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PROVO — In a year unlike any other, BYU's football team nearly pulled off the most unique postseason experience in the modern era.
According to a report late Saturday night from Stadium college football reporter Brett McMurphy, the Cougars "had discussions" about playing in another bowl game after currently scheduled Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The 17th-ranked Cougars (10-1) will kick off against UCF (6-3) at 5 p.m. MT Tuesday (ESPN).
Because several teams opted out of playing in a bowl, BYU along with the Sun Belt had discussions about playing in 2 bowls this season to help fill the bowls, but ultimately the schools didn't for various reasons, sources told @Stadium
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 20, 2020
BYU officials declined to comment on the report.
The deal, which was also discussed by the Sun Belt Conference, was first broached as a possibility as teams have declined to play in a bowl game despite the NCAA waiving the six-win minimum requirement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the notable self-cancellations are the Pac-12, which has had five teams opt out of the postseason.
No. 13 USC, which lost to Oregon in Friday night's Pac-12 championship, became the latest by announcing its own withdrawal Saturday afternoon. Utah, which ended the season at 3-2 following a come-from-behind win over Washington State, previously announced Friday that it would not pursue a bowl bid.
The Trojans end the season at 5-1.
"We are a student-athlete-centered athletics program; thus we fully support the decision to opt out of a bowl game this year," USC athletic director Mike Bohn said in a statement. "The physical and mental health and the safety of our student-athletes is paramount, and this season has been unimaginably taxing on our players in particular. This will allow them to be with their families who they haven't seen for a long time and begin preparing for their spring semester academics.
"We are sincerely grateful for how our student-athletes, coaches and staff handled this unprecedented season and worked through so much adversity."
In all, 16 teams have opted out of the postseason, plus LSU. The defending national champions, which finished 5-5 with Saturday's win over Ole Miss, elected to serve a one-year postseason bowl ban due to an NCAA investigation into the program.
A dozen bowl games have been cancelled for the 2020 postseason, including five that were contracted with the Pac-12.
Here are the known teams to have opted out:
- Boston College
- Florida State
- Georgia Tech
- Kansas State
- Louisville
- Penn State
- Pitt
- San Diego State
- SMU
- Stanford
- UCLA
- USC
- Utah
- Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- Washington
- Washington State
The list will likely force at least one more outright bowl game cancellation by the time the College Football Playoff selection committee meets Sunday to finalize the final top-25 rankings and its four-team playoff. The committee is roundly expected to select Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame to the national semifinals, which will be played in New Orleans and Arlington, Texas, after moving the previously scheduled Rose Bowl semifinal site late Saturday night.
