A 5-7 record might be good enough to get USC in a bowl
What happens when there are not enough teams with .500 or better records to fill up all the bowl games?
Some bowl representatives already are sweating that point.
They are beginning to talk about taking 5-7 teams despite the fact that the NCAA requires six wins for bowl eligibility.
Because so many conferences this season are top heavy and beating up on the bottom half of their leagues, it seems unlikely at the moment that enough teams will win six games to fill the 78 bowl spots the old-fashioned way.
That means a waiver would have be issued to allow 5-7 team to be picked.
That may or may not mean much for South Carolina, which sits at 3-5 after a weekend loss to Texas A&M. The Gamecocks were made 15-point underdogs to Tennessee on Sunday, and they will likely be underdogs by at least that much against Florida and Clemson.
South Carolina will have to win one of those games just to get to five (assuming a win over The Citadel as the fourth win).
Whether or not South Carolina fans want to travel to watch this team play another game and how an extension of the season might affect the coaching search are separate discussions, but it’s at least worth keeping in mind that South Carolina might not have to get to six wins to have a chance.
There are 128 Football Bowl Subdivision teams for 78 bowl slots. There were 18 bowls in 1995 and there will be 40 in 2015.
The SEC has tie-ins with 11 bowls: Sugar, Orange, Citrus, Outback, Music City, Taxslayer, Liberty, Texas, Belk, Birmingham and Independence.
Currently, 12 of the 14 SEC teams have records of .500 or better. Only South Carolina (3-5) and Vanderbilt (3-5) have losing records. But five teams are at 4-4 (Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas and Auburn) and could wind up with losing records.
SEC standings
SEC East
Team | Conf. | Overall |
Florida | 5-1 | 7-1 |
Georgia | 3-3 | 5-3 |
Tennessee | 2-3 | 4-4 |
Kentucky | 2-4 | 4-4 |
Vanderbilt | 1-3 | 3-5 |
Missouri | 1-4 | 4-4 |
USC | 1-5 | 3-5 |
SEC West
Team | Conf. | Overall |
LSU | 4-0 | 7-0 |
Alabama | 4-1 | 7-1 |
Ole Miss | 4-1 | 7-2 |
Texas A&M | 3-2 | 6-2 |
Miss. State | 2-2 | 6-2 |
Arkansas | 2-2 | 4-4 |
Auburn | 1-4 | 4-4 |
SEC bowl tie-ins
SUGAR BOWL
New Orleans, La.
SEC vs. Big 12
Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m.
ORANGE BOWL
Miami, Fla.
ACC vs. SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame
Dec. 31, TBA
CITRUS BOWL
Orlando, Fla.
SEC vs. Big Ten
Jan. 1, 1 p.m.
OUTBACK BOWL
Tampa, Fla.
SEC vs. Big Ten
Jan. 1, Noon
MUSIC CITY BOWL
Nashville, Tenn.
SEC vs. ACC/Big Ten
Dec. 30, 7 p.m.
TAXSLAYER BOWL
Jacksonville, Fla.
SEC vs. Big Ten/ACC
Jan. 2, Noon
LIBERTY BOWL
Memphis, Tenn.
SEC vs. Big 12
Jan. 2, 3:30 p.m.
TEXAS BOWL
Houston, Texas
SEC vs. Big 12
Dec. 29, 9 p.m.
BELK BOWL
Charlotte, N.C.
SEC vs. ACC
Dec. 30, 3:30 p.m.
BIRMINGHAM BOWL
Birmingham, Ala.
SEC vs. American
Dec. 30, Noon
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Shreveport, La.
SEC vs. ACC
Dec. 26, 5:45 p.m.
USC’s path to a bowl game
South Carolina (3-5) needs to win three of its last four games to get to 6-6 and guarantee a bowl game. But with so many bowl games now, some are saying a 5-7 mark might be enough. Breaking down the remaining games:
Tennessee
Why USC could win: The Vols already have blown three fourth-quarter leads this season.
Why USC could lose: USC couldn’t stop a Texas A&M rushing attack led by Tra Carson. Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd averages 90.6 per game.
Florida
Why USC could win: It’s a home game and Florida has feasted teams that haven’t lived up to preseason billing.
Why USC could lose: With corner Vernon Hargreaves shadowing Pharoh Cooper, Perry Orth’s targets will be limited.
The Citadel
Why USC could win: It’s the most winnable game left. At home, against an FCS team. Talent alone should take the victory.
Why USC could lose: The Gamecocks have a lot of former walk-ons … guys who could have been playing for The Citadel.
Clemson
Why USC could win: The emotion, a home game and perhaps playing to knock the Tigers out of an undefeated season.
Why USC could lose: If the defense made UCF look good, offense that has scored as many as 58 points might break the scoreboard.
David Cloninger