Reported virus issues at Ohio St raise specter of CFP championship delay
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said Tuesday the national championship game between Alabama and Ohio State is still a go for Monday night amid a report that the Buckeyes are having COVID-19 issues.
AL.com reported that Ohio State has been in contact with CFP officials about possible player availability problems that could force the game to be delayed. Those discussions were confirmed to The Associated Press by a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because no one had been authorized to speak publicly about the details.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement that the Buckeyes continue to follow the same protocols they have all season. “We plan to play January 11,” Smith said.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne posted on Twitter that he and Smith have had multiple conversations.
“Both schools are focused on playing in the (at)CFBPlayoff Championship Game on January 11th,” Byrne said.
Hancock said there were no changes and the game in Miami Gardens, Florida, between the top-ranked Crimson Tide and the third-ranked Buckeyes was still scheduled for Monday night as planned.
Hancock has previously said Jan. 18 is a potential makeup date if necessary.
The pandemic threatened to shut down major college football altogether in the summer, but a season was played through dozens of postponements and cancellations, and with
teams getting through g a mes s horthanded because of the virus.
About 87% of the regular-season Bowl Subdivision schedule was played. For Ohio State, though, it has been an especially bumpy road.
[b]Florida may lose Mullen: [/ b]Florida coach Dan Mullen could be on the verge of opting out. One week after insisting he hadn’t even thought about the NFL, there are reports that Mullen might walk
away from the Gators, telling NFL teams he’s interested in making the jump to the pros.
It was tumultuous season for Mullen. He landed Florida on NCAA probation, was dealt a show-cause penalty for recruiting violations, was fined and reprimanded by the Southeastern Conference for his role in a benches-clearing fight, and was widely criticized for seemingly tone-deaf comments following two losses.
Mullen has acknowledged the landscape in college football is changing.
The burgeoning transfer portal forces coaches to continually re-recruit their own players and there are also the undetermined challenges regarding name, image and likeness earning potential. And the coronavirus pandemic exposed college athletics for having an overspending financial model that’s capable of crumbling on short notice.