Georgia Tech getting bowl look at 5-7 less likely
Georgia Tech’s flickering chances to play in a bowl game took two hits over the weekend, primarily by the Yellow Jackets losing their seventh game of the season last Thursday to Virginia Tech. The second was in the weekend’s other results.
NCAA rules stipulate that, in the event of a shortage of bowl-eligible teams, a pool of 5-7 teams made up of the five teams with the highest Academic Progress Rate scores will be eligible to bowls to fill their lineups. At 3-7, that would be Tech's only avenue and would first require the Jackets to beat Miami and Georgia.
However, it appears less likely than a week ago that the measure will be unnecessary. Football Bowl Association executive director Wright Waters said Monday that he was hopeful that there will be enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the 80 slots. Also Monday, CBS Sports bowl expert Jerry Palm, who last week forecast a shortage of four teams, projected just one 5-7 team being necessary.
It does appear that Tech would make it into the five-team pool if it were to beat Miami and Georgia. With Army taking an eighth loss Saturday, there are now only four teams with higher APR scores than Tech’s that can finish 5-7.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
