In your face, purists! 5-7 bowl teams get last laugh, go 3-0
Remember when all those college football purists screamed from the rooftops when a trio of 5-7 teams were extended -- and accepted -- bids to bowl games?
Well how you like them apples?
The 3 teams that entered bowl games with 5-7 records this season all won. pic.twitter.com/fX1MXv9cL3
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) December 29, 2015
Yup. With its 21-14 victory over Central Michigan in Monday’s Quick Lane Bowl, Minnesota joined Nebraska (37-29 winner over UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl) and San Jose State (27-16 winner over Georgia State in the AutoNation Cure Bowl) as 5-7 teams to win their bowl game. The anomaly (we hope) happened when there were not enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the 80 bowl slots available, so the NCAA extended bids to 5-7 teams based on academic performance.
Granted, not exactly a Murderers Row of opponents these lovable losers took down, but an impressive 3-0 nonetheless, correct? Enough to silence the critics, right?
Yeah, what do you think?
5-7 teams have gone a perfect 3-0 in their bowls for a combined record of... 18-21! Time to celebrate! https://t.co/vATKoNv6QF
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) December 29, 2015
Next year? ONLY 5-7 teams get into bowl games. #gophers
— RandBall (@RandBall) December 29, 2015