SAN JOSE — San Jose State star Tyler Ervin didn’t have much interest in the Pac-12 Championship game this weekend at Levi’s Stadium.

His attention was across the country where highly favored Appalachian State was blowing a big lead against 5-6 South Alabama in a Sun Belt Conference game that almost certainly would determine whether Ervin’s collegiate career would continue. Appalachian State kicked a field goal in the final minutes to escape with the victory and give San Jose State reason to cheer.

“I was sweating a little bit,” Ervin said Sunday after celebrating an invitation to the inaugural Cure Bowl on Dec. 19 in Orlando, Florida.

The Spartans experienced an emotional roller coaster over the past week, but didn’t mind after becoming one of three schools with losing records to get bowl berths.

San Jose State (5-7, 4-4, Mountain West) will face up-and-comer Georgia State (6-6), which qualified Saturday by upsetting Sun Belt rival Georgia Southern 34-7.

The Panthers’ fourth-consecutive victory left San Jose State with but one chance Saturday night: South Alabama had to lose.

Once that finally happened, the Spartans were rewarded Sunday for having one of the best Academic Progress Rate scores among the 5-7 candidates to help fill out the 80 bowl berths. They joined the Big Ten’s Nebraska and Minnesota as schools with losing records who extended their seasons.

“We’re in good company with those schools,” athletic director Gene Bleymaier said.

Bleymaier made the announcement Sunday afternoon at the team’s annual postseason awards luncheon. The news was greeted with sustained applause though the Spartans were confident they had qualified for their fourth bowl game since 1990 after the South Alabama result.

Senior lineman Wes Schweitzer said he and his teammates experienced “some really intense emotions” in the aftermath of a 40-23 defeat to Boise State on Nov. 27.

A fourth-quarter meltdown seemed to end the careers for 18 seniors, who got a lifeline because of the glut of bowls this year.

Now they vow to finish the right way.

“This is another opportunity on a national stage to represent San Jose State,” Bleymaier told the team. “Let’s go out winners.”

Caragher was mindful of what got the Spartans to this point.

“First and foremost guys, finals this week,” he said of the end-of-semester exams.

After that, it’s back to football.

“The funnest bowls are the bowls that you win,” Caragher said.

Linebacker Christian Tago felt the team deserved another shot despite its losing record.

“If you go back and look at it, five plays could have turned this season around,” he said of some game-changing plays that went against San Jose State.

Senior defensive lineman Tony Popovich is just grateful to play one more time in a Spartans uniform.

“It’s a second chance,” he said. “We’ve got to correct all the mistakes we made against Boise.”

They’ll face a school that before this season was one of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s worst programs. The Panthers, who play in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, started a football program just six years ago.

But San Jose State players won’t take their opponent lightly.

“We need to start preparing yesterday,” Popovich said.

Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond.