The image of the bowl becomes very, very clear.
With the 2024 college football regular season a week away, 77 teams are already playoff eligible and have at least six wins. Including the 12-team playoffs, there are 82 playoff spots available with 35 non-playoff games at the end of the season.
The number of bowl-eligible teams will be no less than 79 at the end of the regular season with two games featuring 5-6 teams in Week 14. And it’s likely there will be more bowl eligible teams than bowl. places available once Saturday evening is over.
Sixteen teams have five wins heading into the final week of the regular season. Not all of them will become bowl eligible, but one or more of them could win a sixth game in Week 14 and find themselves out of the playoffs altogether if there are more six-win teams than there are. There are no places at the bowl.
Here’s a look at all the teams that need to win in the final week of the regular season to get a shot at a bowl game. All odds come from BetMGM.
Appalachian State (+2.5 at Georgia Southern): The Mountaineers are the only team in this group that isn’t 5-6 thanks to a game canceled earlier this season due to Hurricane Helene. Georgia Southern needs to win and hope Marshall loses to make the Sun Belt title game.
Auburn (+11.5 in Alabama): Never discount what can happen in the Iron Bowl. Especially after what happened in Week 13 as Auburn beat Texas A&M in four overtimes. However, we’re still not optimistic about Auburn’s chances of making a bowl game.
Cincinnati (+2.5 vs. TCU): The Bearcats have been stuck on five wins for over a month. Cincinnati enters the season finale on a four-game losing streak with losses to Colorado, West Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State. TCU has very slim hopes of making the Big 12 title game.
Coastal Carolina (-1.5 in the state of Georgia): The battle at the bottom of the Sun Belt East division has some playoff significance. Coastal has lost five of its last six games, but has a chance to make a bowl game thanks to three non-conference wins.
Eastern Michigan (+6.5 in West Michigan): We have arrived at our first game where one team will be bowl eligible and another will be finished for the season. And yes, both games are rivalry games.
Kansas (+1.5 to Baylor): The Jayhawks are one of the hottest teams in college football after becoming the first team with a losing record to eliminate ranked opponents in three straight games. Can Kansas earn a fourth straight victory to make a bowl game?
Louisiana-Monroe (+9.5 against Louisiana): The work accomplished by Bryant Vincent in Monroe is remarkable. But his team is also on a five-game losing streak and three of those losses came by at least 21 points.
Michigan State (-1.5 vs. Rutgers): The Spartans ended a three-game losing streak with a 24-17 win over Purdue. But this is still a team that has lost six of its last eight games. Rutgers was left heartbroken with a late home loss to Illinois in Week 13.
New Mexico (-1.5 to Hawaii): New Mexico opened the season 0-4 but finds itself with a chance to make a bowl appearance in the final week of the season. A trip to Hawaii is always enjoyable and always made better by a victory.
NC State (+3.5 in North Carolina): It’s been a tough season for the Wolfpack, but don’t count them out against a North Carolina team that just lost at Boston College to end a three-game winning streak.
North Texas (-10.5 at Temple): The Owls are only playing for pride as they are 2-5 in the AAC and 3-8 overall. The Mean Green enters this game on a five-game losing streak and haven’t won since beating a winless Florida Atlantic team in conference play.
Oregon State (+18.5 at Boise State): The Beavers are the biggest underdog of all the 5-6 teams entering the final week of the regular season. At least Oregon State can claim a Pac-12 title after beating Washington State in Week 13.
Virginia (+7 at Virginia Tech): The Cavaliers and Hokies are 5-6. The Cavaliers have lost five of their last six games after a 4-1 start.
Virginia Tech (-7 against Virginia): The Hokies were on a three-game losing streak and lost 31-28 to Duke in Week 13.
Western Michigan (-6.5 vs. Eastern Michigan): The Broncos have lost three straight games while trying to make the bowl and fell 16-14 at NIU last week. The EMU, for its part, has lost four times in a row. Someone has to get a sixth victory.
Wisconsin (-2 against Minnesota): There are a lot of losing streaks among teams looking for a sixth win. Wisconsin is also one of them. The Badgers have lost four straight and haven’t won since beating Northwestern 23-3.
