STAYING HOME FOR HOLIDAY?
Rain, virus could lead to the smallest crowd in bowl game’s history
A crowd “north of 30,000” is expected for the 2021 SDCCU Holiday Bowl, according to bowl officials.
Tuesday night's game between No. 18 North Carolina State and UCLA matches teams from the ACC and Pac-12 for the first time in the game's 43-year history.
It also is the first time a football game will be played in the 18-year history of Petco Park.
Despite a matchup of teams with high-scoring offenses meeting in a unique setting, it could be the smallest crowd in the game's history, due to ongoing concerns with COVID-19, wet weather the past week in the region and higher ticket prices.
The surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks amid the Omicron variant is making some fans uneasy about crowds, even at outdoor venues.
Travel plans also have been complicated because of hundreds of canceled flights.
Rainstorms, like the ones that have pounded San Diego in recent days, typically result in a corresponding decrease in attendance.
The smallest crowd in Holiday Bowl history came in 1992, when 44,457 watched Hawaii defeat Illinois 27-17. The weather was fine for that game. Fans
from the competing schools simply didn't attend in customary numbers.
Crowds averaged 52,000 fans for the Holiday Bowl over the past decade at SDCCU Stadium. The capacity at Petco Park is 41,000 for the football game.
The 2019 Holiday Bowl — the last event played at SDCCU Stadium — drew a crowd of 50,123 for Iowa's 4924 victory over USC.
Ticket prices for the 2019 game ranged from $35 to $175.
The 2020 game was canceled because of the pandemic.
Ticket prices range from $90 to $265 for the game's Petco Park debut.
COVID concerns
The Holiday Bowl participants have mostly avoided coronavirus issues that have impacted several postseason bowls, but UCLA will be without its leading tackler because of the virus.
Senior defensive back Qwuantrezz Knight is isolating at home after testing positive for COVID-19.
UCLA tests its players once a week, although Knight tested ahead of his teammates because he was
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