The New Mexico State Aggies are bowl eligible following a decision by the NCAA on Thursday, the school has announced.
New Mexico State filed for a waiver with the NCAA to allow them to play in a postseason bowl game this season, which was initially reported by Brett McMurphy of The Action Network.
The Aggies upset the Liberty Flames on the road on Saturday, 49-14, to finish the regular-season at 5-6, just one victory short of bowl eligibility. The Aggies played one less game than the NCAA maximum of 12 after their October 22nd contest at home against the San Jose State Spartans was canceled following the tragic death of Spartan running back Camdan McWright the day before the game.
New Mexico State reportedly reached out to several teams to play in attempt to get that additional win, but were unsuccessful. Teams that were contacted include Nevada and Wyoming, and Virginia Tech.
The Aggies did end up with a 12th regular-season contest as they will take on the Valparaiso Beacons on Saturday, Dec. 3. New Mexico State already played a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent this season, so this game does not count towards bowl eligibility. Additionally, Valparaiso plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League, so the game wouldn’t count anyway.
With the waiver, New Mexico State will now compete in a bowl game for the first time since the 2017 season. It will mark the first bowl under first-year head coach Jerry Kill and only the fifth bowl appearance for the program.
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