The bowl picture is getting very, very clear.
With one week to go in the 2024 college football regular season, 77 teams are already postseason eligible and have at least six wins. Counting the 12-team playoff, there are 82 postseason berths available with 35 non-playoff bowls at the end of the season.
The number of bowl-eligible teams is guaranteed to be no lower than 79 at the end of the regular season with two games featuring 5-6 teams in Week 14. And it’s likely that there will be more bowl-eligible teams than there are bowl spots available once Saturday night is over.
Sixteen teams are sitting on five wins ahead of 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 postseason entirely if there are more six-win teams than there are bowl spots.
Here’s a look at all the teams that need to win in the final week of the regular season to have a shot at a bowl game. All odds are 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 canceled game earlier this season because of Hurricane Helene. Georgia Southern needs to win and hope Marshall loses to make the Sun Belt title game.
Auburn (+11.5 at Alabama): Don’t ever discount what can happen in the Iron Bowl. Especially after what happened in Week 13 as Auburn took down Texas A&M in four overtimes. We still aren’t that bullish on Auburn’s chances of making a bowl game, however.
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 at Georgia State): The battle at the bottom of the Sun Belt East Division has some postseason meaning. Coastal has lost five of its last six games but has a shot at a bowl game thanks to three non-conference wins.
Eastern Michigan (+6.5 at Western Michigan): We’ve arrived at our first game where one team will get bowl-eligible and one will be done for the season. And yes, both games are rivalry games.
Kansas (+1.5 at Baylor): The Jayhawks are one of the hottest teams in college football after they became the first team with a losing record to knock off ranked opponents in three consecutive games. Can Kansas get a fourth straight win to make a bowl game?
Louisiana-Monroe (+9.5 vs. Louisiana): The job that Bryant Vincent has done in Monroe is remarkable. But his team is also on a five-game losing stream and three of those losses have been by at least 21 points.
Michigan State (-1.5 vs. Rutgers): The Spartans snapped 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 got its heart broken with a late home loss to Illinois in Week 13.
New Mexico (-1.5 at Hawaii): New Mexico opened the season 0-4 but finds itself with the chance to get to a bowl in the final week of the season. A trip to Hawaii is always nice and always made better with a victory.
NC State (+3.5 at North Carolina): It’s been a rough season for the Wolfpack but don’t count them out against a North Carolina team that just lost at Boston College to snap a three-game win streak.
North Texas (-10.5 at Temple): The Owls are only playing for pride as they’re 2-5 in the AAC and 3-8 overall. The Mean Green enters this game on a five-game losing streak and hasn’t won since beating a Florida Atlantic team that’s winless in conference play.
Oregon State (+18.5 at Boise State): The Beavers are the biggest underdog of any 5-6 team 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): Both 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 vs. Virginia): The Hokies 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 as they try to get bowl-eligible and fell 16-14 at NIU last week. EMU, meanwhile, has lost four straight. Someone has to get a sixth win.
Wisconsin (-2 vs. Minnesota): There are a lot of losing streaks among teams looking for that sixth win. Wisconsin is also among them. The Badgers have lost four straight and haven’t won since beating Northwestern 23-3.