The College Football Playoff National Championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes could be in danger of postponement.
John Talty of al.com reports the Buckeyes might be without key position players next Monday as a result of COVID-19 issues, and OSU has informed “key parties” of the matter.
Talty adds the home conferences for Alabama and Ohio State are conferring with the CFP Committee (as well as the individual schools) to try and reach a resolution:
There have been discussions amongst the SEC, Big Ten, the College Football Playoff and the schools related to possibly postponing the Jan. 11 title game, sources said, though a final decision on the situation has yet to be reached. The CFP has already established Jan. 18 in Hard Rock Stadium as the makeup date should the title game have to be postponed.
It is unknown which players are entering into COVID-19 protocol.
Ohio State was nearly on the wrong end of COVID issues earlier this year, when a cancellation with Michigan threatened the Buckeyes' place in the Big Ten Championship. But the conference changed its six-game limit, allowing OSU to compete against Northwestern. While the Buckeyes struggled for a while against the Wildcats, the ultimate result was an OSU victory, giving them a spot in the College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes captured the Big Ten title before Justin Fields put on a virtuoso performance against the Clemson Tigers despite playing hurt. But OSU now heads into the biggest game of the year facing some uncertainty.
Alabama has been dominant all season, but the football program is no stranger to COVID issues. Head coach Nick Saban was first subjected to a positive test in October before another positive in November.
Besides COVID, the Crimson Tide are also waiting to see whether wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will be able to play. Waddle has been out since breaking his ankle in October.
All parties have less than a week to figure out whether postponement is the best route.
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