The boycott by Minnesota’s players of the Holiday Bowl could end up becoming a major problem for the bowl game, and finding a replacement team may not be as easy as hoped.
Minnesota’s players announced this week that they are boycotting the Dec. 27 bowl game in San Diego in protest of 10 players being suspended by the school relating to the investigation of a sexual assault incident in early September. A handful of the players were suspended earlier this season because of a police investigation of the incident, but now there is a Title IX investigation. The Golden Gophers announced in solidarity that they will not proceed with football activities until the players are reinstated.
Their boycott leaves the Holiday Bowl in trouble. Washington State and Minnesota accepted bids to the bowl earlier this month and have ticket allotments to sell. The bowl also needs to fill hotel rooms, airline flights and pregame festivities.
If Minnesota does not play in the game, Northern Illinois would be next up for a bowl bid, as they finished 5-7 and are the next eligible school for a bowl thanks to their Academic Progress Report. But CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd notes that it would be a logistical nightmare for Northern Illinois to get ready for a bowl game in just 11 days of notice. The school is already out of session, and players already have holiday plans. Dodd reports that the school has made it clear it would be difficult for them to participate in the bowl game.
Arizona State and Cal would be next up on the list to fill in, and both already played and lost to Washington State this season.
