Missouri Becomes First 5-7 Team to Not Accept Bowl Bid: Comments and Reaction

The Missouri Tigers have announced they will not seek a bowl bid, according to Joe Schad of ESPN.com.

On Monday, Stephanie Kuzydym of the Houston Chronicle reported the NCAA approved the "recommendation by [the] Football Oversight Committee to fill bowls with five-win teams."   

Missouri is 5-7 and has a sufficient Academic Progress Rate to qualify for one of the record 41 bowl games, but athletic director Mack Rhoades issued a statement saying the team’s focus is on finding a head coach to replace Gary Pinkel, per Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

Pinkel announced on Nov. 13 that this season would be his last because of his lymphoma diagnosis. His revelation came just a week after 30 players went on strike because of racial tensions that eventually led to university president Tim Wolfe's resignation.

The Tigers, who joined the SEC in 2013 and won the Eastern Division in their first two years, lost six of their last seven to finish the season.

Teams automatically become bowl-eligible with six wins, but with a record 41 bowl games, including the College Football Playoff, the NCAA established a contingency plan that would allow sub-.500 teams to qualify, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. 

The tiebreaker would be in the team’s Academic Progress Rate, for which Missouri qualified, according to Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports:

For a team that dealt with a slew of off-field distractions, perhaps avoiding the postseason was the best call. But it’s still sad to see Pinkel, one of the sport’s most respected, cap a 15-year tenure on such a disappointing note.