Boise State is out of the 2021 Arizona Bowl due to a rise in COVID-19 cases within the program, CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd confirmed on Monday. The Broncos were scheduled to play Central Michigan on Friday at 2 p.m. ET at Arizona Stadium in Tucson. Despite the Broncos' withdrawal, however, the Chippewas could still find themselves playing in the postseason.
Washington State was left without an opponent after Miami's was forced to withdraw from the Sun Bowl on Sunday due to COVID-19 issues, and Dodd reported earlier on Monday that it's "Central Michigan or bust" if the game in El Paso is to be played. Tucson is only 317 miles from El Paso, Texas, so the detour that the Chippewas would take to get to the Sun Bowl is manageable from a logistics standpoint.
Boise State is the sixth team to withdraw from a bowl game this season due to COVID-19 protocols and the lack of available personnel, and the second Mountain West team to pull out of a bowl game following Hawaii's protocol issues that forced the cancellation of the Hawaii Bowl vs. Memphis on Christmas Eve.
Boise State finishes the 2021 season with a 7-5 (5-3 Mountain West) record in the first season for coach Andy Avalos.
