Indiana Football Pauses Team Activities After Spike in COVID-19 Cases

Another Big Ten rivalry game may fall by the wayside this weekend. 

Indiana announced Tuesday it has paused team activities "due to an increase in COVID-19 cases within the program." The Hoosiers have yet to make a decision regarding their game against Purdue on Saturday.

"The health and safety of our students, coaches and staff is paramount," athletic director Scott Dolson said. "In consultation with our medical experts, we decided this is the appropriate decision at this time. We will continue to assess the situation moving forward."

Michigan announced earlier in the day it canceled its matchup with Ohio State due to increased COVID-19 cases and contact tracing.

That means Indiana is potentially on its way to the Big Ten championship. Ohio State has only played five games, one short of the number required to compete for a conference title. If the Buckeyes can't qualify, then the second-place Hoosiers would get the nod despite having lost to OSU on Nov. 21.

Whether Indiana has the numbers to play in the Big Ten title game could become a question, though.

Any player who tests positive for COVID-19 has to miss a minimum of 21 days under the conference's health and safety protocols. If the Hoosiers were unable to take on Purdue, they might struggle to avoid having the same thing happening for a second week against Northwestern.

The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach spoke to a Big Ten athletic director who entertained the idea of rearranging the schedule so that the teams that can play have the opportunity to compete this weekend. That would eliminate any issues regarding Ohio State's status for the conference championship.

But Michigan is already off the table, Indiana might be the next to go, and Purdue canceled Tuesday's practice as a precaution to await COVID-19 testing results. The Buckeyes are running out of options within the Big Ten to reach that important sixth game.