Of course, I hope we finish 8-4, blah blah blah. But we should consider the real possibility that Iowa State will get a bowl invitation at 5-7.
Brett McMurphy's bowl projections currently anticipate that five 5-7 teams will be needed to fill the ever-growing number of bowl games. The NCAA typically allows 5-7 teams to participate based on academic progress rate (APR). Only the highest APRs of the 5-7 teams are eligible, so if McMurphy is correct, you would expect the five best APRs of the 5-7 teams to be in bowl games.
Iowa State's APR... is good! It's tied for 17th among the 131 FBS football programs this year. And most of the schools ahead of ISU are either definitely going to be bowling (Clemson, Ohio State) or definitely not bowling (Northwestern, Temple).
Meanwhile, 5-7 might be the most likely outcome for ISU's season, and if we lose to OU, it almost certainly will become a heavy favorite in analytical models for the most likely finish.
What would you think about Iowa State filling in a minor bowl, likely on behalf of a G5 league that could not fulfill its bowl obligations, as a 5-7 team?
Brett McMurphy's bowl projections currently anticipate that five 5-7 teams will be needed to fill the ever-growing number of bowl games. The NCAA typically allows 5-7 teams to participate based on academic progress rate (APR). Only the highest APRs of the 5-7 teams are eligible, so if McMurphy is correct, you would expect the five best APRs of the 5-7 teams to be in bowl games.
Iowa State's APR... is good! It's tied for 17th among the 131 FBS football programs this year. And most of the schools ahead of ISU are either definitely going to be bowling (Clemson, Ohio State) or definitely not bowling (Northwestern, Temple).
Meanwhile, 5-7 might be the most likely outcome for ISU's season, and if we lose to OU, it almost certainly will become a heavy favorite in analytical models for the most likely finish.
What would you think about Iowa State filling in a minor bowl, likely on behalf of a G5 league that could not fulfill its bowl obligations, as a 5-7 team?