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Twenty-four hours after the official announcement, it appears that West Virginia Mountaineers’ matchup in the 2020 AutoZone Liberty Bowl has already changed.
According to a report filed to ESPN by Chris Lowe, the Tennessee Volunteers have been forced to withdraw from the game after a string of positive COVID-19 tests — including head coach Jeremy Pruitt — and follow-up contact tracing. The Volunteers were tested on Sunday, and got their results back on Monday morning after they had already accepted the invitation to the Memphis-based bowl.
Sources tell @ClowESPN that #Tennessee is out for the Liberty Bowl after latest COVID-19 testing. Army up?https://t.co/M0WHFOOp1I
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 21, 2020
As of time of writing, a contingency plan has not been announced. The ESPN report does offer up the sensible idea of sliding Mississippi State out of the Armed Forces Bowl and into the Liberty Bowl, allowing the 9-2 Army Black Knights to matchup with Tulsa instead.
Mississippi State finished the season with a 3-7 record and last place in the SEC West. West Virginia currently holds a 2-0 all-time record over the Bulldogs.