College football is undergoing a minor crisis as multiple bowl games have been cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The latest bowl game to get called off was the Holiday Bowl, which was set to feature the UCLA Bruins and the NC State Wolfpack. The reason for the cancellation was a significant outbreak of positive COVID tests among UCLA players, according to Bruce Feldman.

Feldman reported that it was UCLA's defensive line, in particular, that was harshly affected by COVID issues, leaving the Bruins with practically no depth at the position, thus making the Holiday Bowl impossible to play. Per Feldman, UCLA was down to just two defensive linemen on Monday night, and had been planning to play linebackers in the trenches in their absence.

That plan never took flight, however, as the Bruins were hit with even more COVID issues on Tuesday, forcing them to pull out of the action.

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The Bruins announced their decision to withdraw from the game via Twitter, just a few hours before the game was set to kickoff. The San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl was scheduled to be played at 8:00 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego.

The Bruins finished the 2021 season with an 8-4 record, placing third in the Pac-12 South division behind Utah and Arizona State. NC State finished the season ranked No. 18 after a 9-3 campaign. They placed second in the ACC Atlantic behind Wake Forest, having gone 6-2 in conference play.

Both teams were deserving of an awesome end to their 2021 college football season, but instead NC State and UCLA fans will be left disappointed following the COVID issues plaguing the Bruins' program.