UCLA Football Will Decline Bowl Bid After Playing Final Game vs. Stanford

The UCLA football team will decline to play in a bowl game this season, instead ending their 2020 campaign against Stanford on Saturday. 

The 3-3 Bruins would be bowl eligible with a win this weekend. Teams must have a winning percentage of .500 or better to qualify for bowls.

UCLA players seemed prepared for the possibility of skipping a potential bowl berth this season. 

"Yeah, we haven't heard too much on that front, we're pretty much focused on Stanford and just what's ahead," tight end Greg Dulcich told reporters Tuesday. "This whole year has been about taking things in stride and whatever comes at us we will be ready for. We love playing football, so, that's my stance on that."

"Yeah, we haven't heard too much of that stuff, we're just focused on Stanford," wideout Ethan Fernea added Tuesday. "As far as I'm concerned we're not bowl eligible until we have a winning season, so we have to win that Stanford game before we start thinking about other stuff."

UCLA's release said the decision to decline a berth was led by the players, with support from the athletic department and head coach Chip Kelly. 

California registered 52,281 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday alone and the city of Los Angeles is currently under a stay-at-home order. Like UCLA, Stanford (3-2) had previously announced it would forego a bowl game this year.

"As much as any of us in our hearts would love to play in a bowl game, the practicality—I don't see how we could do it," Stanford head coach David Shaw told reporters on Tuesday.

"The guys are great with it, they understand it, they're excited about this week, and they're excited about being able to see their families for the holidays," he added.