Rutgers To Replace Texas A&M In Gator Bowl Vs. Wake Forest
Dec 23, 2021, 2:37 PM
A general view of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl logo at mid-field before the North Carolina State Wolfpack plays against the University of Kentucky Wildcats at the 76th annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field on January 2, 2021 in Jacksonvile, Florida. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
(Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
AP – Rutgers will replace Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl against Wake Forest after an NCAA committee decided to adhere to an existing policy for making teams with 5-7 records bowl eligible.
Texas A&M pulled out of the game in Jacksonville, Florida, scheduled for New Year’s Eve because of a lack of available players.
Reee-mixxxx…. 🏈@RFootball will be our replacement team and face @WakeFB in this year's 77th Annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl game! pic.twitter.com/uZKHxghA3G
— TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (@taxslayerbowl) December 23, 2021
The Aggies were having issues with COVID-19, plus injuries, opt-outs and player transfers.
NCAA rules allow teams with 5-7 records to be bowl eligible if there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the spots.
.@BowlSeason 2.0 for @USUFootball? 👀
📰: https://t.co/3fRGeF0usx#AggiesAllTheWay @ScottyGZone
📷: Getty Images pic.twitter.com/zrp4pJ6Yn0— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 23, 2021
The 5-7 teams with the highest Academic Progress Rate scores have first crack at open slots, and Rutgers was atop that list.
The Scarlet Knights now have less than a week to get ready to play one of the highest-scoring teams in the country.
