The University of Nebraska announced on Sunday that they will not accept an invite to play in a bowl game this year.
NU joins other Big Ten schools like Penn State who held a player vote and decided not to pursue a bowl bid in 2020.
“The young men in our football program have shown great discipline this year adhering to necessary safety measures and protocols,” NU athletic director Bill Moos said in a statement released on Sunday morning. “I commend them for how they handled the challenges they faced in this unprecedented season.
“I also can’t thank our coaching staff and support staff enough for the leadership, organization, and professionalism they have displayed. It has been a true team effort to make this season possible. It has been a grueling 10 months for all involved, but because of the efforts of our football student-athletes, coaches and staff, we were one of only a few Big Ten teams that avoided a pause in team activities during the 2020 season.”
This comes on the heels of Nebraska’s 28-21 win at Rutgers, where multiple NU players hinted that there may be some wavering about playing another game. In fact, many seniors made farewell tweets following the game on Friday.
“Our players made great sacrifices this fall to allow us to play eight games and practice without disruption throughout the season,” head coach Scott Frost said via statement. “As their head coach, I am proud of how they continued to fight and finished the season with a win on Friday. This year has been a long grind and it is time for our guys to have a break, and the opportunity to spend Christmas and the holiday season with their family and friends.
“We will turn our focus to the 2021 season, and we look forward to our players returning to campus for the spring semester in January.”
The NCAA has waived the minimum win requirement to participate in a bowl game this year, and the Huskers were projected to play anywhere from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
The team met on Saturday and ultimately voted to shut things down after many players have been in Lincoln since March and April following rigorous COVID-19 safety protocols put in place in order to train and play football.
The Huskers have not played in a bowl since 2016, and senior JoJo Domann is the only player on the current roster that participated in that game.
NU finishes the 2020 season with a 3-5 record. Players will not return to Lincoln until mid-January now to begin winter conditioning.
