The Pac-12 pulled the plug on Oregon's regular-season finale against Washington, which joins a long list of canceled FBS games this season.
The Ducks (3-2) and Huskies (3-1) game scheduled for Saturday at Autzen Stadium was canceled and declared a no contest by the conference office on Thursday afternoon.
Washington announced Wednesday that all football-related activities were paused due to an increase in positive COVID-19 tests within the program. The team remain paused Thursday, and the team's practice was canceled for the second consecutive day.
“This decision was made under the Pac-12’s football game cancellation policy due to Washington not having the minimum number of scholarship student-athletes available for the game due to a number of positive football student-athlete COVID-19 cases and resulting isolation of additional football student-athletes under contact tracing protocols," the Pac-12 explained in a statement.
"Under conference policy, the game will be declared a no contest. Not contesting this game is very disappointing to our student-athletes and our fans. While all of us want to see our student-athletes on the field competing, our No. 1 priority must continue to be the health and safety of all those connected to Pac-12 football programs.”
The Huskies are "well below" meeting the Pac-12's minimum threshold of 53 healthy players — including at least one quarterback, seven offensive linemen and four defensive linemen — for the game to be played, according to the Seattle Times, which first reported the news of the cancellation.
"I'm so disappointed for everyone involved here," Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen said in a statement. "Every year our student-athletes, coaches, staff and Husky Nation circle this game on our calendar and so look forward to this amazing rivalry. The student-athletes from both schools have worked so hard, and I'm just really disheartened we are this point where we are unable to play due to our COVID-19 positives within the program.
"We will always put the health and well-being of our students, coaches and staff as our greatest priority when making decisions. We will continue to work in collaboration with our medical professionals as they advise us on how to best move forward."
Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said Wednesday his team was continuing to prepare for the rivalry game as normal until told otherwise.
"We go with what we know, and right now we know we’re playing Washington on Saturday. It’s that simple," Cristobal said when asked about keeping his players engaged in preparing for a game that might not happen. "How do we stay motivated? Being direct and honest, understanding the situation, the circumstances."
The no contest makes Washington — which has not played a road game all season due to cancellations but has highest winning percentage (.750) in the North — the division winner by default and advances the Huskies to the Dec. 18 Pac-12 championship game.
However, the Ducks could still represent the North if Washington is unable to play in the conference title game due to King County (Wash.) COVID-19 protocols, which still require a 14-day quarantine for close contacts.
The South Division race is also a mess as the Pac-12 attempts to finish its abbreviated season in a pandemic.
Colorado, which is 4-0 overall but only 3-0 in conference play after having games against Arizona State and USC canceled, hosts Utah on Saturday at Folsom Field.
USC (4-0) can clinch the division with a win at UCLA on Saturday at the Rose Bowl. The Buffaloes will need a win over the Utes and some help from Chip Kelly to get a shot at the conference title.
“The health and safety of all student-athletes is always the top priority, and our thoughts are with those at Washington and everywhere who have been impacted by this virus,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “We are disappointed for our Oregon football student-athletes who have done everything right and who have been fully committed to all safety protocols from the start.
“Our team was excited for the opportunity to play for the Pac-12 North Division title this weekend in this great rivalry, and we will continue to practice in anticipation of our next game.”
The Ducks have won 14 of the last 16 games against their rivals from Seattle but the Huskies lead the all-time series 60-47-5.
After the series was paused in 1943-44 during World War II, Oregon and Washington have played football every year except for 2001.
"We are disappointed for our players and fans and for our opponent that our game will not be played this weekend," first-year Washington coach Jimmy Lake said in a statement. "We are doing everything we can to resume football activities as soon as we can safely do so."
Contact reporter Ryan Thorburn at rthorburn@registerguard.com or 541-338-2330, and follow him on Twitter @By_RyanThorburn. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.
https://www.registerguard.com/story/sports/college/football/2020/12/10/oregon-ducks-rivalry-game-against-washington-huskies-brink/3873201001/
2020-12-11 00:00:00Z
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