Nebraska will not compete in bowl game after team vote

LINCOLN, Neb. - Despite revised bowl eligibility standards that leave the Nebraska football team eligible for a potential bowl bid, the Huskers announced on Sunday that they will not participate in a bowl game this season after a team vote.

“The young men in our football program have shown great discipline this year adhering to necessary safety measures and protocols," said Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos. "I commend them for how they handled the challenges they faced in this unprecedented season."

The Huskers finished the season with a 3-5 record, winning their final game of the season at Rutgers on Friday. Nebraska is not the only team to make such a decision, as 4-5 Penn State also elected to forego any potential bowl game. Many in the Husker program have remained in Lincoln since early spring as a result of COVID-19 precautions.

“Our players made great sacrifices this fall to allow us to play eight games and practice without disruption throughout the season," Huskers head coach Scott Frost said. "As their head coach I am proud of how they continued to fight and finished the season with a win on Friday. This year has been a long grind and it is time for our guys to have a break, and the opportunity to spend Christmas and the holiday season with their family and friends. We will turn our focus to the 2021 season, and we look forward to our players returning to campus for the spring semester in January.”

"It has been a grueling 10 months for all involved, but because of the efforts of our football student-athletes, coaches and staff, we were one of only a few Big Ten teams that avoided a pause in team activities during the 2020 season," Moos said.

Nebraska will enter the 2021 season looking to end a run of four straight losing seasons. The Huskers last won consecutive games in September of 2019, beating Northern Illinois on Sept. 14 of that year followed by a win against Illinois the following week.