Allow Ohio State to play outside of the Big Ten
This is probably the least likely because of the concerns associated with playing outside the confines of the conference’s COVID-19 protocols, but the Big Ten could allow Ohio State to play another team that is off because of a COVID-19 canceled game outside in another league. As of right now, Cincinnati vs. Tulsa, as well as Texas A&M vs. Ole Miss is not going to be played.
There’s an obvious solution right there. If traveling is a concern, Ohio State or Cincinnati could get on a bus and head down I-71 an hour and a half and play the game in a relatively safe bubble. There are no planes involved, potentially no hotels, and it’s two teams ranked inside the top ten. It could even spark a new rivalry.
Also, being in the same state would mean both teams would be familiar with Ohio’s protocols and restrictions with each being on the relative same page.
Sources: Saturday’s Cincinnati-Tulsa game has been canceled because of the COVID-19 situation at Cincinnati. Announcement coming soon. Expect Cincinnati to host next week’s AAC title game against Tulsa as a result. Tulsa would have hosted with a win Saturday.
— Kelly Hines (@KellyHinesTW) December 8, 2020
It’s highly unlikely, but this would be a fun way to make things a little more interesting as a back-up in-state rivalry game FOX could still broadcast in the ‘Shoe at Noon. You could almost guarantee both teams would be up for it, in fact, the Bearcats would then have a shot to get a huge win and crash the CFP party.
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