In a move that will jeopardize this year’s Arizona Bowl, the Mid-American Conference announced Saturday that it will postpone its fall sports seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MAC is in its first year as a partner with the Arizona Bowl, the annual game played against a Mountain West Conference school at Arizona Stadium.
Arizona Bowl chairman Ali Farhang called the decision “certainly disappointing, but it’s just a matter of perspective.”
“They call it the novel coronavirus because it’s new and we’re learning more every day,” he added. “I’m confident we’re going to get through this. ... (The MAC) is making the best decision in what they believe is the best interests of their student-athletes, which takes courage and is very commendable. There’s still so much uncertainty and we’ll continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.”
Farhang said the Arizona Bowl’s executive board has “been working on different possibilities since March,” when the coronavirus paused professional sports and canceled the collegiate spring sports season.
The Mountain West Conference will meet over the following days to discuss the future of the fall sports season. Farhang said the Arizona Bowl is prepared to adjust, whether it means continuing without the MAC or MWC or skipping the 2020 game altogether.
“The bowl is in good shape and regardless of how the rest of the dominoes fall, we’re prepared ... and we have contingency plans in place that we’ve been working for a long time,” Farhang said.
"We're just waiting to see what the Mountain West will determine is in the best interest of their student-athletes and if they're able to make it work. We still may have options. But I think we've all been hoping to push this decision as far as we could and by that time things will get better. We're getting to a place now where college athletics will need to make a determination on how they want to proceed and based on how decisions are made, the Arizona Bowl will make the best decision for our community."
