The image of the bowl is becoming very, very clear.
With one week remaining in the 2024 college football regular season, 77 teams are already postseason eligible and have at least six wins. Including the 12-team playoffs, there are 82 postseason spots available with 35 not participating at the end of the season.
The number of bowl-eligible teams is guaranteed to be no lower than 79 at the end of the two-game regular season with 5-6 teams in Week 14. And there are likely to be more bowl-eligible teams than there are teams. free places after the end of the Saturday evening.
Sixteen teams have five wins heading into the final week of the regular season. Not all of them will be bowl eligible, but one or more of them could win a sixth game in Week 14 and find themselves out of the postseason altogether if there are more six-win teams than bowl spots.
Here’s a look at all the teams that need to win in the final week of the regular season to have a chance at a bowl game. All odds are from BetMGM.
Appalachian State (+2.5 at Georgia Southern): The Mountaineers are the only team in this bracket that isn’t 5-6 thanks to a canceled game earlier this season due to Hurricane Helena. Georgia Southern needs to win out and hope Marshall loses to play for the Sun Belt title.
Auburn (+11.5 at Alabama): Never discount what can happen in the Iron Bowl. Especially after what happened in Week 13 when Auburn beat Texas A&M in four overtimes. Still, we’re not so optimistic about Auburn’s chances of making the bowl game.
Cincinnati (+2.5 vs. TCU): The Bearcats have been stuck on a five-game winning streak for more than a month. Cincinnati enters the season finale on a four-game losing streak with losses to Colorado, West Virginia, Iowa and Kansas. TCU has very little hope of making the Big 12 title game.
Coastal Carolina (-1.5 at Georgia State): The battle at the bottom of the Sun Belt East Division has some postseason significance. Coastal has lost five of its last six games but has a shot at a bowl game thanks to three non-conference wins.
Eastern Michigan (+6.5 at West Michigan): We’ve come to our first game where one team will be bowl eligible and one will be played for the season. And yes, both games are a rivalry.
Kansas (+1.5 at Baylor): The Jayhawks are one of the hottest teams in college football after becoming the first losing team to beat ranked opponents in three straight games. Can Kansas get its fourth straight win to make the bowl game?
Louisiana-Monroe (+9.5 vs. Louisiana): The work that Bryant Vincent has done in Monroe is remarkable. But his team is also on a five-game losing streak, and three of those losses have been by at least 21 points.
Michigan State (-1.5 vs. Rutgers): The Spartans snapped a three-game losing streak with a 24-17 win over Purdue. But it’s still a team that has lost six of its last eight games. Rutgers was heartbroken by a late home loss to Illinois in Week 13.
New Mexico (-1.5 in Hawaii): New Mexico opened the season 0-4, but has a chance to come out on top in the final week of the season. A trip to Hawaii is always nice and always better with a win.
NC State (+3.5 at North Carolina): It’s been a rough season for the Wolfpack, but don’t count them out against a North Carolina team that just lost at Boston College to snap a three-game winning streak.
North Texas (-10.5 at Temple): The Owls are only playing for pride as they are 2-5 in the AAC and 3-8 overall. The Mean Green enter this game on a five-game losing streak and haven’t won since defeating a winless Florida Atlantic team in conference play.
Oregon State (+18.5 at Boise State): The Beavers are the biggest underdog of all 5-6 teams entering the final week of the regular season. At least Oregon State can claim the Pac-12 title after beating Washington State in Week 13.
Virginia (+7 at Virginia Tech): Both the Cavaliers and Hokies are 5-6. The Cavaliers have lost five of their last six games after a 4-1 start.
Virginia Tech (-7 vs. Virginia): The Hokies are on a three-game losing streak and lost to Duke 31-28 in Week 13.
Western Michigan (-6.5 vs. Eastern Michigan): The Broncos have lost three in a row trying to get to a bowl game and lost at NIU 16-14 last week. Meanwhile, EMU has lost four in a row. Someone has to get the sixth win.
Wisconsin (-2 vs. Minnesota): There are a lot of losing streaks between teams looking for a sixth win. Wisconsin is among them. The Badgers have lost four straight and haven’t won since beating Northwestern 23-3.