Texas A&M just pulled out of the Gator Bowl. (Due to Covid, I believe)
Gator Bowl needs to find a replacement team to play Wake Forest University (WFU).
Which teams are available to play WFU in the Gator Bowl ?
Which team do posters want to play WFU ?
Should the 6 win requirement be waived as this is an emergency situation ?
Teams not in a bowl by now haven’t been practicing and their kids are already scattered for the holiday weekend. Wake’s only chance for a game is if another team has to withdraw from a different bowl and their opponent becomes available.
The situation is pretty fluid and other options are being considered now. Several teams have called wanting to play. Cal and Illinois are being mentioned. Wake’s coach said that 72 players got off the bus and got boosted after the ACC Championship game. They really want to play.
It may come down to which school needs & wants a very large check.
This year’s Gator Bowl payout is $5.35 million.
Could a playoff team from a lower division be considered ?
Maybe James Madison University since this #3 seed lost in the semi-finals ?
Or South Dakota State which is the other semi-final playoff loser ?
Or one of the two teams slated to play in the championship final = North Dakota State or Montana State.
University of Montana defeated then #20 University of Washington–a Pac 10/12 team–earlier this year.
No. Rutgers has the edge due to academic performance. Illinois waiting in the wings, evidently. Crazy.
I would love for a Big Ten team to step in. Very exciting possibility.
Rutgers it is, decision to be confirmed tomorrow by NCAA oversight committee. It pays to study…Illinois’ Academic Performance Rate (APR) was lower than that of Rutgers and consequently lost out.
What a strange turn of events. Rutgers goes to its highest profile bowl ever in a decision determined by athletic academic performance. Wake Forest gets to play its bowl game. Texas A&M apparently pays a price for not having a stonger Covid-19 protocol.
I prefer to think that maybe the opponent feared losing to a non-SEC, non-Big Ten team.
(Intended to be humorous.)
Go Rutgers…for the sake of chaos.