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UCLA Football Players Decide To Opt Out Of Potential Bowl Invitation

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — UCLA announced Thursday it will decline a potential bowl invitation, a decision led by its football players and fully supported by coach Chip Kelly and athletic director Martin Jarmond.

"We are a player-led team, and we listened to our players when it came to making this decision," Kelly said.

The decision means the Bruins will not play in a bowl game for the third time in Kelly's three seasons as coach.

UCLA is currently in its longest streak of missing bowls since the nine-season streak from 1966-74 when the Pac-8 Conference's bowl participation was limited to the conference champion playing in the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins had qualified for bowls in six of the seven seasons before Kelly's hiring.

It was not immediately clear whether UCLA would receive a bowl invitation. To date, 11 bowls have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

UCLA's decision marks the 11th team to decline a bowl invitation this season.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)

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