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Another one: Minnesota announces it will opt out of bowl season
Published:
Minnesota has joined the growing number of Power 5 teams who are opting out of bowl season.
The Gophers announced that decision on Sunday morning.
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1340689821254217728
Minnesota is the first Big Ten team to publicly opt out of bowl season.
Due to the pandemic, all teams were eligible to participate in a bowl this year. However, at least a dozen Power 5 teams opted out of bowl season prior to this weekend, and many more are expected.
According to one report, all but two Pac-12 teams are expected to opt out of college football’s postseason this year.
More opt outs will likely result in the cancelation of several more bowl games on Sunday due to the lack of teams available.
Teams are opting out to avoid extending this stressful, arduous season for another couple weeks. Many players across the country have gone months without seeing family members, and the reward of a bowl trip isn’t present this season due to the pandemic.
According to Stadium’s Brett McMurphy, decisions from several Big Ten teams will ultimately determine the number of canceled bowl games. .
Minnesota’s decision to opt out means there could now be up to 3 bowls canceled today, sources told @Stadium. It depends on decisions by a number of Big Ten teams
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 20, 2020
This means Minnesota’s season is over. The Gophers went 3-4 this season and end the year with a 20-17 overtime loss to Wisconsin.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.