Arizona is Bowl Eligible. Finally.

Obviously, today did not go as I had hoped, but a number of ranked teams won easily, and even among unranked teams, there weren’t many upsets. One team that definitely had a great night was Arizona.

Their 59-28 win over Washington State is no surprise, of course (WSU is now 1-9), but with tonight’s win, Arizona became eligible for a bowl game for the first time in a decade.

You can read about the game here, but that’s not the real story. How they won isn’t as important as the simple fact that they won. No school deserve to go year after year without a bowl. Even though we’ve often heard that bowl games can be really expensive for smaller schools (they have to sell tickets or pay for them, plus pay for travel, putting many schools in the hole), it is just good for team spirit. Whether you win or lose, it is about pride – making it to a game of importance. To not even have that chance in over 10 years…sucks.

So congrats, Arizona. With a record of 6-3, you may not be a top-ranked team, but you may finally get your bowl.