How many games do you have to win to be bowl eligible? Taking a closer look at college football's bowl scheduling format

With the season more than two-thirds gone, the permutations about whether teams are bowl eligible have started taking center stage, with several teams' eligibility still hanging in the balance.

Eighty-two teams will be involved in the 2023 postseason, which will have a national championship game and 41 bowls. For a team to be eligible, it has to have a winning percentage of at least .500.

If all 82 positions are not filled, certain exceptions are granted. Teams that have a winning percentage of under .500 and have more than one win against FCS opposition could be awarded bowl eligibility.

How many wins do you need to be bowl eligible?

To be bowl eligible, teams need to win six games, but if a team plays 13 matchups or two FCS opponents, it will need to win seven matchups to ensure eligibility.

Heading into Week 11 of college football action, 51 teams are already bowl eligible. This year's bowl season starts on Saturday, Dec. 16.

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Why are some qualified teams still not bowl-eligible?

The No. 21 James Madison Dukes have had a flawless 9-0 season and yet are bowl ineligible due to the transition period from the FCS to FBS instituted by the NCAA.

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks (7-3) and Sam Houston State Bearkats from Conference USA are also ineligible due to the same transition rule. However, the Bearkats would not be eligible anyway due to their (1-8 record).

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What Deion Sanders thinks of his team being bowl eligible

The jockeying for bowl positions has started in earnest, and a team that many thought would effortlessly be bowl eligible after starting the season 3-0 is struggling mightily.

Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes (4-5) are on the brink. The start to the season was sensational, but since a huge blowout in Oregon, the promising project has fallen on hard times.

After the 28-16 loss at the Rose Bowl to the UCLA Bruins, Sanders revealed what he thought about the Bowls in his postgame news conference.

"I don't give a d*mn about no bowl," Sanders said. "We're trying to win, period. The consistency there just isn't there at this point because of the lack of talent in certain positions. I would love to win. I'm accustomed to winning and we will win. Just put your seat belt on and hold on. We'll win."

With challenging games against No. 23 Arizona, Washington State and No. 13 Utah still to come, the odds don't look favorable for a Colorado Buffaloes bowl run. ESPN projections give the Buffs a mere 18.1% chance of being bowl eligible.