Even if Notre Dame (2-4) does not end up crossing the 6-6 threshold, if the Irish can muster three more wins, they might be able to invoke their high graduation rate to go to a bowl game with a 5-7 record. (From NCAA.com, June 29, 2016:)
… all bowl-eligible teams with 6-6 records must be selected for a bowl game before any teams with a 5-7 record can be considered.
After all bowl-eligible teams are selected, the 5-7 teams – which will be considered alternates – will be deemed eligible in descending order from the highest multiyear Academic Progress Rate in the Football Bowl Subdivision for the most recent reporting year. Those teams will then select the bowl in which they will participate. … Last season, only 77 teams were eligible for the 80 bowl slots by the established criteria. The remaining three slots were filled by 5-7 teams. Those alternate teams (University of Nebraska, Lincoln; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; and San Jose State University) were selected by the bowls in which they appeared. … The new process will be effective for the 2016-17 bowl season.
