Sun Bowl won't be played for first time since 1935
One of the longest-running college football bowl games will not be played this season.
The Sun Bowl, which has been played every year since its inaugural game back in 1935, will not be held in 2020 due to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. Bowl officials confirmed the news to KTSM, El Paso’s NBC affiliate. The news was first reported by Stadium’s Brett McMurphy.
The game was scheduled for Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas, and would have featured an ACC vs. Pac-12 matchup. El Paso has been dealing with a surge in virus cases in recent weeks.
“It’s sad, but it’s the best thing we can do for our community,” a Sun Bowl official told KTSM.
The news marks the end of 86 consecutive seasons with the Sun Bowl being played, the second-longest streak among all college football bowl games. Only the Rose Bowl, which has been played annually since 1916, has a longer active streak.
In a year where every team is eligible to compete in a bowl, the list of games is shrinking. With the cancellation of the Sun Bowl, there have now been eight FBS bowls canceled due to the pandemic. The others to precede the Sun Bowl are the Bahamas Bowl, Fenway Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl and Redbox Bowl.
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