The Big 10 has changed its coronavirus policy just ahead of the College Football Playoff.
After beating Northwestern, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day hinted that the B1G would change its policy on how long players who test positive have to sit out. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Previously, it was 21 days and the Buckeyes are down nearly two dozen players heading into the playoff.
Ryan Day hints that the Big Ten 21-day rule is being discussed. Says it’s being looked at really hard. Gene Smith pushed hard for change last week. Will be a big decision looming for Big Ten next week.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 19, 2020
Ohio State will be without 22 players for the Big Ten championship game, including WR Chris Olave, LB Baron Browning and P Drue Chrisman. If they’re out because of positive COVID tests, they could miss the CFP semifinals because of the Big Ten’s 21-day rule.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) December 19, 2020
Well, that policy is a thing of the past. According to Adam Rittenberg, the B1G will now require athletes to sit 17 days, which could be a huge break for the Buckeyes going into their game against Clemson.
NEWS: Big Ten players who test positive for COVID-19 will only be required to miss 17 days, a reduction from 21, according to a document obtained by ESPN showing new policy from B1G’s return to competition task force medical subcommittee. Same cardiac protocols will remain.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 20, 2020
We all saw this coming, and it’s now a done deal! Was there any chance the B1G was actually going to send OSU into a game against Clemson missing 22 players, including multiple stars?
Hell no. That was never going to happen.
The 21-day rule shouldn’t have existed anyways. We were the only conference in America with it, and it was a stupid rule from day one.
Now, it’s gone, OSU will be able to load back up for their January 1 matchup against the Tigers and you know they’re going to look much better than they did against NW.
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You can watch OSU/Clemson January 1 at 8:00 EST on ESPN! It should be a fun one.