All eight teams in the Big East remain in contention to become bowl eligible. If that happens, all eight might not make it to bowl games.
It appears as if there could be more bowl-eligible teams this season than available bowl slots. Already, 64 teams have become bowl eligible. Sixteen teams have an opportunity to reach bowl eligibility this weekend. Two more teams, UConn (4-6) and Hawaii (5-6) need to win out to get to the magic mark.
There are only 70 available spots in bowl games.
The Big East has six bowl tie-ins, but Notre Dame could take one of them if the Champs Sports Bowl selects the Irish this season. There is an agreement in place for the Champs Sports Bowl to take Notre Dame once in this current four-year cycle, provided the Irish are 7-5 or better.
If there are more bowl-eligible teams than tie-in spots, the Big East would have to work to get the teams that are left out into another game. But of the six AQ conferences, it appears as if only the Pac-12 will be unable to fill its tie-ins, leaving an opening in the New Mexico Bowl. Navy (4-7) won't be going to the Military Bowl this season, but there is a backup agreement with the Big 12.
Conference USA only has four bowl-eligible teams for six tie-ins. But the league has an opportunity this weekend to get two teams bowl eligible to fill its slots: UTEP (5-6) is at UCF (4-7); East Carolina (5-6) and Marshall (5-6) play for the right to go to a bowl game. The WAC has two bowl-eligible teams for three slots, but Utah State and Hawaii have a chance to get the conference to fill its spots. The SEC only has seven teams bowl eligible today but three more have a chance this week.
Here are the teams that can become bowl eligible with a win in Week 13, and who they are playing:
Maryland (2-9) at NC State (5-6)
Air Force (6-5) at Colorado State (3-7)
Eastern Michigan (6-5) at Northern Illinois (8-3)
Louisville (6-5) at USF (5-5)
Vanderbilt (5-6) at Wake Forest (6-5)
Ole Miss at Mississippi State (5-6)
UTEP (5-6) at UCF (4-7)
Cincinnati (7-3) at Syracuse (5-5)
Pitt (5-5) at West Virginia (7-3)
Purdue (5-6) at Indiana (1-10)
Texas Tech (5-6) vs. Baylor (7-3)
Nevada (6-4) at Utah State (5-6)
Kent State (5-6) at Temple (7-4)
East Carolina (5-6) at Marshall (5-6)
Tennessee (5-6) at Kentucky (4-7)
It appears as if there could be more bowl-eligible teams this season than available bowl slots. Already, 64 teams have become bowl eligible. Sixteen teams have an opportunity to reach bowl eligibility this weekend. Two more teams, UConn (4-6) and Hawaii (5-6) need to win out to get to the magic mark.
There are only 70 available spots in bowl games.
The Big East has six bowl tie-ins, but Notre Dame could take one of them if the Champs Sports Bowl selects the Irish this season. There is an agreement in place for the Champs Sports Bowl to take Notre Dame once in this current four-year cycle, provided the Irish are 7-5 or better.
If there are more bowl-eligible teams than tie-in spots, the Big East would have to work to get the teams that are left out into another game. But of the six AQ conferences, it appears as if only the Pac-12 will be unable to fill its tie-ins, leaving an opening in the New Mexico Bowl. Navy (4-7) won't be going to the Military Bowl this season, but there is a backup agreement with the Big 12.
Conference USA only has four bowl-eligible teams for six tie-ins. But the league has an opportunity this weekend to get two teams bowl eligible to fill its slots: UTEP (5-6) is at UCF (4-7); East Carolina (5-6) and Marshall (5-6) play for the right to go to a bowl game. The WAC has two bowl-eligible teams for three slots, but Utah State and Hawaii have a chance to get the conference to fill its spots. The SEC only has seven teams bowl eligible today but three more have a chance this week.
Here are the teams that can become bowl eligible with a win in Week 13, and who they are playing:
Maryland (2-9) at NC State (5-6)
Air Force (6-5) at Colorado State (3-7)
Eastern Michigan (6-5) at Northern Illinois (8-3)
Louisville (6-5) at USF (5-5)
Vanderbilt (5-6) at Wake Forest (6-5)
Ole Miss at Mississippi State (5-6)
UTEP (5-6) at UCF (4-7)
Cincinnati (7-3) at Syracuse (5-5)
Pitt (5-5) at West Virginia (7-3)
Purdue (5-6) at Indiana (1-10)
Texas Tech (5-6) vs. Baylor (7-3)
Nevada (6-4) at Utah State (5-6)
Kent State (5-6) at Temple (7-4)
East Carolina (5-6) at Marshall (5-6)
Tennessee (5-6) at Kentucky (4-7)
Andrea Adelson | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big East/Nation blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2010
- Wrote for The Orlando Sentinel
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
Matt Fortuna
Fortuna joined ESPN.com in 2011 after working for MLB.com and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where he covered college sports. He grew up in New York and is a Penn State graduate.
You must be signed in to post a comment