5-7 teams are unstoppable in bowl games.
Minnesota, the third and final 5-7 team to play its bowl game in 2015, beat Central Michigan 21-14 in the Quick Lane Bowl on Monday. The Gophers' win means all the sub-.500 teams won their bowl games after San Jose State beat Georgia State and Nebraska beat UCLA.
Minnesota, 6-7, took the lead with 4:26 to go thanks to a 13-yard run by quarterback Mitch Leidner. The touchdown was a great response to a Central Michigan touchdown that was capped by a Romello Ross touchdown. Ross, a freshman who had 35 carries entering the game, had 19 carries for 100 yards. The Chippewas as a team ran for 104 yards.
Before Ross' touchdown, the game wasn't incredibly thrilling. Though It gave us this moment from the Big 12 officiating crew on the game.
The quote was about a possible replay review that didn't come to fruition but it also applied to the entertainment level at that point. Not long after the referee uttered those words, Ross was in the end zone.
CMU's first touchdown gave the Chips, 7-6, a 7-3 lead when Rush had a rushing touchdown. Minnesota took a 10-7 lead at halftime thanks to a pass from Leidner to wide receiver K.J. Maye. Leidner also found Maye for the two-point conversion on the second touchdown to extend the team's lead to seven points.
Former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill watched the game from the team's sidelines. Kill resigned earlier this season because of health issues and interim coach Tracy Claeys was quickly named his permanent successor.
5-7 teams were a necessary bowl evil this season with three new bowl games and not enough teams at .500 or above. 80 teams went to bowls while only 77 teams were at 6-6 or better. The three 5-7 teams were chosen based on their APR (Academic Progress Rate) from the group of 5-7 teams that had not chosen to decline a possible bowl invite.
And SJSU, Nebraska and Minnesota made the most of their opportunities.
With the bowl field not likely to contract any time soon, it's very possible we'll have 5-7 teams more often than not in bowls over the next few seasons. While many people will still think sub .500 teams in bowl games is a travesty, we're not complaining about too much football unless 5-7 teams start playing horribly in their selected bowls. They certainly didn't this year.
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