If Houston finishes in the selection committee's top four, that would be the Group of 5's only representation in the New Year's Six Bowls this year

This isn't how it works anymore. The at-large bids go to the highest ranked remaining teams, according to the CFP Committee rankings. The bowls no longer get to pick and choose or skip over teams to take another one that seems more appealing.

From a media guide for the CFP:

Pairings for Selected Other Bowl Games.

All displaced conference champions and the highest ranked champion from a non-contract conference, as ranked by the committee, will participate in selected other bowl games and will be assigned to those games by the committee. If berths in the selected other bowl games remain available after those teams have been identified, the highest ranked other teams, as ranked by the committee, will fill those berths in rank order.

It's not about the money at all anymore. It's strictly about the rankings. For example, last year the 4 non-playoff NY6 games had Stanford (#6, Pac-12 champ), Houston (#18, highest G5 champ), and then the other 4 slots went to the 4 highest-ranked teams remaining: Iowa (#5), Ohio State (#7), Notre Dame (#8), and FSU (#9). In short, it was the top 9 plus Houston.

If there end up being 2 G5 teams in the top 10, they'll both end up in NY6 bowls. The bowls won't get to pass them up to grab Michigan or anyone else.

That being said, it'd be a tall order for two G5's to actually end up in the top 10. Last year 12-1 AAC champ Houston was at 18. It would basically require two G5 teams to run the table. Certainly something that could be done, but always much easier said than done.

/r/CFB Thread Parent