It's the last weekend in November, and there are few chances for teams to qualify for a bowl game beyond this week. Today, 65 (64 if you take into account that Miami took itself out of bowl contention because of expected severe NCAA sanctions) teams are qualified to play for a bowl game.
With 35 bowl games, the bowls need 70 bowl-eligible teams, so it's no wonder that the NCAA loosened its policy to allow squads with 6 wins to play. A decade ago, you had to have at least 6 wins, and you had to have a winning record.* Without lowering eligibility requirements, there wouldn't be enough teams to fill the bowls.
16 teams currently have to win out to become bowl eligible. 13 of those 16 teams are currently sporting a losing record (5-6 or worse). At best, 14 of those teams can become bowl eligible; at worst only two of those 16 teams might end up bowl eligible -- in both scenarios, because four of those 16 teams play each other, only two of them can win.
At worst, the NCAA might not have enough bowl eligible teams, and will have to use a waiver to allow teams with losing records to play in a bowl.
There are too many bowls.
* - 2001-02 NCAA Post-season football handbook stated, "A deserving winning team is defined as one that wins a minimum of six games against Division I-A competition and has a record that includes more wins than losses." In 2006, the NCAA changed bylaw 30.9.2.1. In the following year, the 2007-08 NCAA Post-season football handbook provided that "an institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be selected for participation in a bowl game." In 2009, the NCAA altogether eliminated language that referred to "winning" teams.
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