Tampa's Gasparilla Bowl May Be Canceled After South Carolina Exit

TAMPA, Fla. — The Gasparilla Bowl, which is scheduled to be played Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, may be in jeopardy after South Carolina was forced to withdraw from the game due to an outbreak of the coronavirus within the program, the school announced Tuesday.

The Gamecocks were slated to face the University of Alabama-Birmingham in the bowl game despite finishing the regular season with a 2-8 record. But after the NCAA waived its minimum number of wins requirement to quality for a postseason bowl appearance, the school learned Sunday it would travel to Tampa.

But in an announcement Tuesday, South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said that “between members of the coaching staff and student-athletes, COVID and contact tracing has taken a toll too high for us to overcome. I have notified the bowl and the SEC that we are not able to play in the game on Saturday.”

College football reporter Brett McMurphy reported on Twitter Tuesday that the Gasparilla Bowl is likely to be canceled unless ESPN can move other bowl teams around.” On the bowl game’s website, officials said that they are working on “next steps” regarding the game and would provide an update soon.

The Gasparilla Bowl is the third bowl game Tampa has hosted and was formerly known as the St. Petersburg Bowl and has gone several name changes since it joined the college football bowl lineup in 2008.