The college football season is winding down, and with that will be possibly the most exciting time of the season — bowl season.
There seems to be way too many bowls today, as seen by five to seven teams being selected for bowls last season.
But the Mid-American Conference currently has five teams bowl eligible and three teams with a possibility to reach a bowl. They will probably all go to bowls, and here is how they could end up:
No. 21 Western Michigan — Cotton Bowl
The Cotton Bowl is a New Year’s Six Bowl. The tie-ins for this game are an at-large — normally Power 5 — and the highest ranked Group of 5 conference champion.
In the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, Boise State is ranked ahead of Western Michigan at 20th. However, if San Diego State wins the remainder of its games, Boise State will fail to reach the Mountain West Championship game, and it would likely not be extended an invitation to the Cotton Bowl.
If that happens and San Diego State does not jump Western Michigan in the rankings, Western Michigan will still reach a New Year’s Six Bowl.
Toledo — Dollar General Bowl
The Dollar General Bowl is normally given to the MAC champion. In this case, however, Toledo will probably not be the conference champion.
Western Michigan is the favorite to win the conference, and with that, Toledo will likely finish second in the MAC West, but there is a high chance they will finish with a better record than Ohio.
With that, the Dollar General Bowl will most likely extend a bid to the Rockets over the Bobcats to play in Mobile, Alabama, during bowl season.
Eastern Michigan — Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Eastern Michigan could play on the “Smurf Turf” in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. A lot of the times, the MAC tie-in bowls aren’t extending bowl based on conference standing but on the possibility of good matchups or geographic convenience.
It is unsure if the Eagles would go to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl because of those reasons. But the matchup against a Mountain West Conference team would be an interesting test for the Eagles, as they are trying to reach their first bowl since 1987.
Central Michigan — Bahamas Bowl
The latest team to reach bowl eligibility in the MAC could return to the Bahamas Bowl, where in the inaugural game in this bowl’s history, it scored a touchdown on a “Hail Mary” lateraling the ball until there was a lane to the end zone. The team then attempted a two-point conversion — which would have gave the Chippewas the lead — and failed.
The exciting nature of this game may lead to the Bahamas Bowl extending an invitation to Central Michigan once again.
As of right now, there are some schools that do not have six wins but have an opportunity.
Miami — Quick Lane Bowl
Miami needs to win one more game to reach bowl eligibility. If the RedHawks win their final game, they would make history — becoming the first team to become bowl eligible after starting 0-6.
A team who hasn’t been to a bowl since 2011 could make the short trip to Detroit for the Quick Lane Bowl.
Akron — Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Akron is also at five wins, needing one more to become eligible for a bowl. A win against Ohio would put Akron at the six win mark.
It is probably the least likely to reach bowl eligibility, so therefore, it gets one of the less prestigious early bowls, with this game being played Dec. 17, the first day bowls are played.
