The organizers of two college football postseason games announced on Sunday that they had been canceled because of coronavirus cases among players.
Boston College, which had been scheduled to face East Carolina University in the Military Bowl on Monday afternoon in Annapolis, Md., had to withdraw from the game because it did not have enough players to field a team, Athletic Director Pat Kraft said, with virus cases compounding transfers and season-ending injuries.
The Fenway Bowl had its second consecutive cancellation. The University of Virginia and Southern Methodist University were scheduled to play on Wednesday at Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, but Virginia had coronavirus cases within its roster that prevented it from participating. The bowl was first announced in 2019, but has yet to have its inaugural edition.
The games are the latest in the sport’s postseason affected by the pandemic.
Last week, the University of Hawaii withdrew from its Hawaii Bowl matchup against the University of Memphis because of coronavirus cases within the program.
And Rutgers University entered the Gator Bowl after Texas A&M University withdrew because of virus issues and season-ending injuries. Rutgers will play Wake Forest University on Friday in Jacksonville, Fla.
The College Football Playoff last week warned that the four teams in Friday’s semifinals — No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Cincinnati — could face the possibility of forfeitures if they could not play.
