Buckeyes’ outbreak may alter title races
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State officials said they are unsure when the university’s football team can practice again — let alone play the game at Michigan State scheduled for next weekend — after an outbreak of COVID-19 put the third-ranked Buckeyes’ hopes of playing in the Big Ten title game in danger.
“I have no clue what this afternoon or tomorrow will bring or next week will bring,” athletic director Gene Smith said Saturday.
Three more college football games across the country were canceled or postponed Saturday, including Florida State hosting Virginia. For the second straight week, the Seminoles had a home game called off hours before kickoff and after their opponent had already traveled to Tallahassee.
Last weekend, the obstacle was Clemson and Florida State not agreeing on whether the game should be played after a Tigers player who was positive for COVID-19 traveled with the team to Florida. This time, one positive test for a Florida State player that was returned Saturday morning led to contact tracing that left the Seminoles with only 44 scholarship players available.
“We deeply regret that many Florida State and Virginia fans have already traveled to the game as well as Virginia’s team,” Florida State athletic director Coburn said. “We simply had no way of knowing we would not be playing until this morning. We made every effort to play, but we could not do so in a way that was safe for the players.”
Ohio State canceled its game at Illinois late Friday night. Across college football, 19 of the 58 games originally scheduled for the week were called off for reasons related to COVID-19. The Buckeyes’ disruption could be the most significant, impacting the Big Ten and national championship races.
If Ohio State (4-0) cannot play its final two regular-season games, it would likely not reach the minimum number (six) required to be eligible for the Big Ten title matchup. The Buckeyes had an earlier game canceled because of an outbreak at Maryland.
This time Ohio State has the outbreak. According to Dr. Jim Borchers, Ohio State’s team physician, the program had virtually no positive tests this season until Wednesday’s testing. He said the percentage of positive individuals among players and staff hit one of the Big Ten’s warning “guideposts” on Friday night, leading to the cancellation of the trip to Illinois.
Borchers said that benchmark was 7.5% of the 170 individuals deemed “Tier 1 personnel” in the program, including players, coaches and staff. That means at least 13 people in the Buckeyes’ camp tested positive, although Borchers declined to provide specific numbers.
One of the positive tests was head coach Ryan Day, who wouldn’t have been on the sideline even if the team had gone to Champaign. His voice slightly raspy, Day participated in a Zoom call with reporters Saturday.
“I’m resting comfortably,” he said, “but I have an extremely heavy heart.”
Players who test positive have a 10-day isolation period followed by a 10-day return-to-activity period under the Big Ten’s COVID-19 protocol, Borchers said. So while Day might be able to return for the Buckeyes next weekend at Michigan State, the players who have tested positive will miss at least one more game — if the game is played at all.
Ohio State’s final regular-season game is set for Dec. 12 versus top rival Michigan, and the Buckeyes could play another game Dec. 19 even if they are not eligible for the Big Ten title contest. The College Football Playoff has no minimum number of games required to be eligible for selection.