Tag: msu football bowl game

With a win over Indiana last week, Michigan State football has put themselves in a position to earn a bowl bid this week. It’s very unlikely, but there’s a slim chance should things go the Spartans way this weekend.

At 4-7, Michigan State can not finish the season with a winning record and reach the minimum six wins necessary to earn a bowl bid. However, Brett McMurphy of Action Network is projecting there’s a chance there will be spots for teams at 5-7 to receive a bowl bid due to there not being enough six-win teams this year. At the moment, there are 14 open spots remaining for teams to fill all of the 82 bowl game slots, and 23 teams are still alive to reach bowl eligibility. James Madison and Jacksonville State would be the first two teams to get offered bids ahead of the 5-7 teams should there not be enough bowl-eligible teams — this is due to them being bowl eligible by number of wins but ineligible to go to a bowl game per NCAA transition rule.

When it comes to which 5-7 teams receive a bowl bid, that’s when the Academic Progress Report (APR) rankings come into place. According to College Football News, Michigan State ranks No. 28 nationally which is one of the higher spots when it comes to teams that could finish 5-7 and are in play for one of the open bowl bids.

So what you’re telling me is there’s a chance? Yes, there is! The odds aren’t particularly high (not at all actually) but still a chance nonetheless. Here’s what needs to happen for Michigan State to receive a bowl bid this year:

1. Win their remaining game against Penn State. A loss to the Nittany Lions ends any postseason chances for the Spartans.
2. Have enough things bounce the Spartans’ way where there are enough slots for 5-7 teams to receive a bowl bid and Michigan State is listed as one of the top 5-7 teams in the APR rankings to receive one of those bids.

Like I said, it’s not very likely at all but, hey, after this season I think we would all take any chance of reaching the postseason at this point, right?

So with all of this being said, I’ve outlined below a number of games this week that could impact the Spartans’ chances of going bowling. These are games that are specific to teams that would effectively move ahead of the Spartans for an open-bowl bid.

So without further ado, here is the Michigan State rooting guide for week 13 games:

Believe it or not, Michigan State football could still find its way into a bowl game this year.

At 3-7, Michigan State can not finish the season with a winning record and reach the minimum six wins necessary to earn a bowl bid. However, Brett McMurphy of Action Network is projecting there could be at least three spots for teams at 5-7 to receive a bowl bid due to there not being enough six-win teams this year.

Click on the tweet below to get a full breakdown from McMurphy on how this all works:

My Bowl-Eligibility Tracker: 58 teams in for 82 spots. 36 teams still able to reach 6 wins. Conference breakdown w/projected point spreads for final 2 weeks. If favored teams win all games, only 19 more get bowl eligible & will need three 5-7 teams ⤵️https://t.co/Ow24zflzME

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 16, 2023

When it comes to which 5-7 teams receive a bowl bid, that’s when the Academic Progress Report (APR) rankings come into place. According to College Football News, Michigan State ranks No. 28 nationally which is one of the higher spots when it comes to teams that could finish 5-7 and are in play for one of the open bowl bids.

So what you’re telling me is there’s a chance? Yes, there is! The odds aren’t particularly high (not at all actually) but still a chance nonetheless. Here’s what needs to happen for Michigan State to receive a bowl bid this year:

1. Win their remaining two games against Indiana and Penn State. A loss in either of those games ends any postseason chances for the Spartans.
2. Have enough things bounce the Spartans’ way where there are enough slots for 5-7 teams to receive a bowl bid and Michigan State is listed as one of the top 5-7 teams in the APR rankings to receive one of those bids.

Like I said, it’s not very likely at all but, hey, after this season I think we would all take any chance of reaching the postseason at this point, right?

So with all of this being said, I’ve outlined below a number of games this week that could impact the Spartans’ chances of going bowling. These are games that are specific to teams that may reach bowl eligibility or could reach at least five wins and end up ahead of the Spartans in the APR bowl bid pecking order.

If Michigan State beats Indiana this week, then I’ll reassess and provide an update on where things stand heading into the season finale against Penn State. For now, check out the Michigan State rooting guide for week 12 games below: