Bowl Eligibility Battle: Independence Bowl Projections For Week 6

Shreveport's Bowl Game Matchup? It's Complicated, But That's Half the Fun.

Shreveport's college bowl game, the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, is slated for a noon kickoff on December 30th at Independence Stadium. But who will be taking the field in Shreveport? Well, that’s where the fun begins.

What Are The Conference Tie-Ins For The 2025 Independence Bowl?

A few weeks back the crew at the Independence Bowl offices let us know there have been some inaccurate national reports when it comes to this year's bowl tie-ins. This year, the game is set to feature a team from the Big 12 Conference facing off against a team from Conference USA. With an additional agreement with the Sun Belt Conference, just in case a conference doesn't have enough bowl eligible teams.

Sounds simple enough, right? But with all of the constant "conference realignment", it can get a little confusing. The Independence Bowl has had a handful of changes to the overall conference set up, and individual agreements they've had as well.

If you've felt a little confused about who might be coming to town, you're not alone. Even major outlets like ESPN have had things wrong this year.

But even with all the best planning, the matchup could still involve an "at-large" free-for-all, if there aren't enough bowl eligible teams. Meaning we could get a complete wildcard in the mix too.

How Could The Independence Bowl Get An "At-Large" Team?

This is where all of the best planning can fall apart.

If the Big 12 has too many teams in the College Football Playoffs (that takes them out of the conference's bowl tie-in mix), they might not have enough remaining teams for their Independence Bowl spot.

To be bowl eligible, each team has to have 6 qualifying wins during the season. So if the Big 12 puts a team into the College Football Playoffs (like Iowa State or Texas Tech) and has another 4 teams that become bowl eligible, they wouldn't be able to fill their spot in Shreveport.

According to the Big 12's bowl game selection page, the Independence Bowl is their 6th game in order. So if Iowa State, Texas Tech, or any other Big 12 teams goes to the Playoffs, there have to be 6 other bowl eligible teams in the conference to fulfill their spot.

The hope is that there are at least 8 bowl eligible teams in the Big 12 at the end of the year, so they will fill the spot no matter what. But if they don't, the attention will shift to the Sun Belt. If there's no one there, it becomes an "at-large" spot.

Conference USA could face the same issue if they don't have enough 6-win teams, but its more likely that they will fill their spot first.

So, Who Could We See From The Big 12 Conference?

The Big 12 Conference has its eyes on the big prize...the College Football Playoffs. But it's not a lock they will have a team in the Playoffs.

Right now, things are looking pretty good for Shreveport. The conference has 12 schools that are already halfway to becoming bowl-eligible, meaning they just need three more wins. It seems very likely they'll have plenty of teams available.

This opens the door for some exciting possibilities, based brand recognition, superstar names, and geographically beneficial schools.

What About Their Opponent from Conference USA?

Over on the Conference USA side, the playoff picture isn't a concern, which makes predicting their participation a little easier.

Of course, everyone is wondering about the local favorite, Louisiana Tech. They saved the day for the bowl last year, but would both sides want to have the Bulldogs in Shreveport two years in a row? Fans would likely be thrilled to see a stronger version of the team than last year's squad, and they would get a shot at a better matchup.

If not them, a couple of other teams are within an easy day-drive of Shreveport, which makes any of them an attractive option.

Our Way-Too-Early, Week 6 Guess For The Independence Bowl

So, what's the bottom line? It feels very likely that both conferences will have eligible teams, so we probably won't need to dip into the backup options just yet.

If we had to make a guess today, how about a fun matchup between TCU and Louisiana Tech? That would bring a national brand in TCU, that has a regional distance to Shreveport, and match them up with a team that never struggles to draw in Shreveport. Could be a really fun matchup.

We'll just have to wait and see how the rest of the season plays out...