Baylor Bowl projections after Week 14: Exploring Bears' postseason eligibility

The Baylor Bears defeated the Kansas Jayhawks 45-17 to end their regular season. It was a strong season for the Bears that nearly earned them a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. However, the start of their season was too weak and they could not make up enough ground to qualify.

They started the season 2-4, and even though they won six games straight to end the season, it still left them shortchanged. Fortunately for the Bears (8-4), they have far exceeded the minimum requirement for bowl eligibility (six wins). Hence, they will have one more game before their season comes to an end.

Take a look at which bowl game the Bears could end up playing.

Exploring the Bears' postseason chances

In the new 12-team playoff format, the five highest-ranked conference champions automatically make the playoffs. The four highest-ranked champions earn a bye through the first round. Baylor cannot qualify for one of those spots because they will not play in the Big 12 Championship Game. No. 16-ranked Arizona State and No. 18-ranked Iowa State will compete for the championship.

The next seven spots are given to the seven highest-ranked non-conference champions as determined by the CFP selection committee, regardless of conference placement. Baylor was unranked heading into this week, and as a result, they will not earn one of those seven spots. They may enter the top 25 with their recent win, but even if they do, the ranking will not be high enough to earn a playoff berth.

As a result, the final game of the Bears season will be a non-playoff bowl game. As a member of the Big 12, there are several bowl games they could be selected for. 247 Sports projects that the Bears will play in the Rate Bowl against Rutgers.

However, that is not a guarantee and they could be selected for any of the other bowl games with Big 12 tie-ins. Those games include the Armed Forces Bowl, Liberty Bowl, Pop-Tarts Bowl, Alamo Bowl, and Texas Bowl.

A final determination on which bowl game Baylor will play in will not come until after championship weekend. Once the championship games are played, the CFP selection committee will announce its final rankings along with the playoff field. Once those teams are known, bowl games will start to be announced.