Georgia Southern Bowl Hopes Rest In Hands of Last-Ditch Appeal

Georgia Southern won the Sun Belt Conference outright in its first year as a FBS program. Their reward? Sitting out bowl season, as the NCAA refuses to allow first-year FBS schools to play in bowls during their initial campaign.

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The following story will give you yet another reason to further despise the NCAA:

In its first year as an FBS program, Georgia Southern finished 9-3, with two of their losses coming by a combined five points to North Carolina State and ACC Championship Game finalist Georgia Tech. The Eagles ran the table in the Sun Belt Conference, going 8-0, which normally means a bowl bid, more money and national exposure for the program.

However, Georgia Southern will likely sit at home because the powers that be in the NCAA do not allow first-year FBS programs to participate in a bowl. The Eagles are putting together one last-ditch bid for an appeal that would waive the rule in favor of them, yet time is against them. Bowl invitations will be firmed up on Sunday, so unless the NCAA decides to join the 21st century, one of the better stories of the college football season will go by the wayside due to stubborn, closed-minded men in suits.

Making it worse is the fact that their own conference is working against them. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson said last month that Georgia Southern would be placed at the bottom of the conference’s list when it came to bowl-eligible teams.

As of now, the conference has four other bowl eligible teams: Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama, Arkansas State and Texas State.

Life can be unfair, more so when hard work is denied by antiquated rules.

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