NCAA clears way for 5-7 Rutgers as Gator fill-in
Rutgers will be given the opportunity to fill in for Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest after an NCAA committee decided Thursday to adhere to an existing policy for making teams with 5-7 records bowl eligible.
Long story short - Texas A&M has withdrawn from the Gator Bowl due to COVID issues on the team. Apparently they have fewer than 40 scholarship players available with most being linemen. There are no bowl eligible teams who aren't already playing a game available. Originally there might have been one, but the NCAA scrambled to create a bowl (the Frisco Football Classic) to replace the cancelled San Francisco Bowl (formerly the Redbox Bowl). So they look at 5-7 teams. By rule, available bids go to the 5-7 team in order of APR. Rutgers has the best APR among 5-7 teams. The committee is apparently meeting Thursday to decide if they want to extend the invite to Rutgers.
So, what would you do if you were Rutgers? They've not been on the playing field since November 27. They've probably not had a full practice as a team since November 25. My guess is most of the team is scattered to their homes for winter break. A lot of their roster is made up of players from NJ or nearby states - probably a short drive or train ride back to campus on a day's notice if need be. You probably have to get everyone back by the 26th, have three days of practice, a day to travel, a prep day in Florida, then game day on the 31st after not being together as a team for a month. My guess is they don't pass on the opportunity in a 'what do we have to lose' kind of way. I'm sure the B10 would love the feather in the cap that comes with replacing an SEC team that had to withdraw.
