Very small stack in the bubble in sb calling with rags

I cannot access my hand history from work so cannot give specifics but the question is of a general nature.
Last night in a £10 MTT with 90 riders, I got a bad beat and then very cold cards and limped into the bubble with a small stack. With 14 playes left, I had about 2600 chips and the blinds were 600/1200 (the big blind had wiped 1/3 of my chips).
Five players call the BB. I have 85 off suit and call (even this is almost 1/4 of my chips and the antes are 100). The flop is all face cards and, after my check, there is substantial action, so I fold.
As it happened, this hand killed three opponents and I was able to hang on, double up and made the final table with enough chips to finish fifth, so I wasn't unhappy with the play. The same play - calling the BB with a tiny stack and rags - has helped me win tournaments in the past because if you do flop a monster, you know you'll get a call and ofetn a few calls and you can go from zero to hero quickly. But I'm wondering what calculations should inform a decision to call in this situation.