The Miami Hurricanes on Sunday pulled out of the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, five days after announcing the program had been shut down because of a COVID-19 outbreak.
The Sun Bowl had said it will seek a replacement to face Washington State in the New Year's Eve game in the event Miami was unable to participate.
Illinois had expressed interest in continuing its season and is one of the highest 5-7 teams in APR (Academic Progress Report), which in normal years is a criteria for selecting a five-win team.
The NCAA has said there is flexibility with selecting bowl replacements.