The Holiday Bowl will not be played this season, bowl organizers announced Thursday, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
“This has been the most difficult decision our Board has ever had to make since our bowl game started in 1978,” Holiday Bowl CEO Mark Neville said in a statement. “While it’s not the decision we wanted to make, it’s the right decision for our non-profit association and the community for the long term.”
Played in San Diego every year since 1978, the Holiday Bowl would not have been able to host fans at this year’s game, which contributed to a unanimous vote to cancel by the game’s board of directors.
It was set to pair teams from the ACC and Pac-12.
“The Pac-12 shares in the Holiday Bowl’s disappointment that the current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the cancellation of this year’s game,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “The Holiday Bowl is a premier and historic post-season game loved by fans across the country, and we look forward to the 2021 and future editions of the game. We will continue to work with our Bowl partners on our 2020 lineup.”
When the bowl returns, it is expected to be played at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, as its longtime home, SDCCU Stadium, is set to be demolished to build a new stadium for San Diego State.
It is the second Pac-12-affiliated bowl to announce it would not be played this year, joining the Redbox Bowl — played in Santa Clara, California — which made its announcement in July.
The Bahamas Bowl and Hawaii Bowl were canceled earlier this month.