Conferences and ESPN to pick 5-7 teams for bowl fill-ins, not APR scores
According to a report from On3's Brett McMurphy, college football teams with 5-7 records may still earn bowl berths when needed to fill vacancies, but the selection process will not be based on Academic Progress Rate scores. Instead, the relevant conference will choose the replacement team, and if an ESPN-owned bowl is involved, ESPN itself will select from a pool of Group of Six teams. Traditionally, teams must win at least six games to reach bowl eligibility, though exceptions have occasionally been made. With the College Football Playoff set to expand to a 24-team field, the number of bowl games is expected to shrink, though Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli told CBS Sports that more teams will still participate in bowl games than in the playoff.
If an ESPN-owned bowl is selecting from pool of G6 teams, ESPN chooses the team to fill the vacancy, source said
Why it matters
For coaches: Coaches of teams finishing 5-7 may still have a path to a bowl game, but the selection will be out of their conference's or a media partner's hands rather than based on academic standing.
For media: ESPN's reported authority to select bowl participants from Group of Six pools raises questions about media influence over postseason access.
For athletes: Players on 5-7 teams could gain bowl eligibility depending on how conferences and ESPN exercise their selection authority.
Read the full story at Yahoo Sports
Sources
- Yahoo Sports: NCAA football teams with 5-7 records will have chance to participate in bowl games, but there’s a catch