Just damn. How many teams start out 0-5, and wind up in a bowl anyway? If ever there was any idea that there are too many bowl games, this is the argument.
Actually that argument would be invalid because this was an automatic bid they got because they were the champions of the sunbelt(actually co-champions but they had the tiebreaker)
I think it's also argument for knocking the Sun Belt Conference down to I-AA. Even this year, the SBC co-champions finished 7-5, and both teams were 1-4 outside the conference. Indeed, the entire conference was 10-30 in nonconference games.
The number of I-A teams has been creeping upwards....it probably hasn't kept pace with the number of bowls though. Anyway, I count 120 I-A teams and now 32 bowls.
I recall the NCAA passing a 15000 per game x 5 game minimum attendance rule not too long ago -- which would kick most of the MAC and I think a number of Sun Belt Conference teams out of I-A. I'm not sure when that goes into effect though.
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/112404/col_20041124031.shtml
It does appear that a team with a losing record has to get a waiver from the NCAA to go to a bowl -- apparently they are inclined to approve if there are no remaining bowl-eligible teams.