Michigan has canceled its football game with Ohio State Saturday because of COVID-19 issues in the Wolverine program.
The announcement of the cancellation boosts Indiana’s chance to play for a Big Ten championship Dec. 19 in Indianapolis.
Ohio State needs to play one more Big Ten game to qualify for the conference title game, according to rules established by Big Ten officials at the beginning of the season. Indiana’s second-place finish in the Eastern Division would put the Hoosiers in the championship game against Northwestern if Ohio State falls short.
READ MORE: No. 8 Indiana Turns Focus To Rival Purdue, Bucket Week
There are two ways the Buckeyes still might qualify.
First, OSU could pick up a conference game if another cancellation this weekend leaves a team without an opponent. That would meet the minimum of six games for the Buckeyes.
Second, at least one Big Ten athletic director has said the conference should change the rule, allowing undefeated Ohio State to still play in the championship game with five victories instead of six.
#B1G statement on the cancellation of the @UMichFootball vs. @OhioStateFB football game this weekend. ⁰➡️ https://t.co/Ow4fiohWDD pic.twitter.com/JShfshSJoa — Big Ten Conference (@bigten) December 8, 2020
Discussions about various scenarios will continue this week as Indiana prepares to play its annual rivalry game for the Old Oaken Bucket against Purdue Saturday at Memorial Stadium. But Purdue canceled its football practice Tuesday “to evaluate the results of recent COVID-19 testing,” according to a news release.
The Lafayette Journal & Courier reported that follow-up PCR testing within the program is scheduled for this afternoon. The report said the team is continuing to prepare for Saturday’s game through online meetings.
