Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

'We just do not have enough players': More bowl games canceled as COVID cases surge

'We just do not have enough players': More bowl games canceled as COVID cases surge

Virginia, Boston College and Miami bow out of their bowl games because of an insufficient number of players. Rosters also are depleted by injuries and players opting out of games.

For the second year in a row, college bowl games are being canceled as coronavirus case counts climb. Rosters are also depleted by injuries and players either opting out of games or transferring to other schools.

On Sunday, three more schools announced that they wouldn't participate in bowl games.

The University of Virginia Cavaliers dropped out of Wednesday's Wasabi Fenway Bowl "due to the number of COVID cases impacting its roster, preventing safe participation," the Fenway Bowl said in a statement announcing the game's cancellation.

The Virginia team was supposed to head to Boston on Christmas Day to play the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. But as they prepared for that date, some U.Va. players started showing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, U.Va. said in a statement. After those players tested positive for the virus, the rest of the team was tested on Christmas morning — and more players were found to have the virus.

"We are extremely disappointed the team will not be able to participate in the inaugural Fenway Bowl," Virginia Athletics Director Carla Williams said in a statement. The bowl would have been the last chance for outgoing coach Bronco Mendenhall to coach the team.

Also Sunday, Military Bowl organizers said the bowl game would be canceled due to a spate of positive coronavirus cases at Boston College, where more than 40 players were unavailable to play.

"This is not the way we wanted to see this season come to an end," said Boston College head football coach Jeff Haley. "We just do not have enough players to safely play a game."

The Military Bowl, which would have pitted the Boston College Eagles against the East Carolina University Pirates, was scheduled to kick off Monday in Annapolis after a parade and festival. All of the events are now canceled.

Miami won't play in the Sun Bowl


Late Sunday, the University of Miami announced that it wouldn't be able to field a team against Washington State in Friday's Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

"We are extremely disappointed that our football team will be unable to participate in the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl," Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Strawley said in a statement. "But due to the number of COVID-19 cases impacting our roster we do not have enough student-athletes to safely compete, and the health and safety of our student-athletes will always be our top priority."

Washington State, which had arrived in El Paso on Sunday before Miami's announcement, said it still hoped to find an opponent for Friday's game.

"It is disappointing news that the University of Miami is unable to participate in the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl," the university said in a statement. "We will work with the Pac-12 Conference and the Sun Bowl Association to hopefully find a replacement opponent for the game."

These are just the latest of several bowl games canceled as the omicron variant of the coronavirus overtakes the country. The University of Hawaii said Thursday that its team, the Rainbow Warriors, wouldn't compete against the Memphis Tigers. The EasyPost Hawaii Bowl had been scheduled for Friday.

Texas A&M is out, but the Gator Bowl finds a replacement


Also last week, Texas A&M bowed out of the Gator Bowl "due to a combination of COVID-19 issues within the Texas A&M football program, as well as season-ending injuries," the school said.

"We just don't have enough scholarship players available to field a team," Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher said.

But the Gator Bowl will go on with Rutgers University invited to replace Texas A&M in Jacksonville, Fla., where it will compete against Wake Forest University.

The College Football Playoff management committee updated its policies last week for the national championship and the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl, should any team be unable to compete in those games.

During the playoff semifinals, a team that doesn't have enough players will forfeit and its opponent will advance to the national championship game in Indianapolis. The championship — currently scheduled for Jan. 10 — can be rescheduled as late as Jan. 14. At that point, any team unable to play will forfeit, leaving the other as the national champion.

If neither team can play, the CFP said, "then the game shall be declared 'no contest' and the CFP National Championship shall be vacated for this season."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×