There’s still a chance Michigan State can find themselves bowling this year if they come up short against Penn State in next week’s season finale. That possibility is thanks to a solid Academic Progress Report (APR) ranking the Spartans hold.
The Spartans blew their easiest chance of reaching bowl eligibility this past weekend when they let a 17-point lead slip away against a lousy Indiana Hoosiers squad that hadn’t won a game in two months. That win would have put Michigan State at 6-5 and bowl eligible, but instead, the Spartans are now 5-6 and in need of a win over Penn State this week to automatically lock up a bowl bid.
Michigan State enters Saturday’s matchup in Happy Valley as a three-possession underdog so odds are they won’t be leaving with a victory over the Nittany Lions. So if the likely outcome of a Spartans’ loss against Penn State occurs, do they still have a chance to reach a bowl game? Actually, yes they do.
At the moment, there are only 73 bowl eligible teams with 82 slots needed for the 41 bowl games. That means there are nine spots still open with only two guaranteed spots to be secured (winner take all matchups for bowl eligibility) this upcoming week. If there are weren’t enough bowl eligible teams, then Michigan State would be potentially second in line as a 5-7 squad to sneak into an at a large bowl bid. Other potential 5-7 squads with higher or tied APR rankings than Michigan State (No. 27) are Rice (No. 5), Iowa State (No. 17), UNLV (No. 21), Auburn (No. 27) and Missouri (No. 27). Both Iowa State and UNLV are 4-7 currently and would need wins this weekend to even be part of the APR-bowl discussion. Auburn and Missouri are 5-6 and can clinch bowl eligiblity with a win but are also in play since they are tied with the Spartans at No. 27 in the APR rankings.
So, with all of this being said, who does Michigan State need to win this week to help them secure a bowl bid at 5-7? I have you covered with a list of all the games that will impact the Spartans’ chances of backdooring their way into a bowl bid, and who you should be rooting for should you want to see that happen: