Ranking where Missouri State football could play this bowl season

Missouri State football is playing in the program's first-ever bowl game this season.

The Bears were originally ineligible for a bowl game as part of their move up from the FCS to the FBS, but petitioned the NCAA for eligibility. The petition proved moot, though, following Saturday's slate of games. With Auburn losing the Iron Bowl to Alabama to lock the Tigers in at 5-7, Missouri State was able to claim one of the final bowl-eligible spots.

For the purposes of this list, we are only ranking games with a tie to Conference USA. It's possible that the Bears will be in a game without a tie to C-USA, but to limit the scope, we're only including games a C-USA team is contracted to play in. Furthermore, we will not be including the former Bahamas Bowl on this list even though it's a C-USA game. That game's date, kickoff time, and stadium are still unannounced.

Here's our ranking of the possible bowl games for Missouri State.

1. Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas)

It's a bit of a long way to travel, but it will serve as a homecoming to a lot of the roster: 16 players are from Texas, second-most of any state and only behind Missouri.

2. Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.)

This is the closest bowl to Springfield, but the only thing keeping out of the top spot: Louisiana Tech, located in nearby Ruston, is also bowl-eligible and will likely get C-USA's spot.

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3. StaffDNA Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)

This could give the program national exposure, set to be played in one of the most popular tourist cities in the country before Christmas.

4. New Orleans Bowl

This game takes place in the Caesars Superdome, one of the most historic stadiums in all of football, not to mention that New Orleans is a popular vacation spot. But the date, just two days before Christmas, is a drawback.

5. Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans (Boca Raton, Fla.)

This one has a lot of the same pros and cons as the New Orleans Bowl, but it loses out since Flagler Credit Union Stadium doesn't have the history of the Superdome.

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6. Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, S.C.)

Myrtle Beach is a popular tourist spot, and the game is before Christmas. However, it suffers from an odd kickoff time: 10 a.m. CT on a Friday morning.

7. 68 Ventures Bowl (Mobile, Ala.)

This particular game doesn't have much going for it in terms of tradition or location. Still, it holds a primetime kickoff before Christmas, making travel easier for fans.

8. Islet New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, N.M.)

This game is one that the program probably wants to avoid. It features long travel to the stadium, is two days after Christmas, and could in theory be going up against four other bowl games on television at the same time.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ranking where Missouri State football could play this bowl season