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Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Nov. 28

No, Virginia, there is no bowl-pocalypse.

Not this season, at least, despite your best attempts to help out.

Tennessee, Troy, Florida International and, finally, Georgia won games on Saturday to reach bowl eligibility. In the process, they got the bowl system to its magic number of 70 teams that could participate in the postseason without having to tweak the rules and let teams with losing records in.

As many as another four teams could become eligible with victories next weekend, though the odds certainly don't favor Louisiana Tech and Oregon State against ranked teams. But there will be no bowl-pocalypse this year, despite some conditions that boded well for the possibility.

In any case, here's the final bowl-pocalyptic update of the season.

STILL TO BE DETERMINED (4)

Louisiana Tech (5-6): Nevada (D4)
Middle Tennessee (5-6): at Florida International (D4)
Oregon State (5-6):  Oregon (D4)
Washington (5-6): at Washington State (D4)

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Nov. 21

It's looking more and more like the bowl-pocalypse will have to wait another year.

It appears there will be 70 bowl eligible teams when everything shakes out in the coming weeks. Already, 64 teams are eligible, and just 36 are ineligible.

That leaves 20 teams with their fates still to be determined. Three-quarters of them would need to finish with losing records. Look after the jump top see why that's unlikely.

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Nov. 14

Seven more teams --- including Army for the first time in 14 years --- became bowl eligible this week, bringing the total to 54 teams who can fill the bowl system's 70 spots without the need to tweak the rules.

There are 16 teams within a victory of eligibility at the moment, including two (Georgia and Iowa State) that have just a game remaining.

Meanwhile, there are 27 ineligible teams already --- with only 51 needed to prevent there from being enough teams to fill all the slots.

In fact, 20 teams (including Georgia and Iowa State) will be ineligible with their next loss.

The place to keep an eye on, strangely enough, is the Sun Belt. Only one league team even has a winning record, and a wave of ineligibles could actually be a difference-maker.

ELIGIBLE (54)

Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Central Florida, East Carolina

Florida, Florida State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Maryland, Miami

Miami-Ohio, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Navy, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, N.C. State

Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego State, South Carolina

South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Texas-El Paso, Toledo, Tulsa

Utah, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin

ONE MORE WIN TO BE ELIGIBLE (14)

Boston College, Brigham Young, California, Clemson, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Louisville, Notre Dame

Pittsburgh, Southern Methodist, Texas Tech, Troy

INELIGIBLE (27)

Akron, Arizona State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Colorado State, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Kansas

Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Mexico State, North Texas, Rice, San Jose State, Southern California, UAB

UNLV, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Wake Forest, Washington State, Western Kentucky, Wyoming

ONE MORE LOSS TO BE INELIGIBLE (18)

Arkansas State, Cincinnati, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kent State, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall, Middle Tennessee

Mississippi, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas, Tulane, Utah State, Washington, Western Michigan

ONE-GAME SEASON (2)

Georgia (5-6), Iowa State (5-6)

THE REST (5)

Florida Atlantic (4-5), Florida International (4-5), Oregon State (4-5), Rutgers (4-5), UCLA (4-5)

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Nov. 7

The rolls of the bowl eligible climbed to 47 this week, with 19 more teams just a victory away from clinching a postseason spot.

That means there's four teams out there that will need two wins between now and the regular season's end to fill up all 70 bowl slots without the need to resort to issuing invitations to teams with losing records.

This week's rundown:

ELIGIBLE (47)

Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Central Florida, Florida, Florida State

Fresno State, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisiana State, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State

Missouri, Navy, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, N.C. State, Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego State, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, Stanford, Temple, Texas A&M

Texas Christian, Texas-El Paso, Toledo, Tulsa, Utah, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin

ONE MORE WIN TO BE ELIGIBLE (19)

Army, California, Clemson, East Carolina, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Kentucky

Miami-Ohio, Louisville, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Southern Methodist, Syracuse, Texas Tech, Troy, West Virginia

INELIGIBLE (22)

Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Colorado State, Eastern Michigan, Louisiana-Lafayette, Memphis, Minnesota

New Mexico, New Mexico State, North Texas, Rice, San Jose State, Southern California, UNLV, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Washington State

Western Kentucky, Wyoming

ONE MORE LOSS TO BE INELIGIBLE (13)

Arizona State, Colorado, Duke, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Tennessee, Tulane, UAB, Utah State

Virginia, Washington, Western Michigan

THE REST (19)

Arkansas State (4-5), Boston College (4-5), Brigham Young (4-5), Cincinnati (3-5), Connecticut (4-4), Florida Atlantic (3-5), Florida International (3-5), Idaho (4-5), Indiana (4-5), Kent State (4-5)

Louisiana-Monroe (4-5), Middle Tennessee (3-5), Mississippi (4-5), Notre Dame (4-5), Oregon State (4-4), Purdue (4-5), Rutgers (4-4), Texas (4-5), UCLA (4-5)

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Oct. 31

Good news for college football's bowls: It has nearly half the teams needed to fill all 70 bowl slots. Twelve teams secured bowl eligibility this week, including Maryland.

In addition, if every team within a victory of eligibility wins once more, the total of eligible teams will leap to 58.

Now the bad news: If all the current six-loss teams stumble once more, there will be 27 ineligible teams --- more than half the 51 needed to lead to the bowl-pocalypse (or the issuance of a invitation to a team with a losing record to continue its season).

The weekly rundown:

ELIGIBLE (34)

Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Central Florida, Florida State, Hawaii, Iowa

Louisiana State, Maryland, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, N.C. State, Northern Illinois, Northwestern

Ohio, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, San Diego State, South Carolina, Stanford, Temple, Texas Christian

Toledo, Utah, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin

ONE MORE WIN TO BE ELIGIBLE (24)

Air Force, Army, East Carolina, Florida, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State

Miami, Miami-Ohio, Michigan, Navy, North Carolina, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Southern Methodist, Southern Mississippi, Syracuse

Texas A&M, Texas-El Paso, Tulsa, West Virginia

INELIGIBLE (14)

Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Memphis, Minnesota, New Mexico, San Jose State, Southern California

UNLV, Washington State, Western Kentucky, Wyoming

ONE MORE LOSS TO BE INELIGIBLE (13)

Buffalo, Colorado State, Duke, Kansas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Marshall, New Mexico State, North Texas, Rice, Tennessee

Utah State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Oct. 24

(The weekly look at the march to 70 bowl-eligible teams. Or 51 bowl ineligible teams. Your choice).

The college bowl system has 22 of the 70 teams it needs to fill in all of its spots.

Another 22 teams (including Maryland and Navy) will join that group with another victory.

So at the moment --- especially with only eight bowl-ineligible teams --- things don't seem particularly bowl-pocalyptic at the moment.

But that could change.

The weekly rundown:

ELIGIBLE (22)

Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Baylor, Boise State, Florida State, Louisiana State, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Missouri

Nebraska, Northern Illinois, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Stanford, Temple, Texas Christian, Utah

Virginia Tech, Wisconsin

ONE MORE WIN TO BE ELIGIBLE (22)

Air Force, Arkansas, East Carolina, Central Florida, Fresno State, Georgia Tech, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Miami

Michigan, Navy, Nevada, N.C. State, Northwestern, Ohio, San Diego State, South Carolina, Southern Mississippi, Texas-El Paso

Toledo, West Virginia

INELIGIBLE (8)

Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, San Jose State, Southern California, Washington State

ONE MORE LOSS TO BE INELIGIBLE (12)

Ball State, Central Michigan, Colorado State, Duke, Marshall, Memphis, New Mexico State, North Texas, Rice, UNLV, Western Kentucky, Wyoming

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse: Oct. 17

Eastern Michigan might eventually help the bowl-pocalypse --- the possibility of there being fewer bowl eligible teams than available slots --- come to pass.

But here's to the Eagles for snapping an 18-game losing streak yesterday at Ball State to avoid clinching a losing season in the season's seventh week.

Akron was not so lucky.

So at the season's midpoint, there are 14 eligible teams and two bowl ineligible teams. That leaves 104 variables still in play. It would take 51 bowl ineligible teams to create some minor chaos (which would probably be fixed by permitting a team with a losing record to make the postseason).

The updated watch:

ELIGIBLE (14)

Alabama, Auburn, Boise State, Florida State, Louisiana State, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Oregon, Texas Christian, Utah, Wisconsin

ONE MORE WIN TO BE ELIGIBLE (17)

Air Force, Arizona, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Nevada, N.C. State

Northern Illinois, Northwestern, Stanford, Southern Mississippi, Temple, Texas-El Paso, West Virginia

INELIGIBLE (2)

Akron, Southern California

ONE MORE LOSS TO BE INELIGIBLE (10)

Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Memphis, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Texas, San Jose State, UNLV, Washington State, Western Kentucky

Tracking the bowl-pocalypse

Loyal readers of the previous incarnation of the blog remember the bowl-pocalypse, a seemingly inevitable occurrence thanks to the proliferation of bowl games across the college football landscape.

The idea here is at some point, there will be more slots available than eligible teams. Of course, the easy solution will be to fudge the rules as needed and fill out the postseason accordingly, but it won't exactly be a glorious day for college football when a team that goes 5-7 (and 2-6 in its league) is ushered into a bowl game.

There are 119 eligible teams this season (Southern California is the first on the ineligible list), and 70 total postseason spots. That could to some interesting possibilities in November as many teams vie for a sixth win to get themselves in position to extend their season. Just 51 ineligible teams (including Southern Cal) will make for some interesting times.

For now, it's just a matter of tracking who is eligible, who isn't and who will be joining those lists with another win or less. Arizona State, Syracuse and Virginia must all get to seven wins (or six losses) to get on this list because each school beat two Division I-AA teams. Ball State did as well, but lost to a lower-division opponent and can get to a bowl with six wins.

In addition, Idaho, Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State and UNLV all play 13 games and need seven wins to become bowl eligible.

So where do things stand? Take a peek as the season creeps toward its midpoint.

ELIGIBLE (6)

Auburn, Louisiana State, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas Christian

ONE MORE WIN TO BE ELIGIBLE (16)

Air Force, Alabama, Boise State, Florida State, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, N.C. State, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford, Texas-El Paso, Utah, Wisconsin

INELIGIBLE (1)

Southern California

ONE MORE LOSS TO BE INELIGIBLE (3)

Akron, Eastern Michigan, New Mexico