COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio state officials don’t know when the team will return to exercise, let alone play next week in Michigan state, after a COVID-19 outbreak jeopardized the Buckeyes Big Ten’s hopes.
“I have no idea what he’s bringing this afternoon or next week,” sports director Gene Smith said Saturday.
Three other school football games across the country were canceled or postponed on Saturday, adding the state of Florida Virginia. By the time, the week in a row, the Seminoles had their home game cancelled a few hours before the start and after their opponent had already traveled. Tallahassee, Florida.
Last week, the challenge was that Clemson and the state of Florida disagreed on whether the game would be played after a Tigers player who tested positive for COVID-19 traveled with the team to Florida.
This week, a positive check for a Florida state player returned Saturday morning led to the search for contacts that left the Seminoles with 44 teammates.
“We deeply regret that many Florida and Virginia enthusiasts have already attended the game, as well as the Virginia team,” said Florida State Athletic Director David Coburn. “We just had no way of knowing that we wouldn’t be betting until now We’ve made every effort to play, but we couldn’t do it in a way for the players.
The state of Ohio canceled Saturday’s game in Illinois on Friday night. In school football, 19 of the 58 games originally scheduled for this week were canceled due to COVID-19 issues. The state of San Jose in Boise State also called Saturday morning, a key clash at Western Mountain. Boise State said he postponed all football activities.
Before the end of the day, next week’s first postponement was announced: Miami at Wake Forest will not be played on December 5 because deaco demons are handling COVID-19 cases, this ACC game had already been postponed due to the Miami outbreak.
The Buckeyes’ disruption can be the most significant, affecting the Big Ten and the national championship race.
If the state of Ohio (4-0) is not able to play its last two games of the regular season, it will probably not succeed in the minimum number (six) required to be eligible for the Big Ten championship game. due to an outbreak of COVID in Maryland.
This time, the state of Ohio has the epidemic. Ohio State team doctor Dr. Jim Borchers said the show had no positive tests this season before Wednesday’s tests.
Borchers said the percentage of positive Americans among Ohio State players and had reached one of the Big Ten “benchmarks” on Friday night led officials to cancel Saturday’s game in Illinois.
Borchers said the benchmark was 7. 5% of the other 170 people evaluated as point 1 in the program, adding players, coaches and staff. This means that at least thirteen other people in the Buckeyes camp tested positive, Borchers refused to provide express figures.
Coach Ryan Day, who would not have been sidelined even if the team had gone to Champaign, Illinois, one of the positive tests.
Day, in a hoarse voice, participated in a Zoom call with reporters on Saturday and said, “Rest comfortably, but my center is incredibly heavy. “
Positive players have a 10-day isolation era followed by a 10-day return to activity under the Big Ten protocols, Borchers said, so while Day might come back for the Buckeyes next week at Michigan State, players who have tested positive will miss at least one more game , if it is played.
The last game of the Ohio State regular season will be on December 12 against Michigan and the Buckeyes can play the game on December 19, even if they are not eligible for the big ten name game.
College football playoffs have a minimum number of games needed to be eligible for selection.
The state of Ohio has suspended all football activities, and Day said if the team can return to the area on Thursday, it could play next Saturday.
Borchers said the Big Ten benchmark that would have forced a seven-day close – five% positive of all managed tests – was not met, so the resolution to cancel Saturday’s game was made across the state of Ohio and no positive tests were forced to be distributed. and personal, without identifiable groups, he said.
“What we’re seeing in our case is some kind of community-type spread,” Smith said. “We haven’t noticed spikes in the fast areas. Of course, was it the right thing to do to play? No, no, no no no no
Day said that as positive instances began to emerge on Wednesday, the team had adjusted their education schedule, practically meeting, without helmets or banging on the field, all masked. They already had to fly to Illinois on Saturday morning instead of Friday.
“It wasn’t until (Friday) that we did the tests, and with the tests ahead, we got to a point where it became very transparent and we had to take a break,” Borchers said of the last resolution due to canceling the game. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t a resolution we could make at the beginning of the week. It wasn’t a resolution from my point of view that could be taken until (Friday). “
The program will continue to be reviewed daily and no one will be able to tell when the team will return to the field, if any.
“In fact, we look at the knowledge and look at what happened to the other teams,” Borchers said. “To verify, we’re waiting for what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, I can’t do that. “
Smith stated that there was no verbal exchange in the Big Ten about adjusting its minimum gaming requirements. The minimum may fall below six, but almost all 14 Big Ten games scheduled for the next two weekends will be canceled.
Smith said Saturday is the last thing he has in mind.
“The tactics and methods we will put into position today, and the next day, are just efforts to cede their protection and in all likelihood give them the chance to compete next weekend,” he said. it’s not the PCP. These aren’t the only things. It’s not about the amount of games we have to play. It’s one thing: their health, protection and making sure we give them the chance to play every day next weekend. »
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Ralph D. Russo, AP’s school football writer, contributed to the report.
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