Although there have reportedly been discussions about postponing the national championship game to Jan. 18, Ohio State is still planning to play on Monday as of now.
There have been discussions between Ohio State and the Big Ten, Alabama and the SEC and the College Football Playoff about possibly postponing next week's title game – currently scheduled to be played on Jan. 11 – to the following Monday due to COVID-19 issues at Ohio State, according to a report by AL.com's John Talty and Matt Zenitz.
Per the AL.com report, “Ohio State has informed key parties involved it could be without a position group due to COVID-19 testing and related protocols.”
That said, Ohio State continued to practice on Tuesday and is still preparing to play on Monday, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told Eleven Warriors.
“We continue to follow the same protocols we have all season,” Smith said. “We plan to plan January 11th.”
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne said he has “had multiple conversations” with Smith about the game being played on Monday.
Ohio State AD Gene Smith and I have had multiple conversations. Both schools are focused on playing in the @CFBPlayoff Championship Game on January 11th. #RollTide
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) January 5, 2021
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock – who has said previously that the CFP is willing to postpone games if COVID-19 issues require – also said Tuesday that the game remains on as scheduled for Jan. 11.
CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock: "There are no changes to report. The game is scheduled for January 11 as planned and we are looking forward to it."
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) January 5, 2021
According to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel, there have been COVID-19 issues at Ohio State, “but not enough to postpone the game.”
Sources: As of right now, Ohio State planning on playing in the title game as scheduled on Jan. 11. All systems are go for that. There's been COVID-19 issues at OSU, but not enough to postpone the game. This is obviously COVID-19 times, and things can change.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 5, 2021
Per Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, the College Football Playoff set minimum thresholds of 53 total scholarship players, seven offensive linemen, four defensive linemen and one quarterback; if a team falls below those thresholds, it can seek for the game to be postponed, but Ohio State is not believed to be below any of those thresholds right now.
Sources: The CFP Management Committee weeks ago established the following available player thresholds for the playoff games -- 53 total, seven offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, one quarterback. If a playoff team falls below that, it can seek to postpone a game. ...
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) January 6, 2021
Per Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger, “the game is on for Monday for now, but there has been discussion about a postponement” in case there continue to be more positive tests.
CFP officials are monitoring Ohio State's COVID issues/numbers on a daily basis, as you'd expect. The Buckeyes are testing daily.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 5, 2021
Again, as we reported, the game is on for Monday for now, but there has been discussion about a postponement in case numbers continue to decline.
It is unclear exactly how many COVID-19 cases are within Ohio State's program and which specific players have been affected by the outbreak, as Ohio State does not identify players who test positive or release its testing data to the public.
Although it's unclear when the most recent positive cases popped up, Ohio State coach Ryan Day acknowledged on Monday that dealing with the constant threat of COVID-19 cases within the program has been a challenge.
“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,” Day said. “It's just hard. But the preparation is just going to continue to go on.”
Even if the game is postponed to Jan. 18, any players who tested positive for coronavirus this week would still be unable to play in the national championship game due to the Big Ten's 17-day return-to-play protocol. It could allow Ohio State to get some other players back, though, who missed the Sugar Bowl due to COVID-19 protocols or who are currently sidelined by contact tracing even if they haven't tested positive.
As of now, the game is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. on Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, and will be televised on ESPN.
Players and coaches from both teams are scheduled to meet virtually with the media on Wednesday and Thursday, and the team is scheduled to arrive in Miami on Saturday evening. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren told the Columbus Dispatch that he is also still planning to attend the game and will travel to Florida on Friday.
