The college football bowl season kicks off Saturday when the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners will square off against the New Mexico Lobos in the highly anticipated Gildan New Mexico Bowl.
This is just one of over 40 college football bowl games, featuring many teams who have put together impressive seasons worthy of the bowl stage. However, a number of teams earned bids despite mediocre seasons, at best.
Here are eight teams that probably shouldn’t be playing in bowl games.
TCU Horned Frogs (6-6)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl (vs. Georgia), Dec. 30, Noon ET
Despite playing in a “Power Five” conference, TCU does not exactly have the resume to be playing in Memphis — or anywhere. The Horned Frogs’ 6-6 record was good for fifth in the Big 12, and those six wins weren’t that impressive either. Their best win was probably a 62-22 blowout of Baylor, but the Bears finished the year at 6-6 as well.
Boston College Eagles (6-6)
Quick Lane Bowl (vs. Maryland), Dec. 26, 2:30
The Eagles were at the bottom of the ACC standings but somehow stumbled their way into the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit. Their wins over teams like Wagner and Buffalo must have really opened some eyes.
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (6-6)
New Orleans Bowl (vs. Southern Mississippi), Dec. 17, 9 p.m.
If bowl games were assigned on a basis of best team names, the Ragin’ Cajuns would be playing for the national championship. Unfortunately for Louisiana-Lafayette, it is determined via performance on the field, which makes it even more puzzling as to how it got invited to a bowl game. Fifth place in the Sun Belt conference isn’t overly impressive, but apparently, it’s enough to be featured in the New Orleans Bowl.
South Alabama Jaguars (6-6)
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl (vs. Air Force), Dec. 30, 5:30 p.m.
What is worse than finishing fifth in the Sun Belt conference? Finishing eighth. That’s where South Alabama found itself at season’s end, yet still is bowl bound. The Jaguars will take on Air Force in the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners (6-6)
Gildan New Mexico Bowl (vs. New Mexico), Dec. 17, 2 p.m.
The aforementioned Roadrunners’ six victories this season weren’t exactly against marquee opponents. UTSA earned wins over teams such as Charlotte, Middle Tennessee, Rice and Alabama State, which apparently was enough to earn a trip to Albuquerque.
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (6-6)
New Orleans Bowl (vs. Louisiana-Lafayette), Dec. 17, 9 p.m.
The Golden Eagles and Ragin’ Cajuns will face off in a matchup of two teams that probably shouldn’t be playing in the first place. Southern Miss only played one ranked team this season, which resulted in a 45-10 loss to LSU.
North Texas Mean Green (5-7)
Heart of Dallas Bowl (vs. Army), Dec. 27, Noon
It is hard to justify a team with a sub-.500 record playing in a bowl game, but the Mean Green will do just that. A 41-20 victory over Bethune-Cookman must have sealed the deal for the committee.
Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-7)
St. Petersburg Bowl (vs. Miami-Ohio), Dec. 26, 11 a.m.
It was certainly a rough season for the Bulldogs, who have held their own in the SEC recently under Dan Mullen. They certainly had their hands full with opponents such as Alabama, Auburn and LSU, but their record speaks for itself. They just narrowly beat UMass, a clear sign of a team that is not worthy of a bowl game.
Thumbnail photo via Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports Images
