Florida left to play spoiler in bowl chase

AP Sports Writer

Florida left to play spoiler in bowl chaseBy NOAH TRISTER

The first SEC team eliminated from the bowl chase this year was Mississippi, which came into the season banned from postseason play.

The second team out is … Florida?

It’s hard to believe, but while teams like Vanderbilt (4-6) and Missouri (5-5) fight for bowl spots, Florida is now 3-6 after Saturday’s loss to South Carolina . The Gators have only two games left on their schedule – they had a game in September against Northern Colorado canceled because of Hurricane Irma, and it hasn’t been rescheduled.

It is possible for a five-win team to make a bowl if there aren’t enough .500 teams to fill all the slots, but don’t expect to see Florida – which is being led by an interim coach after the midseason firing of Jim McElwain – playing in the postseason.

One opportunity that could keep the Gators motivated is the chance to end rival Florida State’s bowl hopes. The Seminoles also are 3-6 after a loss to Clemson , but they did reschedule a game against Louisiana-Monroe for Dec. 2, giving themselves a chance to make it back to .500.

Florida hosts Florida State on Nov. 25.

There are 78 bowl spots available this season for FBS teams, and the following 59 teams already are eligible:

Alabama

Alabama-Birmingham

Appalachian State

Arizona

Army

Auburn

Boise State

Central Florida

Central Michigan

Clemson

Colorado State

Florida Atlantic

Florida International

Fresno State

Georgia

Georgia State

Houston

Iowa

Iowa State

Kentucky

Louisville

LSU

Marshall

Memphis

Miami

Michigan

Michigan State

Mississippi State

Navy

N.C. State

North Texas

Northern Illinois

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Penn State

San Diego State

SMU

South Carolina

South Florida

Southern California

Southern Mississippi

Stanford

TCU

Texas A&M

Toledo

Troy

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Western Michigan

Wisconsin

Wyoming

More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 .

Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister

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