College Football COVID Cancellation & Testing Rules: How Each Conference Is Handling Postponed Games

College Football COVID Cancellation & Testing Rules: How Each Conference Is Handling Postponed Games article feature image
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Photo by Michael Heiman/2020 Getty Images.

The Big Ten announced on Monday that any contest affected by the coronavirus would not be rescheduled.

If one team cannot field a team due to a coronavirus outbreak and the other team can, the team with the positive cases would be forced to forfeit that game.

If both teams are unable to play, that game would be declared a no contest.

A representative with PointsBet said any win total bets would be considered void if a game is canceled due to the coronavirus. Teams must play every scheduled game in order for a win total bet to be valid.

A DraftKings representative said the sportsbook would handle coronavirus-related cancellations on a case-by-case basis.

Below are the coronavirus related protocols for other major college football conferences.

SEC

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in July that the league did not plan on accommodating postponements but that the policy was not yet official.

"We have not built in the kind of time we did last year, particularly at the end of the season, to accommodate (postponements)," Sankey said last month. "And unless we're going to do that, our teams are going to have to be fully prepared to play their games as scheduled."

The SEC had allowed postponements or cancellations during the 2020 season. For instance, a contest between Alabama and LSU was postponed several weeks after an outbreak.

Pac-12

The Pac-12 announced earlier this month that teams would have to forfeit if they experience an outbreak that prevents them from playing.

"Any forfeited contest shall be regarded as a conference loss for the team making the forfeit and a conference win for its opponent," the Pac-12 said in a statement. "The Pac-12 rule provides the Commissioner with discretion to determine whether an institution is at fault or primarily at fault for an instability to play a contest based on the facts of the situation."

The Pac-12, too, had allowed postponements and cancellations last season.

Regular coronavirus testing will no longer be required for vaccinated players, coaches or staff. Consistent testing will still be required for unvaccinated individuals.

Big 12

The Big 12 will not reschedule games either. Any game canceled due to the coronavirus will be declared a forfeit, unless both teams cannot field a team. In that case, the game would be declared a no contest.

ACC

Like the other conferences, the ACC won't be rescheduling games affected by the coronavirus and will enforce forfeits unless both teams cannot suit up for a game.

Teams with at least 85% of their squad vaccinated still need to have their unvaccinated individuals tested once per week while those below that threshold need to test individuals three times a week.

Fully vaccinated people will not need to be tested unless they are symptomatic.

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