College bowl game eligibility: Tracking which teams have clinched a shot at a 2021 bowl game

Update November 26th: Entering today’s play, 95 of the 130 college football teams playing in FBS can still qualify for a bowl as of today. 55 are all but guaranteed a spot with at least seven wins, because they will receive priority over the teams at 6-6 or 5-7 to fill the last available spots.

As November winds down and we enter the last quadrant of the 2021 college football season, we’ll take a look at which teams are eligible to play in the postseason so far.

There are 42 bowl games with 84 bowl spots available for 130 FBS teams in 2021, not including the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Teams with a 6-6 or better record are bowl-eligible, but teams that are 5-7 can be given consideration if there aren’t enough bowl-eligible teams after the season ends.

5-7 teams are chosen in order of their current Academic Progress Rate (APR Score). But all 6-6 teams must be given a postseason berth first before any team under .500 can be considered.

FBS teams are allowed to count one win against an FCS team. If that FCS opponent offers at least 90% of the FCS football scholarship limit (which is 63) during a rolling two-year period, that win is prioritized over a win against a team with an FCS win that doesn’t meet the 90% threshold. Teams from the Pioneer League, Ivy League, and Northeastern Conference of FCS by conference rule don’t meet the 90% requirement.

There are no FBS teams this year with a bowl or postseason ban for NCAA infractions this season.

Here is a list of teams eligible for a bowl game as of Friday, November 26th.