Missouri State to petition NCAA for bowl eligibility after reaching six-win threshold in first FBS season

Missouri State will petition the NCAA for a postseason waiver that would allow its football team to play in a bowl game this season, despite rules blocking first-year FBS programs, CBS Sports has learned.

"We know the history of what that looks like, and it's traditionally not been looked at favorably, but we will be petitioning, and we'll see where that goes," Missouri State athletics director Patrick Ransdell told CBS Sports on Monday. "We'll let the chips fall where they fall."

The Bears (6-3, 4-1 Conference USA) reached the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility in dramatic fashion Saturday, rallying past Liberty on Jacob Clark's 13-yard touchdown pass to Tristan Gardner with 27 seconds remaining. However, NCAA rules prohibit postseason participation for teams transitioning from the FCS to the FBS.

Teams in transition are prohibited from postseason events for two years, including their final season in the FCS. The probationary period enables athletic departments to implement improvements and meet specific criteria to compete in the FBS, including expanding scholarship opportunities and enhancing facilities.

Ransdell believes the logic is "antiquated" and the rule should be changed.

"In today's world, you can reinvent your team in a matter of weeks. It's just something that's dated," he said. "If we're really in the business for student-athletes and the betterment of the student-athlete experience, there's no reason we should be punishing the student-athletes who are working hard day in, day out and deprive them of a postseason opportunity when there's really no good reason to do that."

Missouri State and Delaware both jumped from the FCS to the FBS this year and joined Conference USA. As part of the transition, both were required to skip the 2024 FCS playoffs.

There is a secondary path to the postseason: if fewer than 82 teams reach bowl eligibility, the NCAA can pull transitioning programs into the bowl pool to fill open slots. Fifty-nine teams have already reached six wins heading into the final three weeks, and another 19 sit at five victories.

"A lot of our guys came back knowing the challenges because they believe in what we're doing, what coach (Ryan) Beard and his staff are preaching," Ransdell said. "To be able to reward these guys with a post-season opportunity, I don't care if it's in Anchorage, Alaska. You throw the ball down, we'll play."

In 2023, three programs transitioning to the FBS had their postseason waivers denied by the NCAA, including James Madison, which started 10-0 and climbed to No. 18 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Virginia Attorney General even threatened legal action.

JMU and Jacksonville State were ultimately allowed to play in bowl games because of a lack of bowl-eligible teams. Missouri State could also receive a bowl invitation in December if fewer than 82 teams are eligible.

Missouri State has not conducted discussions with lawmakers. 

"We'll obviously keep our options open, but you would like to think that cooler heads prevail and you figure out a good solution that's good for everybody," Ransdell said. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Missouri State's revenue has doubled year over year during its first fall in the FBS, Ransdell said, and football attendance is expected to increase as much as 40% in the first year.

"This last year of transition and playing an FBS schedule is nothing short of exhilarating," Ransdell said. "So to be able to go to a bowl game in Year 1 would be amazing and something that I really think would help springboard us into future years. It allows you to hopefully get some sense of consistency in a world where consistency is really, really hard."

Ransdell said the school will file the petition with the NCAA within one week.