UTEP was just getting it out of El Paso.
UAB cancelled it due to covid. I guess they have so many that they don’t expect them to be cleared by next week.
C-USA should have required that the game be played in a college stadium on Saturday unless TV dictated otherwise. Midland Lee HS at 11:00 on Friday morning should never have been a consideration.
There is supposed to be an eligibility rule where a team has to play no fewer than one less than the rounded down average of games played by teams in its own division to be able to play in the championship game. If that West division average stays above 6, UAB must play both of its remaining scheduled games to get to 5 conference games and maintain eligibility. Of course since C-USA keeps all rules like this classified Top Secret, it is impossible to know for sure.
If you can stand to be bored and watch Rice has an chance because it will be a very low scoring game. But they will have to deal with CUAB officials.
This was never going to work. This is what I wrote on June 17th
Re: @LATechSports Confirms Positive COVID-19 Test - latechsports.comI have listened to some national sports talk shows lately and there is a growing a disconnect between hope and reality. Whether its the front office for pros or administrators at college they all talk about the guidelines, polices and plans on how teams will practice and play and the talk basically sounds like them promising everything will be ok while at the same time pleasing the political leaders.
I am starting to hear a growing chorus from Coaches on how that all of these plans make it nearly impossible for this to work. When you get multiple cases of positive cases (that being more than one!) it may shut down half the team. You cannot play team ball that way.
Word is we were down by a kicker and "several OLine guys"
My questions...
In the past we've had numerous (and unneeded IMO) kickers and punters on our roster. Suddenly missing one guy shuts us down?
How many times have we used and seen used, the OLine excuse?
All the above explains why the line opened with us being the underdog vs Rice at home. So much for our "national perception".
If UAB lacks the number of games to qualify, UTSA is poised to be declared west division champion. Good for them! They are now 5-4 overall...NINE games! At least they are playing. I am rooting for the Runners. I respect competitors who actually step up.
Exactly. Our OL has been used as an excuse all season. Those guys must be pretty soft.
But here's what bothers me most about LA Tech's official statement on the reason for "postponing" the Rice game: Injuries! The very first thing mentioned in LA Tech's statement (see below) is "Injuries", not COVID. Injuries are mentioned FIRST and foremost, as the primary reason for the postponement (See parts of the official statement below), with "a couple of COVID positives" mentioned almost as an after thought.
QUESTION: Since when does an FBS College Football team cancel (or postpone) a game just because the team has too many injuries?
ANSWER: When a program has COVID to blame as an excuse. Frankly, I've NEVER heard of a game being cancelled or postponed simply because of injuries. It's ordinarily next man up.
Due to injuries, COVID positive cases and contact tracing, the Bulldogs have one position group that is too thin to play the game without risking the health of its players.
"We are very disappointed that we cannot host Rice this weekend, but it is simply a case of not having enough healthy players at one position," said LA Tech VP and Director of Athletics Eric Wood. "Injuries have really affected the position and now a couple of COVID positives along with contact tracings to the same group have made this decision for us.
Fans deserve to know what is happening with the program. These blanket excuses may be legit, but our fans deserve to know and HIPPA is not an excuse. The inners circle(s) know, Vegas knows, but the guys spending a few grand on the programs each year aren't privy. This is the way our former AD operated.