Ohio State reportedly has COVID-19 issues, but title game is still on as scheduled for now
Could the College Football Playoff national championship game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Alabama Crimson Tide at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium be postponed?
Nothing is official yet and the plan for now is for the game to go on as scheduled Monday at 8 p.m., but there have been discussions of postponement, according to multiple reports, because of COVID-19 issues in the Ohio State program.
“There are no changes to report,” College Football Playoff executive director Hancock said in a statement Tuesday. “The game is scheduled Jan. 11 as planned and we look forward to it.”
AL.com reported Tuesday afternoon that “Ohio State has informed key parties involved it could be without a position group due to COVID-19 testing and related protocols.” A final decision regarding postponement has not been made.
Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger reported that each team is following its respective conference’s COVID-19 protocols. For Alabama, that means conducting three PCR tests in the week prior to the game, with the final test being taken within three days of the game. Ohio State is testing daily.
The College Football Playoff had previously established Jan. 18 as the makeup date should the title game need to be postponed. Teams are scheduled to arrive in Miami on Saturday.
“We continue to follow the same protocols as we have all season,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in statements to various news outlets, including The Athletic and ESPN. “We plan to play January 11th and we continue to communicate with the Big Ten and now the CFP, so at this point in time, we see the game being played. But who knows what tomorrow will bring? That’s COVID. We’re on track right now.”
Ohio State coach Ryan Day also gave no indications when he spoke on Monday that the Buckeyes wouldn’t be ready to play.
“We get 10 days here and kind of rest up a little bit and then get to work and practicing,” Day said. “So I think we’ll be refreshed and ready to roll. The virus still hasn’t gone away, so we’ve got to make sure we’re really vigilant in that area, which is still a struggle day in and day out. It’s just hard. But the preparation is just going to continue to go on.”
Day also said Monday that he anticipated no change in the team’s practice schedule heading into the championship game and that the team will announce an availability report at the end of the week.
“We’re just going to practice the way we normally practice,” Day said. “Nothing is going to change.”
Ohio State had three games canceled this season due to COVID-19 issues either in its own program or due to its opponents having an outbreak. An outbreak in the Buckeyes’ program forced the cancellation of its game against Illinois on Nov. 28, while Maryland and Michigan had their own COVID-19 problems that forced games against Ohio State on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12, respectively, to be called off.
The Buckeyes (7-0) advanced to the national championship game after defeating Clemson 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday. Alabama (12-0) defeated Notre Dame 31-14 in the Rose Bowl to earn its spot in the title game.
“Ohio State AD Gene Smith and I have had multiple conversations,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne wrote in a statement on Twitter. “Both schools are focused on playing in the [College Football Playoff] Championship Game on January 11th.”
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 4:48 PM.
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