Since 2012, the NCAA has technically allowed 5-7 teams to play in bowl games provided there aren't enough 6-6 teams to fill out the slots. There are a variety other tiebreakers than come into play - such as FCS teams making the transition to FBS or 6-7 teams that play in conference title games, but the bottom line is: It's possible.
And there are now 40 bowl games. Which is why CBS Sports Jerry Palm - who has long done the best job among national writers of understanding bowl tie-ins and trying correctly project teams into bowl games - has eight projected 5-7 teams in bowl games right now.
Nebraska is one of them. Here's one big reason why:
When the NCAA tiebreaker for bowls heads to 5-7 teams, the Academic Progress Rate score - a four-year rolling average of graduation rates and other academic metrics - comes in to play.
And while Nebraska may be mediocre on the field, it is not, and hasn't been, mediocre in the classroom.
The Huskers' 2013-2014 rolling APR score is 985 out of possible 1000.