SPOKANE, Wash. — Editor's note: Boise State has officially withdrawn from the Arizona Bowl, opening the door for WSU to play the Broncos' Arizona Bowl opponent, Central Michigan, in the Sun Bowl. Click here for the latest updates.
The University of Miami Hurricanes shocked the Washington State University (WSU) Cougars on Sunday when they announced they would be opting out of the upcoming Sun Bowl due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the team.
WSU had landed in El Paso, Texas just hours before the Hurricanes made the announcement.
With Miami opting out of the Sun Bowl, there are a lot of scenarios with not a lot of answers for the Cougs, who are currently in El Paso waiting to hear the fate of their final game of the season.
There are several teams that could potentially play against the Cougs in the Sun Bowl, but with such little notice from the Hurricanes, finding a team that would be able to prepare for the game and travel to El Paso by Thursday seems unlikely.
"We're looking at everybody right now that could possibly still play," Sun Bowl Executive Director Bernie Olivas said. "Some of those teams have already disbanded and gone home, but we're looking at some that might possibly be available."
Olivas added that WSU should know if they will have an opponent or not within 24 hours.
So what needs to happen in order for the Cougs to finish off their season? There are several options, some of which seem highly unlikely.
Playing a team from a canceled bowl game
Though it seems unlikely to play out, the Sun Bowl has not ruled out WSU playing an opponent from another canceled bowl game.
Three teams from the Pac-12 Conference have canceled their upcoming bowl games: Southern Methodist University (SMU), the University of Memphis and East Carolina University. Once those games were canceled, all three teams announced their seasons were over at that time.
Fans and Sun Bowl officials have also considered WSU playing a team whose bowl game has yet to be canceled. Even if another game is canceled by Monday, it seems highly unlikely bowl officials would be able to arrange the game by Friday, when the Sun Bowl is scheduled to take place. There are multiple factors that make this option less than likely, including television contracts, the location of the game and reimbursement for tickets.
Playing against Stephen F. Austin
The head football coach for Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas suggested the Cougs could face off against the Lumberjacks.
While this option may get fans and players excited, it seems unlikely this will happen. WSU belongs to the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), while Stephen F. Austin belongs to the Football Championship Subdivision.
In order for the two teams from different subdivisions to play against each other in the Sun Bowl, some form or permission from the NCAA would be required. Given that the game is slated for Friday, this option seems unlikely.
Choose one of the other 5-7 available teams
There are at least five teams that could potentially face off against WSU in the Sun Bowl. However, all of these teams are not currently practicing.
If one of the available teams were to play in the Sun Bowl, they would need to begin practicing no later than Monday and fly out to El Paso no later than Thursday. Given that these teams have not been practicing, this option seems unlikely.
Change the date of the Sun Bowl
The idea of moving back the date of the Sun Bowl has been floated around to allow for another team to have adequate time to prepare.
The Sun Bowl is scheduled to take place on Friday and is scheduled to be aired on CBS, which does not typically air football games outside of the weekends.
Moving the game to a weekend is not possible either due to NFL football airing on Sundays.
If the Sun Bowl did ultimately decide to move back the date of the game, a considerable number of fans would have to be reimbursed for the tickets they bought to the game scheduled for Friday.
In addition, WSU players would be forced to stay in El Paso ahead of the rescheduled game.
As of Monday morning, it seems highly unlikely that the Sun Bowl game will take place. Sun Bowl officials told KREM prior to Miami's withdrawal that they did not have a backup plan in the event that one of the teams was unable to play.
The search continues for another opponent.
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