In a way it was a fitting ending for UTSA.

After a season of narrow defeats, the Roadrunners’ final close call was the hardest of all to swallow.

They waited most of the afternoon on Selection Sunday only to learn they were one of three eligible teams in the nation not receiving a bowl bid. UTSA was left out despite qualifying with six wins.

“At one point we had an opportunity where our destiny was in our own hands,” Coach Frank Wilson said. “We were sitting at five wins with four games remaining. You would think we would be able to do so. I would have bet my life on it. We put our destiny in someone else’s hands. This was the result.”

Conference USA wound up getting a record nine of 10 eligible teams in to bowls. UTSA (6-5) was the one left out, joining Buffalo (6-6) and Western Michigan (6-6) as the three bowl-eligible teams nationally not receiving bids. It came down to the wire with bowls reportedly considering UTSA choosing other teams instead.

The Gildan New Mexico Bowl, where UTSA made history a year ago by playing its first postseason game in school history, this time chose Marshall (7-5) from C-USA and Colorado State (7-5) from the Mountain West Conference.

Numerous projections had UTSA headed to the Lockheed Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth to play Army (8-3). But bowl officials chose San Diego State (10-2) of the Mountain West Conference.

UTSA went bowling with a 6-6 regular-season record a year ago when there weren’t enough six-win teams to fill all the bowl slots. This year, there were more bowl-eligible teams (81) than available spots (78).

After beginning the season with so much promise at 3-0, UTSA lost three of its final four games. And of the Roadrunners’ five losses, four were by single digits. The offense failed to score a touchdown in the final two games, resulting in the firing of offensive coordinator Frank Scelfo.

Wilson felt the firing had no effect on UTSA’s bowl chances.

“The thing people remember is November,” Wilson said. UTSA was 1-3 during the month

The players reacted to the news via Twitter.

“Man, that’s sad,” sophomore linebacker Josiah Tauaefa said. “I love my team and I hurt for the seniors.”

Said senior defensive end Marcus Davenport on not getting to play one more time: “So many things changing today. The band is breaking up.”

jwhisler@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnfwhisler