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What Are Wyoming’s Bowl Chances?

Cowboys are 6-6 and its season might be over.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Wyoming will need some help to go to a bowl game.

The Wyoming Cowboys have won four-straight games and has the third-longest winning streak in the league at four after its extremely dominant win over New Mexico.

However, those six wins might not be enough to go to the postseason and part of that is because the Mountain West has five bowl spots with seven bowl-eligible teams, and there are 39 bowl games for 78 teams.

After the final week of the regular season, there are 81 bowl-eligible teams and Virginia Tech could be No. 82 if they defeat Marshall. The Hokies are favored against an eight-win Thundering Herd team. If they get to six wins they will get a bowl bid and that will leave one less bowl option just because they are in a Power 5 league.

Also to consider is that BYU at six wins is guaranteed a bowl due to their contract with ESPN since the Cougars originally had a deal with the Poinsettia Bowl for 2018 but that game no longer exists.

Bowl eligible teams/tie-ins (not including playoffs)

ACC (10/8): Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest
American (7/7): Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, Temple, Tulane, UCF
Big Ten (9/9): Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big 12 (7/7): Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, West Virginia
C-USA (7/7): FIU, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Southern Miss, UAB
Independent (3/2): Army, BYU, Notre Dame
MAC (7/4): Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, Western Michigan
Mountain West (7/5): Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Wyoming
Pac-12 (7/7): Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State
SEC (11/10): Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
Sun Belt (6/5): Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, Troy

What Cowboy fans should look at are who are the bowl-eligible teams, from what conference and if bowl tie-ins are filled. Also, not included in above is the playoff games which don’t have direct tie-ins but will likely take one SEC team, Notre Dame, Clemson and then either a Big 12 and Big Ten team. So, those bowl tie-ins with those leagues open things up a bit.

If the Big 12 gets Oklahoma in as a playoff team that frees up a spot and that could bode well for the Mountain West because the Cheez-It Bowl is now an option. Same with the Big Ten as they would have one bowl spot that needs to be filled.

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