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SALT LAKE CITY — An unparalleled year of college football has made the 2020 season difficult to juggle as a worldwide pandemic has shifted the landscape of the sport. And after what will be a five-game football season, Utah has elected to play its last game Saturday.
The Utes, who are set to host Washington State in the final game of an amended and unpredictable regular season, "collectively decided" that Saturday's game will be the final game of the season, the university announced Friday morning.
"Our number one priority is the well-being of our players, and we support the decision they have made," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement. "They have worked extremely hard since they returned to campus this summer, and they have shown tremendous resiliency in dealing with adversity and challenges.
"We're proud of what they have accomplished on the field and the way they have handled everything off the field. We look forward to beginning our preparations for the 2021 season when the players return to campus in January."
Utah currently sits with a 2-2 record on the season, and a win over the Cougars Saturday would have made the Utes bowl eligible with a 3-2 record — the Pac-12 requires a team be above .500 to be bowl eligible this season despite the NCAA allowing any team to be eligible for the 2020 season. But after a taxing season, the decision is final.
Junior wide receiver Britain Covey said the team was "burned out" after Utah beat Colorado Saturday to claim its second win of the season.
"It is sad. I mean this is the first time in my career where we're not playing for a championship or the opportunity to go to the championship. And it's different — you kind of got to dig deep, you've got to find what motivates you," Covey said. "We're gonna have one more game, and this is such a weird season.
"The honest truth is and, I don't think that anyone could criticize teams for saying this, we're all pretty burned out. You saw what Boston College did, opting out of their bowl game," he added. "I don't blame them at all because the whole team, we're pretty burned out just with the emotional drag of the season. So to have one game is not fun, but at the same time, we're ready to finish strong. We want to finish with a winning record going into next year."
Earlier this week, Whittingham and his players declined to comment about what their plans were for a potential postseason and instead said their full focus was on Washington State.
"We support our student-athletes in their decision and applaud them for the way they represent the University of Utah," Mark Harlan, Utah's athletic director, said in a statement. "We have said from the beginning of this pandemic that everything is about the health and well-being of our student-athletes. They have done everything asked of them in following the strict protocols that were established to provide them the opportunity to play a football season this fall.
"We thank our incredible supporters and fans who have stood alongside us and our student-athletes throughout this unprecedented season."
