NCAA lets conferences pick 5-7 bowl teams
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- NCAA's football oversight committee voted Thursday to adopt a proposal allowing conferences flexibility to pick 5-7 teams for bowl games when not enough other eligible teams exist
- Conferences would select a 5-7 team that has achieved at least the minimum 930 multiyear Academic Progress Rate, replacing the current system that ranks 5-7 alternates in descending APR order
- Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli told ESPN in January there were 41 FBS bowl games last season — 70 teams played in non-CFP bowls, with only three finishing below .500 at 5-7
- Over the past five seasons, an average of 81 teams played in FBS bowls with a 6-6 record or better, per Carparelli, underscoring how rarely 5-7 teams have actually been needed
- The proposal requires review by the Division I Cabinet at its June meeting before becoming final
Why it matters: The change shifts selection power from a standardized APR ranking to individual conference discretion when filling bowl slots, but the trigger only fires after all 6-6+ teams and other exception-holders are exhausted. With Carparelli's data showing just three 5-7 teams in bowls last season and an 81-team average of 6-6+ participants, the practical reach is narrow — the June Cabinet review is the real gatekeeper.
