Here at the Pool Poll, we value the Top 50 teams as a benchmark of success for a conference and those who fall within those spots to be pretty good. These teams in this part of the rankings were a win or two short of being recognized as good, which is strange because it literally features a conference champ, albeit from the Mountain West. The Sun Belt sent 12 teams to go bowling this offseason but returned with a record of 5-7 which landed 5 teams in this mid-range ranking. Army is envious of their bowl bids as they went 6-6 but didn't get their sixth win until the last week against Navy, and two of their other wins came against FCS schools, which makes them bowl ineligible.
Here's a list of those who tried and failed, but were just slightly above .500 except for the first 6 teams.
75. Old Dominion (6-7, 90.2 WAA, 38.7 LAA)
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
74. Georgia Southern (6-7, 89.5, 55.9)
PR: 90
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: Davis Brin-QB (362-552^, 3,781 yards*, 24 TD, 19 INT^) ^Led NCAA, *Led Sun Belt
Season Recap: The Eagles jumped out to a great start and were bowl-eligible in Week 8. Then Davis Brin's interceptions got the better of him and Georgia Southern was entering bowl season on a four-game skid. Things looked favorable in the Myrtle Beach Bowl as Ohio was down two quarterbacks, their top two running backs and wide receivers. Still, the Eagles allowed five rushing touchdowns to the Bobcats third-string back and Brin threw three more interceptions to unfortunately lead the nation.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2021
73. UCF (6-7, 83.2, 56.6)
PR: 40
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: RJ Harvey-RB (226 carries, 1,416 yards*, 18 total TD) *3rd in Big 12
Season Recap: The transition from the AAC to the Big 12 was always going to be a bit rough, but the Golden Knights struggled to put together a consistent run in 2023. They started 3-0, including a win over Boise State. A five-game losing streak was finally ended when they slipped past fellow AAC transitioner, Cincinnati. Then came a shocking blowout of Oklahoma State with the Knights coasting to a 45-3 victory. With a chance to get to six wins, they lost a one-point game to Texas Tech but were able to knock off Houston to become bowl-eligible. They took an early lead over Georgia Tech but had the game slip away with the Yellow Jackets scoring 27 unanswered to win 30-17.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2015
72. Marshall (6-7, 82.3, 54.9)
PR: 71
Prediction: 75
Best Player: Rasheen Ali-RB (212 carries, 1,135 yards, 16 total TD)
Season Recap: The Thundering Herd were a promising bunch when they went 4-0 including a win over Virginia Tech. A seven-point loss at NCST started a downfall that quickly put them at 4-5 and in desperate need of two wins. They got one against Georgia Southern and then in their final game, they knocked off Arkansas State to become one of the 12 bowl-bound Sun Belt teams. In the Frisco Bowl, Marshall jumped out to a 14-0 lead but watched as Owen McCown (NFLer Josh McCown's son) filled in nicely for super senior QB Frank Harris. The Roadrunners outscored the Herd 35-3 from that point on to send Marshall to their fourth bowl loss in their last five games.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2016
71. Minnesota (6-7, 64.7, 52.9)
PR: 32
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: Daniel Jackson-WR (59 receptions, 831 yards*, 8 TD) *4th in Big Ten
Season Recap: The Gophers jumped out to a 5-2 start and had control of the Big Ten West thanks to a 12-10 win over Iowa. They just needed to win one game against the dredges of the Big Ten, but simply couldn't. It started with a one-point loss to Illinois, then they were blown out in their final three games by Purdue, Ohio State, and Wisconsin. By some miracle, there weren't enough teams to fill the bowl schedule thanks to Army's weak scheduling, and based on their Academic Report, the Gophers were the best of the five-win teams. They were selected to play in the Quick Lane Bowl and picked up that elusive sixth win in a 30-24 victory over Bowling Green. Sadly for PJ Fleck, his bonus for winning a bowl game didn't kick in because of their losing record.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2020
70. Army (6-6, 67.8, 76.5)
PR: 82
Prediction: 6-6
Best Player: Bryson Daily-QB (60-120, 913 yards, 7 TD, 6 INT, 215 carries, 901 yards, 7 TD)
Season Recap: All the Black Knights had to do was not schedule two FCS schools and for the second straight season they wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Army did get their victory over Navy to make it two in a row against the Midshipmen, so that's probably better than any bowl game could do for them. They also secured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with a thumping of Air Force. The next time they see Navy though, it will be a conference game as Army drops the number of Independents down to three to join the AAC.
Last Bowl Appearance: 2021
69. Bowling Green (7-6, 112.1, 42.8)
PR: 101
Prediction: 4-8
Best Player: Cashius Howell-LB (27 tackles, 9.5 sacks*, FF) *Led MAC
Season Recap: The Falcons had a roller coaster start going 1-3 in their first four games, but they can say that they are the only team to force multiple interceptions by J.J. McCarthy. After a 31-point drubbing by Ohio, the Falcons shocked Georgia Tech by going to Atlanta and knocking off the Yellow Jackets 38-27. They followed that high with a disastrous game against Miami where the Redhawks blanked them 27-0. Desperate for a win at 2-4, BGSU rolled to four straight wins to become bowl-eligible. They nearly ruined Toledo's perfect conference record but the Rockets slipped by late, 32-31. They had little trouble picking up their seventh win and earned a trip to the Quick Lane Bowl. There they had a chance to upend another Power 5 school but the Gophers played their best game of the season to hold on 30-24. The seven wins are as many as the Falcons had in the last three seasons combined.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2021
68. USF (7-6, 104, 67.8)
PR:130
Prediction: 3-9
Best Player: Byrum Brown-QB (276-476, 3,292 yards*, 26 TD, 11 INT, 203 carries, 809 yards^, 3 TD) *3rd in AAC, ^5th in AAC
Season Recap: The Bulls had accounted for just four wins in the last three seasons but something finally clicked, mostly because of the dynamic play of quarterback Byrum Brown. USF nearly matched that win total in the first five games, going 3-2, and played Alabama in a hard-fought 17-3 contest. They ended up scraping together three more wins including a 48-14 route of Charlotte in the final week. The Bulls got to stay in Florida for their bowl game and drew a Syracuse team without their coach and plenty of players in the transfer portal. That led to an absolute dismantling of the Orange as USF coasted to a 45-0 victory in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
67. Rutgers (7-6, 99.1, 30.8)
PR: 93
Prediction: 5-7
Best Player: Kyle Monangai-RB (242 carries, 1,262 yards*, 8 TD) *Led Big Ten
Season Recap: Looking over these stats, I would've been hard-pressed to correctly name the Big Ten's leading rusher and certainly wouldn't have guessed Kyle Monangai from Rutgers. This is especially confusing because Monangai was held to 50 yards or less in five conference games but he also had 5 games where he ran for over 140 yards. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 6-2 start with their lone losses coming to Wisconsin and Michigan, though they were the first team to hold a lead against the Wolverines this season. Then came four straight losses to Penn State, Iowa, Ohio State, and Maryland to send them limping into the Pinstripe Bowl. Perhaps their opponent, the Miami Hurricanes, was uninspired or didn't respect Rutgers, but Monangai led the charge with 163 yards and two touchdowns to pull off the minor upset at Yankee Stadium.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
66. Northern Illinois (7-6, 88, 102.3)
PR: 111
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: Antario Brown-RB (212 yards, 1,296 yards*, 11 total TD) *2nd in MAC
Season Recap: There wasn't a lot of offense to be found in the MAC this season but aside from Toledo, the Huskies were able to generate some yards. Super Senior, Rocky Lombardi, was second in the conference in passing, and Antario Brown doubled his rushing production from 2022. Unfortunately, they did the most MAC thing ever to start their season when they stunned Boston College in the season opener, only to lose to Southern Illinois (FCS) the following week. That sparked a four-game losing streak that they corrected with three straight wins over Akron, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan. Of course with great success, failure is around the corner and they dropped their next two. Unfazed, the Huskies won their last two games to become bowl-eligible. They held off a two-point conversion by Arkansas State in the Camellia Bowl to win 21-19. It will be interesting to see if Thomas Hammock can avoid the pattern he has created the past four seasons where the Huskies alternate between winning and losing seasons.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
65. Boston College (7-6, 87.7, 66.5)
PR: 96
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: Thomas Castellanos-QB (189-330, 2,248 yards, 15 TD, 14 INT, 215 carries, 1,113 yards*, 13 TD) *3rd in ACC
Season Recap: The Eagles fell flat in their season opener when they were shocked by NIU and followed that game with a near-loss to Holy Cross (FCS). They almost ruined Florida State's perfect season back in Week 3 but couldn't hold on. After a pounding by Louisville, BC found its groove and rattled off five consecutive wins, only to drop their final three games. They drew a tough matchup against No. 24 SMU but had home-field advantage at Fenway Park in the Fenway Bowl. Thomas Castellanos used the wet conditions to slide past the Mustangs and ran for 156 yards and two touchdowns to pull off the upset. Their seven wins are the most they've had since 2018.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
64. San Jose State (7-6, 85.6, 52.2)
PR: 69
Prediction: 6-6
Best Player: Kairee Robinson (170 carries, 1,194 yards*, 20 total TD) *2nd in MWC
Season Recap: San Jose State looked dead to rights as they sat at 1-5 for the first half of the season, but then something clicked. The Spartans won six straight to close out the season and forced their way into a three-way tie for the Mountain West title game after a 37-31 win over UNLV in the last week. The Mountain West went to their tiebreaker which used a BCS-style computer ranking to decide the top two teams. In the end, the computers chose Boise State and UNLV (for what it's worth, those two were the top two in the Pool Poll at the time). San Jose State settled for another trip to Hawaii but was bitten by two costly turnovers, including one in the red zone, to drop the game to Coastal Carolina, 24-14.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2021
63. South Alabama (7-6, 84.9, 49.2)
PR: 49
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: Caullin Lacy-WR (91 receptions, 1,316 yards*, 7 TD) *Led Sun Belt
Season Recap: It was a weird year in Mobile for the Jaguars. On one hand, they blew out Oklahoma State on the road but followed that game up with a loss to Central Michigan. From there it was a struggle to put together enough wins before finally winning back-to-back games over Marshall and Arkansas State to become bowl-eligible. They lost a shootout to Texas State in the regular season finale to slump to 6-6. They stayed home to play in the 68 Ventures Bowl against a depleted Eastern Michigan squad. Lacy didn't play in the bowl game, but that didn't stop USA from dropping 59 on the men from Ypsilanti. Of, course this beatdown led to another kind of beatdown when an EMU player unwisely punched a Jaguar during their post-game celebration and was promptly jumped by the entire South Alabama squad. It was a sour moment for what was otherwise a time to celebrate as the Jaguars had just won their first bowl game in school history.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2021
62. Kentucky (7-6, 82.7, 34.8)
Prediction: 6-6
Best Player: Ray Davis-RB (199 carries, 1,129 yards*, 21 total TD) *4th in SEC
Season Recap: The Wildcats started off fast with a 5-0 beginning to their season that was capped with a win over Florida. That had them hyped for an undefeated showdown with Georgia and then Missouri the following week to make some noise in the SEC East. Instead, they lost both games by a combined score of 89-34. The losses kept coming as a win over Mississippi State was the only thing stopping them from dropping six straight. They exorcised their demons with a big win over in-state rival Louisville and earned a trip to the Gator Bowl against Clemson. Even with Ray Davis sticking around for one last hurrah, the Wildcats couldn't hold off a late rally by the Tigers, who won 38-35.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2015
61. Texas A&M (7-6, 82.7, 34.5)
PR: 58
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: Edgerrin Cooper-LB (83 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 FF)
Season Recap: The best player is honestly Jimbo Fisher's agent who fleeced the Texas A&M alum to fork over a massive contract that blew up in their face worse than that national championship trophy that was waiting to have a date put on it. The Aggies were actually 4-1 before they faced Alabama, but the Crimson Tide, along with Ole Miss, LSU, and Tennessee all rolled past Texas A&M. With Fisher out of the picture, the Aggies set their sights on the Texas Bowl to take on former Big 12 foe, Oklahoma State. The Cowboys built up a 24-6 lead, but the Aggies almost had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but Kendal Daniels picked off Marcel Reed to end the game. Mike Elko comes over from Duke to become the new head coach of the Aggies, just in time for Oklahoma and Texas to join the SEC in 2024.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
60. Georgia State (7-6, 81.9, 52.5)
PR: 103
Prediction: 5-7
Best Player: Marcus Carroll-RB (274 yards, 1,350 yards*, 13 TD) *2nd in Sun Belt
Season Recap: The Panthers were 6-1 at one point in the season and were in a great position to make their first Sun Belt Championship. Then rival Georgia Southern became the first of four straight opponents to drop 40+ on the Panthers. In their last regular season game, Georgia State lost by one to Old Dominion to make it five straight defeats. They earned a long, cold, trip to Boise for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Utah State. They were missing their star running back Marcus Carroll, but QB Darren Grainger made up for it. He threw three touchdowns and then ran for two more as part of his 368-yard performance. RB Freddie Brock also added a staggering 276 yards and a touchdown to help the Panthers cruise to a 45-22 victory.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
59. Miami, FL (7-6, 81.7, 37.8)
PR: 68
Prediction: 7-5
Best Player: Xavier Restrepo-WR (85 catches*, 1,092 yards*, 6 TD) *2nd in ACC
Season Recap: Mario Cristobal is still searching for a marquee QB at Miami as the Travis Van Dyke experiment ended with a transfer. The Hurricanes actually boasted two of the top three receivers in the ACC with Restrepo and Jacolby George (57/864/8). They got what looked to be a big win over Texas A&M to jump out to a 4-0 start but followed that start with back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and UNC. They did get a double overtime win over Clemson but then needed overtime to beat a lowly Virginia squad. NCST, FSU, and Louisville handed them three-straight losses, but they were able to right the ship in the final regular season game against Boston College. They looked to be the favorite against a Rutgers team that struggled at the end of the season, but the Hurricanes had no answer for the Rutgers offense as they dropped the Pinstripe Bowl, 31-24.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
58. Virginia Tech (7-6, 75.6, 29.5)
PR: 95
Prediction: 5-7
Best Player: Antwaun Powell-Ryland-DL (40 tackles, 9.5 sacks*, 3 FF, 2 FR) *2nd in ACC
Season Recap: The Hokies were terrible in Brent Pry's first season but he had a much better feeling in 2023. Things did look rough with a 2-4 start that included losses to Purdue and Marshall, however, they would win four of their final six to get to bowl eligibility. The deciding win was a big one as they wrecked their in-state rival Virginia, 55-17. They earned a trip to the Military Bowl against a Tulane team that had just had their coach hired away to Houston and were hit hard by transfers. Rainy conditions only played into the Hokies' hands as they dominated the line of scrimmage with 453 yards of total offense and the defense forced three turnovers in their 41-20 victory over the Green Wave.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
57. Iowa State (7-6, 73.6, 25.5)
PR: 84
Prediction: 4-8
Best Player: Rocco Becht-QB (231-367, 3,120 yards*, 23 TD, 8 INT) *4th in Big 12
Season Recap: The Cyclones had a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2022 had Matt Campbell on the hot seat. The season was full of ups and downs as they lost two of their first three to Iowa and Ohio but were able to knock off Oklahoma State. They won four of five in the middle of the season to become bowl-eligible and won a wild game in the snow against Kansas State in the regular season finale. In that game, the Cyclones had five touchdowns of 70 yards or more including three touchdown runs by Abu Sama III, who finished with 276 yards on just 16 carries. For their bowl game, they headed to Memphis to take on the Tigers in the Liberty Bowl. The home-field advantage was too much for Iowa State to overcome as they dropped a 36-26 contest.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
56. Texas Tech (7-6, 72.9, 44.5)
PR: 26
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: Tahj Brooks-RB (290 carries, 1,541 yards*, 10 TD) *4th in NCAA
Season Recap: The Red Raiders got a rude awakening when they went to Laramie and were stunned in double overtime by Wyoming. Unfortunately, they had Oregon on the schedule next and lost a respectable 38-30 contest. They needed some close wins down the stretch to even make it bowl-eligibility as they beat Kansas and UCF by razor-thin margins. Their regular-season finale and final Big 12 match-up with Texas was not close, as the Longhorns stormed their way to a 57-7 beatdown. The Red Raiders earned a trip to the Independence Bowl where they wreaked havoc on the Cal Bears to win easily 34-14.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2020
55. Wisconsin (7-6, 68.3, 49.3)
PR: 37
Prediction: 10-2
Best Player: Ricardo Hallman-CB (34 tackles, 7 INT*, TD) *Tied for 1st in NCAA
Season Recap: The Badgers under Luke Fickell were not what I expected in their first season as I thought the addition of Tanner Mordecai from SMU would help fill a much-needed void at QB. Instead, the Badgers offense struggled, but they did manage to get out to a 5-2 start. Ohio State, Illinois, and Northwestern evened their record out but they were able to upend Nebraska in overtime and Minnesota to keep Paul Bunyan's Axe. They had a tough draw in the Reliaquest Bowl but got some great news when Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels, announced he was skipping the bowl. The Badgers scored their first opening-drive touchdown since they played Purdue in Week 4 and built a double-digit lead on LSU. Eventually, the Tigers caught back up and swiped a 35-31 victory away from Wisconsin.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2001
54. Georgia Tech (7-6, 61.1, 51.2)
PR: 81
Prediction: 4-8
Best Player: Haynes King-QB (226-367, 2,842 yards, 27 TD, 16 INT, 120 carries, 737 yards, 10 TD)
Season Recap: Brent Key had the offense humming for Georgia Tech in his first full season as head coach. The Yellow Jackets never scored fewer than 20 points in any game and switched from the option attack to a multi-faceted attack. Haynes King was all over the place, accumulating 37 touchdowns while his running back Jamal Haynes, ran for over 1,000 yards and seven scores. For most of the season, they alternated wins and losses, including a loss to Bowling Green. That pattern snapped when they won back-to-back games against Syracuse and UNC. That was fortunate because that saved them from having to beat Georgia to become bowl-eligible, though they were competitive with the Bulldogs. They earned a trip to the Gasparilla Bowl where they fell behind 17-3, but scored 27 unanswered to win 30-17.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2022
53. Boise State (8-6, 77.9, 44.5)
PR: 22
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: Ashton Jeanty-RB (220 carries, 1,347 yards*, 19 total TD) *Led MWC
Season Recap: The Broncos were sitting at 5-5 and coming off a 32-point win over New Mexico. That apparently was the time to fire the reigning MWC Coach of the Year, as Andy Avalos wasn't even given three full seasons before his dismissal. Part of the panic stemmed from the chance of Boise State finishing with their first losing record since 1997. That was the wake-up call the Broncos needed as they won the last two games to force a three-way tie for first with San Jose State and UNLV. The Broncos were selected as one of the two teams to play in the Championship and showed they belonged with a decisive 44-20 victory to claim their fifth Mountain West crown. In the Los Angeles Bowl, that team was nowhere to be found as the home team UCLA Bruins rolled despite not having some key players due to transfers and draft entrees. In the end, the Bruins won 35-22. Spencer Danielson will take over the head coaching duties in Boise in 2024.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2020
52. WKU (8-5, 109.6, 44.8)
PR: 47
Prediction: 9-3
Best Player: Austin Reed-QB (289-470, 3,340 yards*, 31 TD, 11 INT) *Led CUSA
Season Recap: The Hilltoppers looked poised to run away with CUSA in the preseason, but some newcomers had other ideas. After jumping out to a 4-2 start, WKU was thwarted in back-to-back games by new arrivals Liberty and Jacksonville State. Then two weeks later, New Mexico State joined the fun and fortunately for the Hilltoppers they were able to survive a scare from Sam Houston State or they would've gone 0-4 against CUSA's newest participants. They got a win over FIU in the season finale to set up a Famous Toastery Bowl date with Old Dominion. Quarterback Austin Reed did not start and WKU relied on third-string QB Caden Veltkamp to take over. The Hilltoppers found themselves down by 28 in the early going but Veltkamp rallied the troops with his 5 TD performance to force overtime. In OT, WKU was able to convert their field goal after the Monarchs missed theirs to win 38-35.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2018
51. Maryland (8-5, 93.8, 43.8)
Prediction: 8-4
Best Player: Taulia Tagovailoa-QB (290-437, 3,377 yards*, 25 TD, 11 INT, 5 rush TD) *Led Big Ten
Season Recap: It was a typical Maryland season under Mike Locksley. They started 5-0, then when they had to play Ohio State and Penn State they were squashed. They even sprinkled in losses to Illinois and Northwestern for good measure before putting up a valiant effort to fall just short against Michigan. Despite these setbacks, everything was great because they had Rutgers and Nebraska at the end of their schedule to become bowl-eligible. Then Locksley continued another trend of his, winning bowl games. Under his tenure, the Terps have won three straight, though he probably enjoyed this year's 31-13 win over Auburn in the Music City Bowl more than last year, when he had Duke's Mayo, dumped on his head. The only better than not having mayo dumped on your head is that with the new conference alignment in the Big Ten, Maryland no longer has guaranteed games against Michigan, Ohio State, or Penn State, but they will always play Rutgers.
Last Time They Didn't Go Bowling: 2020
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