In college football, six wins make a team potentially eligible to compete in a bowl game to cap off the season. The Missouri State Bears won their sixth game this past weekend, but as this is their first year in a new conference, an NCAA rule says they wouldn’t typically be eligible.
Missouri State Athletics Director Patrick Ransdell calls that rule antiquated.
“It was designed with good intentions and being able to allow teams not to cut corners and build a program the right way.” Ransdell explained, “every single rule since then has changed, and we live in a completely different world. Does the rule probably need to be modernized? In my opinion, yes.”
Ransdell and Missouri State plan to petition for bowl eligibility. He says he isn’t sure what the timeline for a response will be, he says the best thing they can do in the meantime is continue to win.
“We're going to try and control the controllables and control what Missouri State can control. One of those things is going to be competing this weekend against UTEP for homecoming,” Ransdell said.
And there is one other work around possible. An exception in the rules that could make Bears football eligible for a bowl game if too few teams reach the 6 win threshold. There are 82 spots open, if there aren’t enough eligible teams to fill those spots, a space could open up for the Bears.
Ransdell and Bears coach Ryan Beard discussed the petition and the year so far during a press conference Monday.
Ransdell said MSU athletics has invested 11 million dollars into the football program ahead of this year and are actively fundraising to maintain that effort. He said a successful team matters, to the school and the city. He described the exposure the school and program have received as unprecedented.
“That's why we did this,” Ransdell said. “That's why our administration, President Williams, our Board of Governors, have invested in this program and made sure that we can have moments like this. To be on national television to have people texting you from all over the country.”
The Bears will have a chance to pick up their 7th win of the season during their homecoming game this Saturday against University of Texas at El Paso.