MW ALREADY HAS VIRUS PROBLEMS

Cases at UNLV, UNM bring uncertainty to season’s first week

The San Diego State football team’s season opener could be in question and the Mountain West schedule significantly impacted following positive COVID-19 cases involving the UNLV and New Mexico football programs.

Kickoff for the Mountain West season is a week away. SDSU is scheduled to open next Saturday against UNLV at Carson’s Dignity Health Sports Park while New Mexico is to play at Colorado State.

At UNLV, “multiple positive tests” have been reported over the past two weeks, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Rebels’ team doctor said the positive results for all members of the football program total less than 2.5 percent — the exact numbers of cases was not revealed — and school officials say it does not yet rise to the level of postponing games.

At this point, SDSU is moving forward with plans to play the game as scheduled.

“We’re aware of the situation,” a school spokesman said. “Obviously, we’ll work

with UNLV and the conference to monitor the situation.”

Just as news was breaking Thursday at the other schools, SDSU head coach Brady Hoke was on a Zoom call with local media. The questions he was asked included how concerned he was about getting through the season given COVID-19 outbreaks across the country.

“You’re always concerned about that,” Hoke said. “We try and communicate about accountability, about making great decisions and staying together in their little bubbles.

“As coaches, we’ve done the same thing. It’s one of those things that we’re all very vigilant about and we’re going to stay that way and were going to, hopefully, be able get through this thing.”

John David Wicker, SDSU’s director of athletics, said there were some positive tests among Aztecs players and/or family members before players returned to campus in July, but the school has not

commented on whether there have been any positive results among players, coaches or staff members since their return.

At New Mexico, eight players and one assistant coach tested positive Wednesday, according to the Albuquerque Journal. Practices were paused at least through Friday.

While schools officials were optimistic players could return to the practice field by the weekend, it appears state health guidelines will prevent that.

One part of the guidelines are that “for any practice, game or scrimmage to occur in New Mexico, the college, university or New Mexico special school must be located in a county with a 14-day average daily case count of fewer than eight per 100,000 and a test positivity rate of under five percent 14 days prior to the scheduled contest.”

According to the Albuquerque Journal story, the case count in Bernalillo County, where the university is located, reached 14.1 per 100,000.

“We were just told the same,” New Mexico AD Eddie Nunez told

the Journal. “We will work with the Governor’s office and state officials in the coming days to do whatever we can to try and continue in a safe manner.”

All those at UNLV and New Mexico who have tested positive are under quarantine.

The Mountain West is paying for the members of all 12 of its football programs to receive rapid-result testing three times a week.

Virtually every conference has been impacted by positive coronavirus tests and nearly two dozen games have been postponed over the first seven weeks of the season.

Just this week, Alabama head coach Nick Saban and AD Greg Byrne tested positive for COVID-19. Six games have been postponed this weekend, including two SEC contests — LSU-Florida and Vanderbilt-Missouri — because of positive COVID-19 cases.

So the Mountain West was not surprised if it was impacted as well, although conference officials would have hoped to avoid problems before the season even kicked off.

Unlike some other conferences that included bye weeks in their schedules, the MW has not given itself any wiggle room in the event of outbreaks.

With no open dates on the eight-week schedule, a Mountain West spokesman said it’s possible games could be canceled if a team is not available to play.

And if, for instance, both UNLV and New Mexico are sidelined next week, could that create the possibility of an SDSU-Colorado State matchup on Oct. 24 so that four teams aren’t sitting on the sidelines?

It seems a stretch at this point, but it also seems like nothing is off the table in this year of the unprecedented.

“It’ll all depends what day of the week the cancellation is made and the willingness of the institutions to play,” the MW spokesman said.

The situation will be remain f luid, based on the circumstances, with the possibility of creative scheduling on the f ly in order to play games.