Zach Wilson won't opt out of playing in bowl game, but BYU's options slimming in age of postponements

PROVO — Far from a normal year, Week 15 of the 2020 college football season brings the final week of the regular season — when many schools are securing spots in the conference title game instead of preparing for a bid in various bowl games around the country.

That's true at BYU. Even without a conference title game, the Football Bowl Subdivision independents have one final game of the regular season: a senior sendoff Saturday with former Mountain West rival San Diego State (8 p.m. MST, ESPN2).

But excuse those who want to look ahead to a potential bowl game. BYU coach Kalani Sitake won't be one of them after the Cougars suffered their first loss of the season at Coastal Carolina while looking at a revenge spot after last year's 13-3 loss to the Aztecs in San Diego.

For those who want to entertain the upcoming bowl slate, which recently saw SMU accept a berth in the Frisco Bowl on Dec. 19 and UCF head to the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 22, Sitake will momentarily oblige.

The truth of any inquiries is there is still a lot about the bowl season that is unknown — even a week before the first game is scheduled to kick off near Dallas. The Cougars (9-1) appeared headed toward a New Year's Six bowl berth prior to last week's 22-17 loss to the Chanticleers, but at No. 18 in the most recent CFP rankings and with the backing of ESPN, they'll probably still have plenty of options.

If the Cougars don't play in a bowl on or near Dec. 19, they could even add another game to fill out a 12-game regular season. Eventually, thanks to a favorable relationship with ESPN, they'll likely receive a bowl invitation for the 15th time in the past 16 years.

"I don't know how it's going to work with bowl games and things like that (for BYU)," Sitake admitted. "With a loss, I think it narrows it down a bit more. But depending on when those bowl games are at, if there's a chance, we would love to play another week.

"It all depends on when the bowl games will be played. Maybe we'll have an invite by then. We want to get out there and play football; this last game didn't go that way … and the goal was to try to get 12 this year. If there's still an option, we'd love to play football."

The list of available bowl games is down to 33, with the following 11 games canceled, include five games contracted with the Pac-12 and two with the Mountain West Conference:

• Bahamas Bowl (Conference USA vs. MAC)
• Celebration Bowl (MEAC vs. SWAC)
• Fenway Bowl (American Athletic vs. ACC)
• Hawaii Bowl (AAC vs. Mountain West)
• Holiday Bowl (ACC vs. Pac-12)
• Las Vegas Bowl (Pac-12 vs. SEC)
• Los Angeles Bowl (Pac-12 vs. Mountain West)
• Pinstripe Bowl (ACC vs. Big Ten)
• QuickLane Bowl (ACC or Big Ten vs. MAC)
• Redbox Bowl (Big Ten vs. Pac-12)
• Sun Bowl (ACC vs. Pac-12)

Additionally, the New Mexico Bowl has been moved from Albuquerque to Frisco, Texas, but is still scheduled to be played on Dec. 24 at 1:30 p.m. MST.

Every year, there are players that opt out of the bowl season — most of them to leave college early and prepare for the NFL draft. Such a scenario may be possible for BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who has seen his professional value skyrocket during the Cougars' 9-1 campaign.

But he won't be leaving BYU early. The school, the team — and most importantly, his teammates — mean too much to him, he told reporters this week.

"I'm here to ride with my boys all the way through. That's the goal," Wilson said. "We started with this team back with my freshman year, had a 7-6 year, another 7-6 year, and now we're starting to show some good things.

"I think it would show my character if I dropped out, but I would never do that to these guys. They mean the world to me, and I'm going to give them everything I can and play — and worry about everything else in the future."

If he decides to go, Sitake will wish him the best and prepare him for the NFL as well as he can. If not, he'd be happy to welcome him back to BYU for as long as possible.

Sitake's a players' coach and he understands his players' needs. He took a stab at the NFL for a while, too, signing an undrafted free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals before a back injury forced him toward his early goal of coaching.

But Wilson's a different kind of prospect, and Sitake understands that.

"I think there's plenty of talk of that going around," the coach said, "which is why the focus for us should be on getting the win, as well as for the guys we know are leaving."

For his part, Wilson wouldn't fully commit to leaving early or coming back next year, passing on the NFL draft. Like most players, he said he would evaluate the situation with his family after the season.

"Right now, my plan is to come back next year," Wilson said. "I haven't really thought about it, because all my focus is with these boys. I really think when the time comes, I'll know what to do."

Of course, the list of teams available for those games is also shrinking. LSU disqualified itself from a bowl game after the Tigers with a self-imposed ban related to the 3-5 Tigers' investigation into NCAA rules violations.

On Thursday, Boston College became the first Power Five team to opt out of a bowl game, which head coach Jeff Hafley said was the players' decision.

The Eagles (6-5, 5-5 ACC) navigated the 2020 season with just one positive test for COVID-19 and were set to qualify for a fifth straight postseason game. But Hafley said the season has been a strain on his players amid COVID-19 protocols and regular periods of quarantine and self-isolations.

"I wish we could play every Saturday," Hafley said. "But I don't have to sit in a dorm room by myself."

Even though the NCAA relaxed regulations requiring a minimum wins standard to qualify for a bowl game, more programs are expected to follow BC's lead. The reason is similar to the ones outlined by Hafley and Boston College athletic director Pat Kraft: It's been a tough year for a lot of people, including the amateur athletes of college football.

Under such circumstances, many expect Boston College won't be the last school to opt out of the bowl season entirely.

Contributing: Associated Press

Related topics