A canceled bowl game? That almost never happens.
Hawaii had a postseason game canceled in 1941 because of Pearl Harbor. A Division II bowl in 2013 was canceled due to weather. That's about all we can dig out of the annals of the Internet.
Wednesday, the First Responder Bowl between Boise State and Boston College halted play in the first quarter and never resumed because of lightning. It's been ruled no-contest. BC was leading 7-0 with 5:08 left in the first quarter.
This will have an impact on bowl pools of all kinds, and here's what bettors need to know.
What Happens To My Bets?
If you simply bet on the game — i.e. Boise State -2.5 or under 51 — the game will be graded as no action and your money should be refunded at every sportsbook.
Always check your sportsbooks rules, because they can vary greatly. But since the game will not be replayed on Wednesday or anytime soon, it will be graded as no action.
What About Parlays and Teasers?
This game will be treated like a push if you had it in a parlay or teaser. So a three-team parlay becomes a two-team parlay, a two-team teaser becomes a one-team teaser, etc., and the payout will be adjusted accordingly. It's similar to a push.
How Are Confidence Pools Affected?
Great question. Different operators will likely have different ways to handle it.
There is a semi-easy way to handle it if your host site allows it and there aren't too many people in the pool — assign the Boise-Boston College game 0 and bump up every other game one point for each person.
Some confidence pools may also assign both teams as the winner, so everyone gets those points.
For other pools in which you don't pick every game, you can likely re-open your picks for 24 hours so people can select another game in place of the canceled one.
