Ryan Day can't coach Ohio State if Michigan State game is played

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day will not be out of COVID-19 isolation in time to coach the Buckeyes in their scheduled Saturday matchup with the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing.

Monday, Dec. 7 would be the earliest Day could return if he meets the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Friday, Ohio State announced its decision to cancel its game at Illinois and put all team activities on pause following multiple positive coronavirus cases within the team. The program exceeded 7.5% in its population positivity rate, defined by the Big Ten Conference as the number of positive individuals divided by the total population at risk.

Should Saturday's game against the Spartans be canceled, Ohio State would no longer be eligible for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 19 in Indianapolis, playing less than the required six of eight regular-season contests per Big Ten rules. The Buckeyes, ranked fourth in the most recent College Football Playoff standings, have two regular-season games left, against Michigan State on Saturday, and against Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 12 in Columbus.

In the meantime, the team has been holding virtual meetings while players not isolated or in quarantine were able to hold smaller group workouts on Monday. Day has been able to participate in those virtual meetings.

Last Saturday, Day said his team would likely need to return to practice by this Thursday and have a rigorous workout, followed by a Friday walkthrough before the Saturday contest.