Why did Marshall opt out of the bowl game? Explaining that the team should face the army

Army football faces Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night. This is the second team the Black Knights are scheduled to play this bowl season.

No. 18 Army (11-2) was originally scheduled to play Marshall after winning the American Athletic Conference. However, the Thundering Herd forfeited the bowl game, allowing the Bulldogs (5-7) to reach the postseason despite failing to reach the typical 6-win threshold.

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Army earned 12 wins for the first time in program history after a loss to arch-rival Navy. Quarterback Bryson Daily, who finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting, had one of the Black Knights’ best seasons ever, scoring 38 total touchdowns with a team-leading 1,532 rushing yards.

There are numerous reasons why Army won’t play Marshall, which went 10-3 this season and won the Sun Belt championship.

Here is a statement from Army’s opponent in Saturday’s Independence Bowl:

Why is Army playing Louisiana Tech instead of Marshall?

Marshall withdrew from the Independence Bowl after coach Charles Huff left for the Southern Miss job, resulting in numerous Thundering Herd players entering the transfer portal.

Marshall simply had hardly any roster and no head coach, which led to the exit.

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that Louisiana Tech was selected as an alternate based on its academic progress rate despite not meeting the 6-win bowl eligibility threshold. Dellenger added that several 5-win teams had a better APR than Louisiana Tech but were unable to commit to the game due to the match’s quick turnaround after Marshall’s exit.

Why did Marshall opt out of the bowl game?

Marshall opted out of the game as a significant number of players entered the transfer portal following Huff’s departure to Southern Miss.

The Thundering Herd had over 25 players enter the transfer portal, including all three of their scholarship quarterbacks.

“It is unfortunate that Marshall has decided that they will not be able to participate in the bowl in a few weeks,” Missy Setters, executive director of the Independence Bowl, said in a statement. “Our goal was to create the best matchup possible for our local fans and college football fans across the country, and we believe we have accomplished that with two conference champions. We are excited to host Louisiana Tech and are thrilled to have found an opponent for the Army.”

According to On3’s transfer portal database, Marshall lost 45 players to the transfer portal this offseason.

Why is Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl?

Louisiana Tech was the replacement for Marshall, who withdrew from the Independence Bowl due to losing a large group of players to the transfer portal.

Louisiana Tech was then selected based on its academic progress rate, although it was not the highest among the 5-win teams. The Bulldogs (5-7) did not reach the 6-win bowl threshold but were selected because there were no 6-win teams left to choose from.

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