I read something last night that like 5 teams were working to replace A&M in the Gator bowl. The article said A&M was down to 38 available players (20 of which were offensive or defensive lineman). It mentioned Rutgers Illinois and Marshall as possibilities. Would be cool to watch NIU again though.

I heard Rutgers getting the bid was pretty much a done deal. They're working on reassembling the team now. Not like they get many opportunities to go bowling when they play in a division with MSU, PSU, OSU, & UM. I don't see them passing it up.

(12-23-2021 12:19 PM)epasnoopy Wrote:  

Quote:NIU is actively working to take Texas A&M’s spot in the Gator Bowl, athletic director Sean Frazier said in an interview Thursday morning.

“We’re on that like a hungry dog on a hamburger,” Frazier said.

The NCAA is expected to make a decision late Thursday morning or early Thursday afternoon. Frazier said he wasn’t sure which way the committee was going to go in finding a replacement for the Dec. 31 game against Wake Forest in Jacksonville.

Traditionally, academic ratings are used to find a replacement among non-eligible teams. Rutgers would be the top replacement by that criteria.

The Huskies have already played a bowl game, losing 47-41 to Coastal Carolina on a controversial ending, with the Huskies not getting a chance to run a final play. Conference USA, which provided the officials for the game, admitted to mistakes on the play.

“Consistently, 5-7 APR teams have been what the committee has been always supportive of,” Frazier said. “I’m not naive on that. It’s just the timing. The safety issues. The fact the game is less than nine days away. That’s the only outside chance. It is what it is.”

Looks like Rutgers is going. The NCAA was initially concerned about the prospect of a team playing without having practiced in a month, but they gave their Ok this morning. BTW, Rutgers lost their last three regular season games by a combined 120-19. Big Ten receives $5 million in return for the expected slaughter.

If I was Wake Forest fans, I'd be disappointed to finish 2nd in ACC and the reward is playing a 5-7 team. Although, maybe Wake fans are happy since it should be an automatic bowl win.