The Pac-12 announced on Thursday night that this Saturday’s matchup between Colorado football and No. 18 USC is being canceled due to the Trojans not having the minimum number of scholarship players available for the game at a specific position group as a result of a number of positive players’ COVID-19 cases and the resulting isolation of additional players under contact tracing protocols.
“It is unfortunate that our game at Southern California had to be canceled, but as we all continue to maintain, the most important concern we all have is the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff,” said Colorado athletic director Rick George.
Luckily for the Buffs, George planned for this possible outcome by coordinating with San Diego State athletic director John David Wicker for the Aztecs to travel to Boulder in case USC could not field a team this Saturday.
Colorado football is now slated to host San Diego State on Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. E.T. on the Pac-12 Network.
“After the Pac-12 CEO’s created some requirements for possible non-conference opponents to fill any vacancies created by cancellations, we moved earlier this week to find a possible opponent to replace the Trojans,” George said. “When San Diego State’s game at Fresno State was canceled for similar reasons, I spoke with John and we put an agreement in place if USC could not play.”
This is a huge disappointment for Colorado football as not only has it once again had another game canceled due to its opponent not being able to handle its COVID-19 cases, but this game against USC was also going to decide which team represented the South in the Pac-12 championship.
Instead, the Buffs will host a Mountain West team, which will play no factor in the conference rankings and should not help Colorado football at all in its hopes for its first conference title game birth since 2016.
Colorado should be a heavy favorite against San Diego State, and the Buffs should expect a much easier opponent this weekend, even without a week to prepare. The lack of time to game plan for both teams should be an interesting factor to watch as the game plays out. Expect halftime adjustments to be a key for both teams in their search for victory.
Photo courtesy of CUBuffs.com
My name is Colin Bailey and I’m a Los Angeles native and currently a Journalism Major/Sports Media Minor at the University of Colorado Boulder.