As the curtain rises on the final month of the college football season, fans and teams alike brace for a series of consequential games. Whether schools are striving for a coveted spot in the College Football Playoff (CFP) or securing their eligibility for bowl games, the stakes are high. With three weeks left in the regular season, 59 programs have already ensured their bowl eligibility. This guide will help you follow the journey of other teams as they vie for a postseason berth.
While the future structure of the College Football Playoff remains uncertain, this year’s postseason is already mapped out. The regular season is slated to conclude on November 29, 2025, with the announcement of bowl games expected by December 7. The bowl season kicks off on December 13 and stretches until January 19. In total, the postseason features 46 matchups, including 35 traditional bowl games, four CFP first-round games, four quarterfinals, two semifinals, and the grand finale—the national championship game. This lineup will see 82 FBS teams extend their play beyond the conference championships.
College Football Bowl Eligibility Criteria:
To secure a spot in the bowl games, teams are required to notch at least six victories, with the caveat that only one win against an FCS opponent can be counted. In cases where more teams are eligible than available spots, some teams will inevitably miss out on postseason action.
Conversely, if there aren’t enough eligible teams, the first consideration goes to Delaware and Missouri State, both transitioning from the FCS, provided they meet the bowl-eligibility standards. Beyond that, Academic Progress Rate scores become the deciding factor for teams teetering on the edge of eligibility, which explains why some years feature 5-7 teams in bowl games.
Even before the race to bowl season began, one team was already sidelined. Akron was deemed ineligible for postseason play back in May due to failing to meet the Academic Progress Rate requirements for the 2023-24 season.
If there are not enough bowl-eligible teams, the first two spots would go to Delaware and Missouri State, which are transitioning from the FCS, assuming they satisfy the bowl-eligibility criteria. After that, it will come down to Academic Progress Rate scores for teams one win away from bowl eligibility, which is why in some years you see teams with a 5-7 record competing in bowl games.
Before the countdown to bowl season even began, one program was already eliminated. Akron was ruled ineligible for postseason play in May due to a failing Academic Progress Rate score during the 2023-24 season.
College Football Bowl Eligible Teams (59)
Eight teams became bowl eligible during Week 11 of the college football season including Arizona, Cal, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, Ohio and Wake Forest. **Missouri State reached six wins but will only get a bowl bid if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams.
Here’s the full list of teams that secured at least six victories and are bowl eligible:
- SEC (9) – Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
- Big Ten (10) – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Washington
- ACC (8) – Cal, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, Pitt, SMU, Virginia, Wake Forest
- Big 12 (9) – Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah
- Pac-12 (0) – None
- American (6) – East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Tulane, USF
- Mountain West (6) – Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV
- Sun Belt (5) – Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Old Dominion Southern Miss, Troy
- MAC (1) – Ohio
- Conference USA (3) – Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Western Kentucky
- Independents (2) – Notre Dame, UConn
One Win Away From Bowl Eligibility (19)
Thirteen teams have an opportunity to pick up their sixth victory during the Week 12 slate. Here’s the full list of programs that are one victory away from six wins:
**Delaware is one win away from bowl eligibility but would only get a bowl bid if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams.
- SEC – LSU, Mississippi State
- Big Ten – Northwestern, Rutgers
- ACC – Duke, NC State
- Big 12 – Baylor, Kansas
- Pac-12 – None
- American – Army, Rice, Temple
- Mountain West – Utah State
- Sun Belt – Arkansas State
- MAC – Buffalo, Central Michigan, Miami (OH), Toledo, Western Michigan
- Conference USA – Louisiana Tech
- Independents – None
One Win Away From Five Wins (20)
The following programs are one victory away from five wins to potentially play in a bowl if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams:
*Akron is one win away from five wins but is ineligible for postseason play due to a failing APR score during the 2023-24 season.
- SEC – Auburn, Kentucky
- Big Ten – Maryland
- ACC – Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina
- Big 12 – Kansas State, UCF, West Virginia
- Pac-12 – Washington State
- American – FAU, UTSA
- Mountain West – Wyoming
- Sun Belt – Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Marshall
- MAC – Ball State
- Conference USA – FIU, Liberty
- Independents – None
Eliminated From Bowl Eligibility (11)
The following programs are no longer eligible to participate in a bowl game. This means they’ll fall short of the five-win mark or are ineligible for non-football reasons:
- SEC – None
- Big Ten – Purdue
- ACC – Boston College
- Big 12 – Oklahoma State
- Pac-12 – Oregon State
- American – Charlotte
- Mountain West – Nevada
- Sun Belt – Georgia State
- MAC – *Akron, UMass
- Conference USA – Middle Tennessee, Sam Houston State
- Independents – None
FBS APR Rankings
If fewer than 82 teams become bowl eligible, it will come down to Academic Progress Rate scores for teams one win away from bowl eligibility. Here’s a look at the APR score rankings for every FBS program.
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- Michigan/North Carolina
- Clemson/Wake Forest
- Cincinnati
- Northwestern
- Air Force/Minnesota
- Iowa State/Wisconsin
- Auburn/Florida State/Kansas State/Notre Dame
- Missouri
- Rice
- Duke/NC State
- Boise State/Boston College/Miami/Oklahoma State/Texas/Tulane/UCF
- Ball State/Stanford
- James Madison/Louisville/Utah
- Arkansas/East Carolina/Virginia
- Coastal Carolina/Florida/Indiana/Iowa
- Liberty/Texas Tech
- Army/Ole Miss/West Virginia
- Georgia/Kentucky/Mississippi State/Nevada/Old Dominion/UNLV/Vanderbilt/Western Kentucky
- Rutgers/Washington
- Eastern Michigan
- Nebraska/USC/Virginia Tech/Wyoming
- Fresno State/Oklahoma/South Carolina
- Baylor/Pitt
- Arizona State/Toledo
- Kansas/Purdue/Troy
- Cal/Illinois/Sam Houston State
- **Delaware
- Arizona/Bowling Green/Georgia State/Georgia Tech/Temple
- Appalachian State/Michigan State
- UCLA
- San Diego State
- Northern Illinois/Oregon State
- Navy/South Alabama/Tennessee/Washington State
- TCU
- Maryland/UTSA
- Colorado/Marshall/USF
- SMU/Texas State
- Miami (OH)/Middle Tennessee
- Colorado State/Georgia Southern/Memphis/Syracuse
- Ohio
- Texas A&M
- FIU/Kennesaw State
- BYU/New Mexico State
- Louisiana
- North Texas
- LSU/UTEP
- New Mexico
- Kent State/San Jose State
- Arkansas State/UConn/Western Michigan
- FAU/Hawaii/Penn State
- Oregon/UAB/UMass
- Central Michigan
- Tulsa
- Houston
- Utah State
- Southern Miss
- Buffalo
- Jacksonville State
- Louisiana-Monroe
- Louisiana Tech
- Charlotte
- **Missouri State
*Akron is ineligible for postseason play due to a failing APR score during the 2023-24 season.
**Delaware and Missouri State would get a bowl bid if there are not enough bowl-eligible teams and if they satisfy bowl eligibility criteria.
