Boston College opts out of bowl game

BOSTON — Boston College, which managed to escape the worst of the coronavirus outbreak and the schedule and roster shuffling that has affected so many other college football teams, is passing on the opportunity to play in a bowl so players can spend Christmas with their families.

BC is the first school to forego the postseason because of the pandemic.

“A lot of these young men haven’t hugged their loved ones since June,” athletic director Pat Kraft said Thursday in a conference call with reporters. “I’m very, very, very proud of them and the sacrifices they’ve made.”

Coach Jeff Hafley said he could sense the strain of the unusual season on his players and called together his “leadership council” — one representative from every position group — to get a sense of how the team felt.

Together, they decided to pull the plug.

“When (linebacker Max Richardson) told the team that they’re going home to see their families, it was an uproar,” Hafley said. “At that moment I knew 100 percent it was the right decision.”

Meanwhile, four more major college football games scheduled for Saturday were canceled, including No. 13 Oklahoma at West Virginia, No. 23 Texas at Kansas, and Washington at Oregon.

And the 10th-ranked Duke men’s basketball team said it will not play any more nonconference games this season.

Duke’s decision followed coronavirus-related postponements of three nonconference games this year. The school said it was a precaution that would also allow players to spend time with families over the holidays.

“This is the best decision we could make as a program, in making sure that we are doing the right thing for our players,” Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said.