2021 Holiday Bowl Canceled After UCLA Withdrew Because of COVID-19 Issues

The Holiday Bowl was officially canceled Wednesday after UCLA withdrew from the NC State matchup Tuesday because of COVID-19 issues.  

Per Fox Sports and The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, UCLA had just two available interior defensive linemen and a "converted linebacker as the backup nose guard," though the Bruins were still going to play before reportedly having more COVID-19 issues pop up Tuesday.

It's the latest bowl game to be canceled because of COVID-19 concerns. The Arizona Bowl (Boise State vs. Central Michigan), Military Bowl (Boston College vs. East Carolina), Wasabi Fenway Bowl (Virginia vs. SMU) and Hawai'i Bowl (Hawai'i vs. Memphis) were also canceled. 

A number of other bowl games have had to pivot to different matchups amid the pandemic. The Sun Bowl scooped up Central Michigan to face Washington State after Miami withdrew from the game, while the Gator Bowl added Rutgers to take on Wake Forest after Texas A&M pulled out. 

The cancellation is a major disappointment for both UCLA and NC State. The 8-4 Bruins had their first winning season under Chip Kelly and were heading to their first bowl game since 2017. 

The 9-3 Wolfpack, meanwhile, finished the season ranked 18th and were looking for their first 10-win season since 2002. 

Postseason heartbreak for COVID-19 reasons has become an unfortunate storyline for NC State this year. The school's baseball team had to pull out of the College Baseball World Series because of COVID-19 protocols in June, just a game away from reaching the final.