Temple denies report it declined a bowl bid
In a statement, the school said it received a call "to discuss an invitation" and before an answer could be given, the spot was handed to Appalachian State.
Temple released a statement Monday morning denying a report that the football team declined an invitation to play in the JLab Birmingham Bowl against Georgia Southern on Dec. 29.
“Temple University would like to clarify recent reports regarding its potential participation in postseason play,” the statement read. “At no point did Temple decline a bowl invitation. We received a phone call [Sunday] afternoon to discuss an invitation and before we were able to discuss the opportunity with our coaching staff, student-athletes, and university leadership, the opportunity was offered to another institution.”
The open slot was eventually filled by Appalachian State Sunday night.
A report came out Sunday from On3 that Temple was one of at least seven teams that ended the year with a 5-7 record to turn down a bowl game invitation.
» READ MORE: Temple signs its largest recruiting class in program history in K.C. Keeler’s first full offseason
There are 82 spots available for teams to participate in bowl games and typically, teams need to reach six or more wins to qualify for bowl eligibility unless there are not enough eligible programs for spots. If that is the case, then the teams with less than five wins that have the highest Academic Progress Rating score are offered the chance to play a bowl game.
This season, 82 teams reached six or more wins to fill the bowl slots, but things changed when Kansas State and Iowa State opted out due to recent coaching changes and Notre Dame declined its bowl bid after being left out of the College Football Playoff.
Two of the open slots were filled by Mississippi State and Temple’s American Conference foe Rice, but the third spot became a struggle to replace.
Temple players like guard Jackson Pruitt and tight end Peter Clarke advocated for the Owls to be one of the replacement teams and that they were more than happy to play.
It would have been Temple’s first bowl appearance since the 2019 season.
“We value the significance of bowl participation and are disappointed for our student-athletes, fans, and university that this opportunity did not work out,” the statement read.