College football COVID-19 updates: ASU's Herm Edwards tests positive; Pac-12 cancels two games, adds one
Arizona State's home-opening football game against California on Saturday will not be held after ASU was forced to cancel on Friday. The game will not be made up.
The Pac-12 Conference issued a statement saying ASU couldn't play because it would not have enough scholarship players due to positive COVID-19 cases. Sun Devils coach coach Herm Edwards is among those at ASU who have tested positive.
The Sun Devils (0-1) will be off until playing at Colorado on Nov. 21.
In a statement on Friday, Edwards said: "First, I want to say that Lia, the girls and I are fine, and I will be back quicker than you can say 'Forks Up!' Second, even with the marvelous care our medical professionals have provided for myself, my staff and my team over the past few months, the virus still found me. So I encourage all of you to take this virus seriously, to wear a mask, practice physical distancing and get tested whenever possible."
Cal is missing a second consecutive game and has yet to open its season. A Bears player tested positive for COVID last week, which combined with contact tracing quarantines left the team too short-handed to play against Washington on Nov. 7.
Utah-UCLA game canceled
Utah's game at UCLA on Saturday has been canceled because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the Utes, Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said Friday in a statement.
“Our community is especially hard-hit right now by this virus, and our team and our department have been doing everything possible to follow protocols and avoid the spread of the virus," Harlan said.
The Utes have yet to play a game this season. The Bruins lost their first game of the season to Colorado 48-42 last weekend.
Pac-12 adds a game this weekend
With the cancellation of the two games this weekend, the Pac-12 Conference quickly scheduled another.
The conference said California would play at UCLA on Sunday at noon ET. It will be aired on FS1.
California was to have played Arizona State and UCLA was to have played Utah this weekend, but their opponents had COVID-19 outbreaks.
Next weekend's UCLA game at Oregon will be moved Friday to Saturday to accommodate the new game, the conference said.
Alabama school cancels next weekend's game
Alabama-Birmingham, already not playing this weekend against North Texas because of positive COVID-19 tests on the team, says next weekend's game is also off.
That game, against UTEP, had been scheduled for Nov. 20. It was to have been played in Midland, Texas, because of an outbreak in El Paso.
The school said in a release that it's possible the games could be rescheduled.
Pac-12 apologizes to Stanford for testing error
A positive coronavirus test for Davis Mills hours before Stanford's season opener last Saturday meant the Cardinal were without their starting quarterback in an eventual 35-14 loss to O. However, subsequent testing revealed that Mills' test had been a false positive.
Because of contract tracing, wide receiver Connor Wedington and defensive end Trey LaBounty couldn't play, either.
"We apologize to the Stanford football team and its supporters, and especially to the student-athletes who were held out of the game as a result of the testing protocol errors," the league said in a statement. "We are working with our game day testing partner to ensure this type of error does not occur in the future."
All three players have been cleared to resume practice and competition, a decision the conference supports.
Who else isn't playing this weekend due to COVID ?
More than half the Southeastern Conference, including No. 1 Alabama.
No. 3 Ohio State.
Two of the three military academies.
In all, 14 games are either postponed or outright canceled. Combined with last week's changes, that makes 24 games impacted in just the first two Saturdays of November. Another week like this and the leagues are running out of room to reschedule.
“In normal times our experience this week would be nothing short of extraordinary,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said just of his eight teams impacted. “This year, with nothing being ordinary, this is a week unlike any other."
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Arkansas of the SEC is playing, but without coach Sam Pittman, who tested positive for COVID-19.
No. 4 Clemson has a bye but played the last two weeks without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, favored to be the No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL draft, because he tested positive.
On the flip side, 39 games are being contested Friday, Saturday and Sunday (although one of them, Louisville at Virginia, was supposed to be played last week). Here's the latest, but remember, it could change at any time:
Games postponed or canceled this weekend
Air Force at Wyoming, Canceled. Declared no contest.
Alabama at LSU, Postponed. No makeup date set.
Auburn at Mississippi State, Postponed. Tentative makeup date Dec. 12.
California at Arizona State, Canceled. Declared no contest.
Coastal Carolina at Troy, Postponed. No makeup date set.
Georgia at Missouri, Postponed. No makeup date set.
Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State, Postponed to Dec. 12.
Memphis at Navy, Postponed. No makeup date set.
North Texas at Alabama Birmingham, Canceled.
Ohio State at Maryland, Canceled. Declared no contest.
Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech, Postponed to Dec. 12.
Rice at Louisiana Tech, Postponed. No makeup date set.
Texas A&M at Tennessee, Postponed to Dec. 12.
Utah at UCLA, Canceled. Declared no contest.
Gardner-Webb at Charlotte, Canceled.
Games still being played
Friday
Florida Atlantic at Florida International, 7 p.m.
Iowa at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
East Carolina at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Army at Tulane, noon
Illinois at Rutgers, noon
Indiana at Michigan State, noon
Miami at Virginia Tech, noon
Middle Tennessee at Marshall, noon
Penn State at Nebraska, noon
TCU at West Virginia, noon
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, noon
Wake Forest at North Carolina, noon
Western Carolina at Liberty, noon
South Alabama at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2 p.m.
Fresno State at Utah State, 2:30 p.m.
Georgia State at Appalachian State, 2:30 p.m.
Texas-El Paso at Texas-San Antonio, 3 p.m.
Colorado at Stanford, 3:30 p.m.
Louisville at Virginia, 3:30 p.m.
Notre Dame at Boston College, 3:30 p.m.
Southern California at Arizona, 3:30 p.m.
Southern Mississippi at Western Kentucky, 3:30 p.m.
South Florida at Houston, 3:30 p.m.
Texas State at Georgia Southern, 3:30 p.m.
Baylor at Texas Tech, 4 p.m.
Hawaii at San Diego State, 4 p.m.
Nevada at New Mexico, 6:30 p.m.
Arkansas at Florida, 7 p.m.
Oregon at Washington State, 7 p.m.
SMU at Tulsa, 7 p.m.
Florida State at North Carolina State, 7:30 p.m.
Northwestern at Purdue, 7:30 p.m.
South Carolina at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m.
Temple at Central Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Wisconsin at Michigan, 7:30 p.m.
UNLV at San Jose State, 10:30 p.m.
Oregon State at Washington, 11 p.m.
Sunday
California at UCLA, noon
Contributing: Joseph Salavador
