Washington pulls out of Pac-12 title game due to virus; Oregon to play./
Huskies to be replaced by Oregon due to virus
Seattle Washington has pulled out of the Pac-12 football championship game due to COVID -19 issues in the Huskies program, and Oregon will now play No. 13 USC for the conference title on Friday instead.
Washington (3-1) announced Monday it is withdrawing from the championship game after determining the Huskies did not have at least 53 scholarship players available and did not meet the minimum number of scholarship athletes at specific positions.
Huskies coach Jimmy Lake said the entire team is quarantining as a precaution while they await results of more tests. Lake said Washington did not expect to have any offensive lineman — scholarship players or walk-ons — available to play because of positive tests and contact tracing.
Washington had to cancel its game last weekend against Oregon (3-2) that would have determined the Pac-12 North champion due to COVID -19 cases in the program that caused the Huskies to pause practice in the middle of the week.
Washington was named Pac-12 North champ by virtue of having a better winning percentage than Oregon.
Now the Ducks, the preseason Pac-12 favorites, will take a twogame losing streak into the title game, and Colorado is left without an opponent this weekend.
The Pac-12 scheduled games for its teams not involved in the championship and had planned to have Oregon and Colorado (4-1, 3-1 Pac-12), second to USC in the South, meet Saturday at the L.A. Coliseum.
If USC had not been able to play, Colorado would have been its replacement.
Currently there are no Pac-12 teams available for CU to play.
Colorado could schedule another game outside of the conference for Saturday, but the Buffaloes also need to remain on standby for the Pac-12 title game until later in the week.
Lake said the Huskies hope to be back in their facility by Monday and want to play in a bowl game.
Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt is negotiating a
deal with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea to make the former Commodores player its new head coach, sources said. Vanderbilt fired Derek Mason on Nov. 29 after he went 27-55 in seven seasons.
Virginia: Virginia's season is over after the Cavaliers took themselves out of consideration for a bowl berth.
Texas Tech: Texas Tech fired offensive coordinator David Yost as coach Matt Wells responded to a pair of sub-par seasons by cutting ties with one of the assistants he brought from Utah State. Yost was also the quarterbacks coach. The Red Raiders finished fourth in the Big 12 in total offense and sixth in scoring. Texas Tech was second in total offense in the first season with Yost.