EL PASO, Texas — After 24 hours of unknown, Washington State University will play in the Sun Bowl after all.
Multiple outlets reported that a deal is in place for the Central Michigan Chippewas to play WSU in the historic bowl game. The Sun Bowl then confirmed the news.
Central Michigan has been released from the Arizona Bowl by their conference, the MAC, after the Chippewas’ opponent, Boise State, had to drop out of the bowl game due to COVID-19 issues within its program.
CMU was then invited to play in the Sun Bowl and has accepted the invitation to play the Cougs. Central Michigan is already in Tucson for the Arizona Bowl and will make the four-hour drive to El Paso for the Sun Bowl at a later date.
"We are grateful for the diligent work of the Sun Bowl association, the Pac-12 conference, the Mid-American conference and Central Michigan University to ensure the 2021 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl will be played," WSU Director of Athletics Pat Chun said in a statement. "A special thank you to CMU's Director of Athletics Amy Folan and Head Coach Jim McElwain for prioritizing the bowl experience for both teams, especially the seniors who will be playing their final college football game."
The decision was a no-brainer money-wise for the Chippewas, as the TV game pay out for the Sun Bowl is roughly $2.3 million per team while the Arizona Bowl’s pay out is $175,000 per squad. The Sun Bowl also gives Central Michigan more exposure as the game is on CBS, while the Arizona Bowl could only be watched on YouTube.
The Arizona Bowl and Sun Bowl were slated to be played in the same day on New Year's Eve so the logistics also work in that sense.
This is the first bowl game of the season that has had a team drop out due to COVID-19 and wasn’t canceled.
Miami had to drop out of the Sun Bowl on Sunday due to COVID-19 issues within their program. They originally reported issues on Tuesday but tried to push through. On Sunday, after players returned from Christmas break with their family, numbers apparently rose again for the Hurricanes.
There is a local tie for the Chippewas as their defensive coordinator is Robb Akey, who held the same position at WSU from 2003-2006 and was the head coach at Idaho from 2007-2012. Akey was also WSU’s defensive line coach from 1999-2002.
Central Michigan finished 8-4 this season and second in the MAC West.
WSU and Central Michigan will play in the Sun Bowl at 9 a.m. PT on KREM 2 on New Year's Eve. KREM will be airing in hourlong pregame special at 8 a.m.