College football bowl eligibility picture. Who's in? Who's out?
Much of the debate about the postseason in college football is focused on the teams fighting to reach the College Football Playoff. But that is not the only drama in the final weeks of the season.
There was also dram in the race at the bottom of the bowl picture with teams fighting to extend their seasons. And that plays out with teams hoping to gain the necessary six wins to become eligible.
It's a complex puzzle to sort out through. However, what was once fuzzy throughout the season has become clear at the end of the season.
How many available bowl spots are there?
The are 41 bowl games this postseason, which does not include the College Football Playoff championship game. That means 82 teams in the Bowl Subdivision must finish with six or more wins to fill all the spots.
Here's how the situation sorted out with the 130 teams eligible to play in the postseason.
► 79 teams have at least six wins.
► 51 teams did not reach six wins.
What teams are bowl-eligible or which are out?
American Athletic (6)
In: Tulane, SMU, Texas-San Antonio, Memphis, Rice, South Florida.
Out: Charlotte, Temple, Tulsa, East Carolina, Navy, Alabama-Birmingham, Florida Atlantic, North Texas.
ACC (11)
In: Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina State, North Carolina, Clemson, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami (Fla.), Syracuse, Virginia Tech.
Out: Pittsburgh, Virginia, Wake Forest.
Big 12 (9)
In: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Central Florida.
Out: Baylor, Cincinnati, Houston, TCU, Brigham Young.
Big Ten (8)
In: Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Penn State, Maryland, Northwestern, Rutgers, Wisconsin.
Out: Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State, Nebraska, MInnesota, Illinois.
Conference USA (3)
In: Liberty, New Mexico State, Western Kentucky.
Out: Louisiana Tech, Texas-El Paso, Florida International, Middle Tennessee.
Independents (1)
In: Notre Dame.
Out: Army, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Mid-American (6)
In: Toledo, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois.
Out: Akron, Buffalo, Kent State, Western Michigan, Ball State, Central MIchigan.
Mountain West (7)
In: UNLV, Air Force, Fresno State, Wyoming, Boise State, San Jose State, Utah State.
Out: Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, New Mexico, Colorado State.
Pac-12 (8)
In: Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Oregon State, Southern California, UCLA, Utah, California.
Out: Arizona State, Colorado, Stanford, Washington State.
SEC (9)
In: Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Auburn, Kentucky.
Out: Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Florida, South Carolina.
Sun Belt (11)
In: Troy, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Texas State, Old Dominion, Louisiana-Lafayette, Marshall.
Out: Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Mississippi.
What happens with not enough six-win teams for all the bowls?
NCAA rules state that teams during the transition process from the Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision can fill available openings if they win six games. James Madison and Jacksonville State have 11 and eight victories, respectively, and will be next in line with to earn spots.
What if there are more available spots after that? They are allocated to five-win teams based on the APR scores reported for the 2021-22 academic year.
With one spot still available, Minnesota takes the final position with the highest score.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football bowl eligibility: Who's in and who's out?
