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The College Football Playoff championship game between Ohio State and Alabama set for Monday could get pushed back a week due to COVID-19 issues within the Buckeyes’ program, AL.com reported Tuesday.

The Buckeyes have communicated that they could be without a position group due to testing and COVID-19 protocols, per the report.



Jan. 18 has already been scheduled as a makeup date for the title game if it were postponed.

Game on as scheduled, for now

However, multiple news outlets reported that as of Tuesday afternoon, Ohio State is planning to play as scheduled on Jan. 11.

“We’re following the same protocols we followed all season long,” said Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith, per ESPN. “We intend to play on January 11th, and we continue to communicate with the Big Ten and now the CFP, so at this point in time, we see the game being played. But who knows what tomorrow will bring? That’s COVID. We’re on track right now.”

“I can tell you there are no changes,” College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock told ESPN on Tuesday. “The game is scheduled for January 11th as planned and we look forward to it.”

The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The Buckeyes were without 22 players in the Big Ten championship game and 16 in the CFP semifinal game against Clemson due to COVID-19 issues.



–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)