No matter how many bowl games they make, there are still no bowl games for those who choose a soft schedule. Both Army and Appalachian State were denied a bowl bid because they had two of their six wins coming against FCS competition, a rule I'm all too familiar with when EMU went 6-6 in 2011. A team needs seven wins in that scenario and only one team on this list reached the seven-win milestone.
Victory was out of reach in postseason play and let's see how that affected each team.
80. Missouri (6-7, 86.7 WP, 39.3 LP)
Preseason Rank and Prediction: 6-6 (65)
Last Year Rank: 83
Recap: Eli Drinkwitz's bunch was so close in so many SEC contests this season as they lost four games by seven points or less, including a four-point loss to Georgia. They did manage to win one close game in SEC play when they beat Arkansas in the final game of the season to become bowl eligible. They had no answer for Sam Hartman in the Gasparilla Bowl as Wake Forest served up a 27-17 victory to ensure a losing season for the Tigers.
79. Bowling Green (6-7, 83.7, 72.9)
PR: 4-8 (118)
LYR: 100
Recap: The Falcons were much improved in 2022 and nearly had a chance to win the MAC East thanks to big wins over Miami, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, and Toledo. They even beat Marshall a week after the Thundering Herd upset Notre Dame. They probably could've had a winning record had they not dropped a seven-overtime thriller to Eastern Kentucky (FCS) in Week 2. They got a good chance at a bowl win when New Mexico State and their waiver were selected to play in the Quick Lane Bowl. Even the short trip to Detroit couldn't help BG when quarterback Matt McDonald suffered a concussion that took him out of the game early on. Unable to beat the former Northern Illinois coach, Jerry Kill, the Falcons fell 24-19 to the Aggies.
78. Georgia Southern (6-7, 82.2, 69.6)
PR: 3-9 (125)
LYR: 116
Recap: I liked the hire of Clay Helton for Georgia Southern, but I thought he might need a year in the tough Sun Belt to get the ball rolling. Instead, he took the Eagles into Lincoln and stunned Nebraska in Week 2. Another big win over newcomer James Madison had them primed for a bowl game at 5-3. Then they dropped three straight and had a desperate App State team in their final game. They survived a double-overtime bout with the Mountaineers and kept them from going bowling. The Eagles earned a favorable trip to the Camelia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, against Buffalo. The Bulls needed a win in their final game to make this game and the two traded blows throughout. The awkward part was that GSO QB Kyle Vantrease had spent the past few seasons playing for Buffalo. In the end, it was Vantrease's replacement that led the Bulls to a 23-21 win.
77. Florida (6-7, 79.3, 28.9)
PR: 8-4 (54)
LYR: 81
Recap: The Billy Napier era could not have started better. A top-ten Utah team entered the Swamp and was unable to hold off a Gators' rally as Florida won 29-26. Then they dropped a game against Kentucky, then lost a close one to Tennessee, were blown out by Georgia, and suddenly, they were 4-4. Back-to-back wins over Texas A&M and South Carolina had to feel good, but they overlooked a hot Vanderbilt team and were edged by Florida State to drop their final two. They were invited to the Las Vegas Bowl and set the trend for the SEC early in the bowl season by being blown out by Oregon State, 30-3.
76. Oklahoma (6-7, 74.3, 49)
PR: 9-3 (9)
LYR: 11
Recap: The Brent Venables was off to a 3-0 start against subpar competition, but then when Big 12 play started it was a 3-3 record after six games. They earned wins over Kansas, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State to become bowl eligible, but lost a wild overtime game to Texas Tech to fall to an even 6-6. They got a marquee match-up in a mid-range bowl game as they faced Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. It turned out to be a great matchup with plenty of scoring, but Florida State made too big plays to win 35-32.
75. Kansas (6-7, 60.3, 58.7)
PR: 2-10 (105)
LYR: 120
Recap: Last year the Jayhawks snapped their losing streak in the Big 12 with a win over Texas. That win was enough to propel Kansas in 2023 as they went 5-0 to start the season. That included a bizarre situation that saw two undefeated teams meet when Kansas faced Duke in what would've been a legendary basketball game. The celebration was on, they were ranked, and college football was taking note. Then they ran into seven straight bowl-bound teams and with 1-6 with their lone win coming against Oklahoma State. In their bowl game, things looked dire as they trailed by 15 points with under two minutes left against Arkansas. Then came a fumble, which turned into a quick score. An onside kick was recovered and another touchdown was scored. They converted the two-point conversion to outscore the Razorbacks 18-0 in the final quarter. With three overtimes and a helpful targeting call, the Jayhawks were set to send it to a fourth OT with their version of Philly Special, but it went horribly wrong and Arkansas won the Liberty Bowl 55-53.
74. Baylor (6-7, 58.8, 27.3)
PR: 10-2 (7)
LYR: 5
Recap: The magic of the 2021 season could not be replicated, but not for a lack of trying. They had three losses by six points or less, but none stung more than when TCU ran their kicking team on the field with a running clock and kicked a game-winning field goal to remain undefeated. The Bears finished with three straight losses heading into the Armed Forces Bowl. No one expected Ft. Worth, Texas, to be freezing cold, but those frigid conditions only complimented the Mountain West's toughest defense in Air Force. The Falcons stymied Baylor and ran their way to a 30-15 win.
73. Army (6-6, 112.8, 58.3)
PR: 8-4 (56)
LYR: 36
Recap: The Black Knights got off to a horrible start at 3-6, but just a few plays that would've gone differently could have meant a 6-3 start. Instead, the Knights were doomed to know that they couldn't make a bowl game. That didn't stop them from knocking off UConn and UMass, before rallying to win the Army-Navy game in overtime. Army will be one of the four remaining independents going into the 2023 season (UConn, UMass, and Notre Dame).
72. Appalachian State (6-6, 101.8, 57.8)
PR: 9-3 (32)
LYR: 29
Recap: The Mountaineers had one of the biggest upsets in college football when they dominated the time of possession against Texas A&M. They nearly had two upsets as they lost by just two to UNC, but they had no answer for James Madison, Coastal Carolina, and Marshall. Even more bizarre was their loss to Texas State and then Georgia Southern ended their bowl hopes with an overtime win. Things are only going to be tougher in the Sun Belt with Marshall and James Madison joining the Mountaineers half of the conference.
71. North Texas (7-7, 88.7, 52.3)
PR: 5-7 (96)
LYR: 80
Recap: What a wild year for the Mean Green as they were up and down, but found themselves in the Conference USA Championship with a rematch against a UTSA team that they played well in the regular season. The second time around was not as close and it cost Seth Littrell his job for some reason? Those random high standards meant that an interim coach would lead them against Boise State in the Frisco Bowl. The Mean Green nearly knocked off the Mountain West powerhouse, but the Broncos pulled away late to win 35-32. They turn now to Eric Morris who was the offensive coordinator at Washington State in 2022 and the offensive guru in charge of the high-scoring Incarnate Word (FCS) squad from 2018-21, where he won two Southland Championships. North Texas also changes conferences in 2023 as they join the AAC.
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