Boston College Football Opts Out Of Bowl Game

BOSTON (CBS) -- The Boston College football team will not be participating in a bowl game this season, the school announced Thursday.

The Eagles will finish the 2020 season with a 6-5 record overall, the school's first season under head coach Jeff Hafley. Boston College was likely to play in the Gaparilla Bowl or the Military Bowl according to projections.

The decision to skip out on a bowl game this year comes as COVID-19 cases spike around the country. Opting out was fully supported by Hafley, AD Pat Kraft and the Boston College administration, the school said in a statement.

"I can't thank our players enough for the sacrifice and commitment they showed to each other, to our team and to our community," said Hafley. "I am so proud to be their coach and I am thankful they now have the opportunity to go home for the first time since June to see their families. The young men in our program and our coaches and staff have been through an incredible six months and the restrictions placed on our student-athletes along with their adherence to strict COVID-19 policies and protocols took a mental and physical toll on them. People may not fully understand just how grueling this season was and our team needs and deserves an extended break to help recharge their minds and bodies."

"Our student-athletes have sacrificed so much since June to even make this season possible for BC and our fans and now it is time for them to focus on finishing up the semester strong and going home to spend time with their families and loved ones," said Kraft. "Very few teams in the country handled playing in a pandemic better than our student-athletes have and I thank them for all of their hard work and sacrifice to make it through the season. While the team has decided to conclude its season, we have the utmost respect for our ACC bowl partners and we look forward to participating in the postseason again in 2021."

Boston College had just one football student-athlete test positive for COVID-19 since the entire team began workouts on-campus in late June.

The Eagles were 6-5 overall and 5-5 in ACC play. Those five conference wins match the most by Boston College since the Eagles went 5-3 in ACC action in 2009.

This would have been BC's fifth straight season playing in a bowl game. The school's last bowl victory came in 2016, when the Eagles won the Quick Lane Bowl, 36-30, over Maryland. The Eagles have lost two straight bowl games since that win, with 2018's First Responder Bowl canceled due to lightning in the area.