Washington announced it will not pursue a bowl bid after a COVID-19 outbreak kept the Huskies (3-1) from playing their regular-season finale against Oregon and the Pac-12 title game against USC.
The school said the decision was for medical reasons.
“We have experienced a number of positive cases within a key position group,” said football team physician Dr. Kim Harmon in a statement. “Due to our thorough return to play policy, we would have not been able to have a team that was ready to return to practice and safely prepare for and compete in a bowl game.”
Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake indicated the offensive line was problematic.
“Unfortunately, due to the positive cases we have seen, specifically on our offensive line, we would have not been able to have a team ready to compete at a high level in a bowl game due to our return to play protocols,” Lake said in a statement. “This is disappointing for everyone, but this is the right decision to protect the health and safety of our players, which is always our greatest priority. Our guys have given up so much this season, and I would like to thank them for how they have handled everything.”
Washington’s opt out of the bowl season leaves the Pac-12 with only three teams available to play in the postseason: Southern California, Oregon and Colorado.
Utah, UCLA and Stanford have also said they will not participate.
