10:30 PM
According to sources, Rutgers will replace Texas A&M in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and face Wake Forest.
The NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee will meet Thursday to determine the policy for a bowl replacement opponent for Wake Forest. Rutgers has the highest score and would be the first option if the committee leans heavily on Academic Progress Rate. Those with the highest APR scores are usually favored over teams that don't meet the six-win threshold.
The oversight committee could defer to the Big Ten and the Gator Bowl about which team replaces Texas A&M, which withdrew from the game because of COVID-19 cases and other issues that impacted its roster of available players. Texas A&M has 38 scholarship position players, of which 20 are offensive and defensive linemen, according to the athletic director.
An official from the Gator Bowl told the sports network that there had been no contact with Rutgers.
Sources say that Illinois wants to replace Texas A&M and that it could be a preferred option. The Action Network first reported that the owner of the Jacksonville Jags, an Illinois graduate, was pushing for his alma mater to play in the bowl game.
NJ.com reported that Rutgers would accept the bowl invitation and reassemble. The Scarlet Knights were eliminated from bowl consideration a week after their last game.
Rutgers has not played in a bowl game in over two years, the second-longest streak among Power 5 teams.
