80 FBS programs have secured enough wins to qualify for postseason play, leaving 14 teams one victory shy of joining them.
Delaware and Missouri State, who are transitioning from the FCS level, have already been announced as participants in a bowl game on Saturday night. The first two spots will go to these schools if they meet the eligibility criteria, further solidifying their place among the eligible teams.
The College Football Playoff may be up for debate, but when it comes to this year's postseason, one thing is clear: only 80 teams have earned the right to participate in a bowl game. The remaining 14 teams will vie for the final spots based on Academic Progress Rate rankings.
As we count down to bowl season, some programs are already looking back at their past performances. Akron, which was ruled ineligible due to its failing Academic Progress Rate score, is no longer an option for postseason play. Meanwhile, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern have secured bowl-eligible status with six wins each.
The Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 conferences have produced a significant number of bowl-eligible teams, while the American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, MAC, and Conference USA conferences are also well-represented. The Independents, however, have struggled to secure enough wins to qualify for postseason play.
As we head into the final stretch of the regular season, teams will be focusing on securing those last-minute victories to join their colleagues in bowl eligibility. Only time will tell which programs will take part in a bowl game and which ones won't.
The bowl-eligible list currently stands at:
* SEC: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
* Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Washington
* ACC: Cal, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Virginia, Wake Forest
* Big 12: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah
* Pac-12: Washington State
* American: Army, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Tulane, USF, UTSA
* Mountain West: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah State
* Sun Belt: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Louisiana, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy
The list of teams one victory shy of bowl eligibility includes:
* SEC: Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State
* Big Ten: Rutgers
* ACC: Florida State
* Big 12: Baylor, Kansas, UCF
* American: Rice, Temple
* Mountain West: None
* Sun Belt: Appalachian State, Marshall
* MAC: Buffalo, Kent State
As we move forward into the final days of the regular season, one thing is clear: only a handful of programs will be left out of bowl eligibility. The stakes are high, and teams will need to pull together if they want to secure those elusive six wins.
The list of eliminated teams includes:
* SEC: Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina
* Big Ten: Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin
* ACC: Boston College, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
* Big 12: Colorado, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
* Pac-12: Oregon State
* American: Charlotte, FAU, Tulsa, UAB
* Mountain West: Air Force, Colorado State, Nevada, San Jose State
* Sun Belt: Georgia State, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama
* MAC: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, UMass
* Conference USA: Liberty, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, UTEP
* Independents: None
The APR rankings provide a closer look at the performance of each FBS program. Some notable programs include Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson.
As we count down to bowl season, one thing is clear: only 80 teams have earned the right to participate in a bowl game. The remaining 14 teams will vie for the final spots based on Academic Progress Rate rankings.
With just under three weeks left until the start of bowl season, the landscape is taking shape. As of now, 80 FBS programs have secured enough wins to qualify for postseason play, leaving 14 teams one victory shy of joining them.
Delaware and Missouri State, who are transitioning from the FCS level, have already been announced as participants in a bowl game on Saturday night. The first two spots will go to these schools if they meet the eligibility criteria, further solidifying their place among the eligible teams.
The College Football Playoff may be up for debate, but when it comes to this year's postseason, one thing is clear: only 80 teams have earned the right to participate in a bowl game. The remaining 14 teams will vie for the final spots based on Academic Progress Rate rankings.
As we count down to bowl season, some programs are already looking back at their past performances. Akron, which was ruled ineligible due to its failing Academic Progress Rate score, is no longer an option for postseason play. Meanwhile, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern have secured bowl-eligible status with six wins each.
The Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 conferences have produced a significant number of bowl-eligible teams, while the American, Mountain West, Sun Belt, MAC, and Conference USA conferences are also well-represented. The Independents, however, have struggled to secure enough wins to qualify for postseason play.
As we head into the final stretch of the regular season, teams will be focusing on securing those last-minute victories to join their colleagues in bowl eligibility. Only time will tell which programs will take part in a bowl game and which ones won't.
The bowl-eligible list currently stands at:
* SEC: Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
* Big Ten: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Washington
* ACC: Cal, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Virginia, Wake Forest
* Big 12: Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah
* Pac-12: Washington State
* American: Army, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Tulane, USF, UTSA
* Mountain West: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah State
* Sun Belt: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, James Madison, Louisiana, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, Texas State, Troy
The list of teams one victory shy of bowl eligibility includes:
* SEC: Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State
* Big Ten: Rutgers
* ACC: Florida State
* Big 12: Baylor, Kansas, UCF
* American: Rice, Temple
* Mountain West: None
* Sun Belt: Appalachian State, Marshall
* MAC: Buffalo, Kent State
As we move forward into the final days of the regular season, one thing is clear: only a handful of programs will be left out of bowl eligibility. The stakes are high, and teams will need to pull together if they want to secure those elusive six wins.
The list of eliminated teams includes:
* SEC: Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina
* Big Ten: Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin
* ACC: Boston College, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
* Big 12: Colorado, Oklahoma State, West Virginia
* Pac-12: Oregon State
* American: Charlotte, FAU, Tulsa, UAB
* Mountain West: Air Force, Colorado State, Nevada, San Jose State
* Sun Belt: Georgia State, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama
* MAC: Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, UMass
* Conference USA: Liberty, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico State, Sam Houston State, UTEP
* Independents: None
The APR rankings provide a closer look at the performance of each FBS program. Some notable programs include Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson.
As we count down to bowl season, one thing is clear: only 80 teams have earned the right to participate in a bowl game. The remaining 14 teams will vie for the final spots based on Academic Progress Rate rankings.
As the college football bowl season takes shape, it's fascinating to see which programs are emerging as strong contenders. The Big Ten and SEC conferences have indeed produced an impressive number of bowl-eligible teams 
, while the Independents are facing some stiff competition in securing those final wins 
.
. It's interesting to see programs like Ohio State and Alabama, who have consistently performed well academically alongside their on-field success 
.
, and I'm eager to see how they'll manage the final stretch of the regular season 
. It's also worth noting that programs like Delaware and Missouri State, who have transitioned from FCS to FBS, are already making a name for themselves in the postseason 
.
The 80 FBS programs that made it are looking sharp, but there's still 14 more to join them 
Delaware & Missouri State got a head start by participating in a bowl game already 
.
. American and Mountain West are also well-represented 
. But, Independents? Not so much 
Still gotta make those last-minute wins to secure those 6th spots 
.
!
and I'm glad to see some programs like Arkansas State and Georgia Southern making a comeback with those 6 wins each 
. but hey, at least some programs are getting their due recognition, like Arkansas State and Georgia Southern 
. I'm keeping an eye on the rest, hoping they can pull off that last win 
. nowadays it's all about the AP rankings and who's gonna make it to the playoffs... don't get me wrong, technology and streaming have made it way easier for us fans to catch our favorite teams, but sometimes i feel like we're losing that true college experience vibe 
bowl eligible teams are just a numbers game, it's not about being good enough or anything