Team that already played bowl game could play in Gator Bowl?

Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman (10) Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Team that already played bowl game could face Wake Forest in Gator Bowl?

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 12/22/21

Texas A&M will not take part in the Gator Bowl this year as originally scheduled due to COVID-19 issues within the program, but officials are working to find a replacement for the Aggies. According to one report, it is possible that replacement could be a team that already played in a bowl game.

Wake Forest was supposed to play Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The Demon Deacons are coming off a 10-3 regular season and hoping to find a new opponent. That will not be easy. Sources told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports that one possibility is a school playing in two different bowl games.

Gator Bowl officials are going to exhaust all options to put on a game. Wake Forest (10-3) really wants to play after one of the best seasons in school history.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 22, 2021

As Thamel notes, that would require a waiver. It has never been done before, but perhaps an exception can be made.

Gator Bowl officials could also wait to see if another bowl game encounters COVID-related issues. One bowl game would likely have to be canceled if that scenario unfolded.

The theme of players opting out of bowl games to prepare for the NFL has continued this year, but the Gator Bowl is clearly important to Wake Forest. Hopefully it can find an opponent rather than seeing the successful season end prematurely.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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