UTSA has entered this season with some swagger. Equipped with brand new helmets, complete with matte paint and chrome facemasks, the Roadrunners already look the part of an elite team.
After upsetting Houston in week one and nearly beating Arizona in week two, there is no doubt that the excitement around UTSA football is at an all time high. But if that is not enough to get you pumped for the remainder of the season, keep this in mind: the Roadrunners are now eligible to participate in a postseason bowl game.
When UTSA’s football program was initially introduced in 2011, they entered as an independent Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) school. Since then, UTSA has spent two years reclassifying themselves as a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) school, spending 2012 in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and last year in Conference USA.
In early August, the NCAA gave UTSA the green light to complete its reclassification and finally become a fully bowl eligible FBS school, joining the ranks of schools such as Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas State. The Roadrunners have finally made it into the big leagues.
Conference USA has nine different bowl affiliations within the NCAA, all of which would make for interesting end-of-the-season trips. Bowl games, such as the Heart of Dallas Bowl, the Miami Beach Bowl or even the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, are all possible destinations for the Roadrunners this December. Opponents for these games include schools from the Big Ten, Big XII, Mountain West and American Athletic Conferences.
Unfortunately, history is not exactly on the Runners’ side when it comes to success after reclassifying to FBS.
Between 1978 and 2010, 19 different FCS schools have made the switch to FBS. According to a study done by the NCAA, the average winning percentage of those 19 schools have dropped from 55.7 percent playing as a FCS school to 44.8 percent as a FBS school. An increased level of competition can account for this trend.
So, with opponents such as New Mexico, Louisiana Tech and Rice all scheduled for this season, the 2014-2015 campaign is not going to be a cakewalk by any means. But that does not mean bowl eligibility is not attainable. To be considered for a bowl game, a team only has to win six of their 12 scheduled games.
Three games into the season, the Runners defense is on pace to become the best in UTSA’s short history.
The offense, led by senior quarterback Tucker Carter, looks poised to put together some amazing drives and make some big plays with senior running back David Glasco II. Besides intelligent coaching and stellar play on the field, one component remains to push UTSA into postseason bowl stardom: the student body.
Schools that are regularly bowl eligible, like Florida State or LSU, have a great following and a dedicated fan base. The Alamodome already has the resources and potential to become the loudest stadium in the conference and one of the toughest places to play, but the Runners will not be able to do it without the help of the student body.
Entering this season being fully bowl eligible and having earned a victory in their first game of the season, the only hurdle standing in the way of the Runners being considered for a bowl game this season is five more wins.
To help prepare students for the possibility of a bowl game, UTSA is encouraging students to wear spiffy, orange “Bowl Tie” bow ties on game days. You can purchase a UTSA Bowl Tie at the Roadrunner Express, the Alamodome or the student tailgate area on game days.
The UTSA Roadrunners (1-2) will not play in the Alamodome until Oct. 4, when they host the New Mexico Lobos (0-2).
