This Saturday's game between Ohio State and Michigan has been canceled by the Wolverines due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
In a statement released Tuesday, Michigan said the decision was made due to an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases in the past week.
The Wolverines canceled their game last week against Maryland due to COVID-19 and had resumed practices on Monday.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines were set to meet for the 117th time and for the 103rd consecutive year.
This is Ohio State's third canceled game this season, with the other two being the games against Illinois and Maryland.
Under current conference rules, Ohio State needs a sixth game to be eligible to play for a Big Ten championship on Dec. 19 against Northwestern.
In a statement, the Big Ten Conference said they will continue to work with members to determine requirements for the title game.
Michigan Statement:
The University of Michigan Athletic Department announced Tuesday (Dec. 8) that an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and student-athletes in quarantine over the past week will result in the cancellation of Saturday's (Dec. 12) scheduled game at Ohio State. This decision was made after conversations with medical experts, health department officials and university administration.
"The number of positive tests has continued to trend in an upward direction over the last seven days," said Warde Manuel, U-M's Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics. "We have not been cleared to participate in practice at this time. Unfortunately, we will not be able to field a team due to COVID-19 positives and the associated quarantining required of close-contact individuals. This decision is disappointing for our team and coaches but their health and safety is paramount, and it will always come first in our decision-making."
Michigan will continue daily testing with hopes of getting back on the practice field when cleared by medical professionals. The Big Ten will hold its Champions Week of games on Dec. 18-19.
Big Ten Statement:
We are aware of the cancellation of the football game between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University this weekend.
The decision was made today by the University of Michigan because of an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and student-athletes in quarantine over the past week. Michigan made its determination after conversations with medical experts, health department officials, and university administration.
We are in unprecedented times. The health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans, campuses and the surrounding communities remains the number one priority of the conference and its member institutions.
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is one of the most important rivalries in all of sports. The conference shares the disappointment of our student-athletes, coaches, administrators, partners and fans. The conference is committed to transparency and will continue to collaborate with its member institution stakeholders to determine Big Ten Football Championship Game participation requirements as well as tiebreakers.
