Breaking: Ohio State vs. Illinois Has Been Canceled
Another game is off this weekend’s college football calendar, and it is one with significant College Football Playoff ramifications. Ohio State football’s game against Illinois is off, due to the COVID-19 outbreak within the Buckeye program.
Earlier today, the school announced that head coach Ryan Day would miss the game in Champaign after testing positive for the virus. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson was set to fill in at head coach.
Now, the game is reportedly off completely. In the Big Ten, games are not postponed, just canceled, so it will not be made up.
Saturday’s game was scheduled for noon.
Ohio State has paused team football activities.
— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) November 28, 2020
With this game off, Ohio State’s season is scheduled to continue next Saturday on the road at Michigan State. The team will close its season on Dec. 12 at home against Michigan.
From Ohio State’s release about the decision to cancel:
The football game between No. 3 Ohio State University and the University of Illinois, scheduled for this Saturday at 12 noon (EST) in Champaign, Ill., has been cancelled by Ohio State University after further positive tests for the coronavirus were discovered after a round of PCR testing this afternoon.
The Department of Athletics has paused all team-related football activities. The decision to cancel and pause was made jointly by Director of Athletics Gene Smith, University President Kristina M. Johnson, head team physician Dr. Jim Borchers and in consultation with the Big Ten Conference.
“We have continued to experience an increase in positive tests over the course of this week,” Smith said. “The health, safety and well-being of our student-athlete is our main concern, and our decisions on their welfare will continue to be guided by our medical staff.”
The Buckeyes are ranked No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. Every game canceled is a lost data point, so this is a big deal for the Buckeyes, even if it is just the game against Illinois.
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