Can't Wait For Saturday Bowls being granted more options to fill spots makes so much sense
· Yahoo Sports
May 10—***
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Bret Bielema led Illinois to eight or more wins in three of his first five seasons in charge. All three finished with winning records and earned bowl bids, with two wins.
Bielema's other teams finished 5-7, missing bowl eligibility by a single win.
Had those teams been offered a chance to compete in a bowl would they have accepted? I believe the answer is "You betcha"
The Illinois coach values the extra practice time and national exposure available to bowl teams. You never know what future star player will be sitting around the during the holidays, see Illinois in a bowl and say 'That's my school."
Well, the NCAA rule makers are about to add an option for bowls to select a wider variety of 5-7 teams ... as long as those schools reach certain academic progress standards.
Previously, the inclusion of 5-7 teams was based on a school's place in the academic rankings. Now, the bowls will be able to consider more teams.
My take is a 5-7 Illinois team, given the population in the state and prestige of the program, will always be very appealing to bowls.
Take it another step, as long as the number of bowls remain high, it is hard to imagine a 5-7 Illinois team being left out.
Of course, the better plan for Illinois is to keep winning at a high level. But in that one year where injuries and close losses hit the team, it is nice to know there is a bit of a safety net.