Oregon Will Replace UW For Pac-12 Championship Game

SEATTLE — The Huskies will no longer be playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game this Friday.

The Pac-12 announced the move over Twitter early Monday, saying that they would be replacing UW Football with Oregon, as Washington does not have enough student-athletes to play.

Head Football Team Physician Dr. Kim Harmon confirms that the team had seen several more confirmed coronavirus cases over the past week — enough that the team had had to cancel practice, and now their championship match.

"This increase in cases, combined with issues with a key position group, doesn't allow for a path forward for us this week," said Harmon.

Shortly after the announcement, UW Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen released a statement saying she was disappointed it had come to this, but that team had done everything in their power to keep students safe:

"Our football program has battled through adversity all year during these challenging times, and I am so disappointed they won't have the opportunity to play and represent the University of Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game Friday night. The health and well-being of our students has been, and will always be, our top priority. As we have done since the start of the pandemic, we have followed the guidance and direction from our medical professionals in making this decision. With our inability to practice, and the significant impact on a key position group, there is no medical path forward to play this week."

With UW out of the championship, Cohen says the focus is now on getting students well again, and preparing for the post-season.

Head Football Coach Jimmy Lake also weighed in, saying he was proud of what the team managed to accomplish, despite the difficulties of competing amid a pandemic.

"Our goal every season is to win the Pac-12 Championship. I am so proud of the work our team and staff have put in to position ourselves to attain that goal," said Lake. "Unfortunately, the virus is in our footprint. We have not been able to resume football activities and currently the entirety of one of our key position groups, deemed a critical position group by the Pac-12, is in quarantine. There is no path forward to practice or play this week."

Lake also echoed Cohen's optimism about post-season play.

"Our focus now is getting everyone healthy, so we can resume football activities and prepare for a possible bowl game," said Lake.

While it may be unprecedented to swap out which team will compete in a championship game so close to game day, it has been an exceptional season on all fronts. Just last week the Pac-12 was pushed to cancel the rivalry matchup between the University of Washington and the University of Oregon football teams. The Huskies had been set to take on the Ducks last Saturday, but were forced to withdraw because too many student-athletes had either tested positive for the coronavirus, or had been placed in quarantine after potentially being exposed to the virus.