MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama will not play in a bowl game this season. The Jaguars finished the regular season 6-6, reaching bowl eligibility in their first year eligible for the postseason, but were not chosen when bowl pairings were set.
South Alabama completed its first season as a full member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision this fall. The Jaguars went 4-3 in Sun Belt Conference play, tying for third place.
A Late-Season Turnaround
The Jaguars opened the season with a loss to Southern Utah. They later played a close game at Tennessee in which they were one play from being in position to tie the score or attempt a two-point conversion for the win.
South Alabama lost three straight games in the middle of the schedule and fell to 3-6. The Jaguars then won their final three games to reach six wins. The last was a 30-8 home victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, which shared the Sun Belt title.
Once the regular season ended, the bowl selections were out of the Jaguars’ hands. South Alabama was one of several Sun Belt teams that were bowl eligible but did not receive invitations.
Senior Class Was Program’s First
The disappointment falls hardest on South Alabama’s 15 seniors. They were the first freshman recruiting class in program history and arrived as head coach Joey Jones built the program. The Jaguars played their first season in 2009.
Over five seasons, that class saw South Alabama move from its first games to full FBS membership and a bowl-eligible record.
How Bowl Selection Played Out
The selection process differed a year ago. In 2012, it took until the final games of the season for enough teams to become bowl eligible to fill every available slot. That left bowls to rely on newly approved rules to fill openings with teams that would not normally qualify.
New Sun Belt Bowl Ties Begin in 2014
The Sun Belt will have more postseason opportunities starting next season with several new bowl tie-ins.
- Miami Beach Bowl: An American Athletic Conference team will face an opponent from a six-year rotation that includes Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt.
- Bahamas Bowl: The Sun Belt will be in a rotation of up to five conferences, including the Mountain West, the Mid-American, the American Athletic Conference and Conference USA.
- Camellia Bowl: The new game in Montgomery, Ala., will match teams from the Sun Belt and the Mid-American Conference.
South Alabama plays its home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.
