USC-Cal football canceled due to COVID, first FBS game called off in 2021
Cody Williams (Fansided.com) — This past week, the California Golden Bears were heavily short-handed due to a COVID outbreak without the program, leading to a loss to previously winless Arizona.
The situation with the virus has not improved for Justin Wilcox’s team. In fact, it’s gotten worse to the point that they won’t be able to play in Week 11 in the scheduled Pac-12 showdown with in-state rival USC.
As reported by Jon Wilner and confirmed by others, Cal is unable to field the minimum number of players for Saturday and the matchup against USC football has been canceled:
This will be the first FBS college football game to be canceled by COVID in the 2021 season.
Will Cal be forced to forfeit USC football game after cancellation?
Last season, when games were canceled due to COVID-19 issues, those contests were essentially written off the schedule as if they were never there. That has changed for the 2021 season, however, as conferences each put protocols in place that could result in forfeits.
So the question is if Cal will be forced to forfeit this game and, as such, lose their chance of making a bowl game by dropping to 3-7. As of now, there is no clarity on that matter as it will be up the Pac-12 Commissioner whether or not the Golden Bears will have to forfeit.
While this game could eliminate Cal from bowl contention, USC football could be helped by a forfeit win. That would bring the Trojans to 5-5 on the season with games against UCLA and BYU left on the schedule.
fansided.com
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Two weeks for the quarterbacks and split ends to get synchronized for sucla will be a big help. I seldom miss a SC-sucla game, but I still do not wish to be rubbing elbows with tons of fans, so I don’t know. This will be an interesting game because sucla is no great shake, and of course neither is SC. But if SC can get by sucla then it only needs a win at Cal to be at least 6-6, and hence bowl eligible so it can get in a couple more weeks of desperately needed practice time. A word… Read more »
So it seems a forfeit does not count towards qualifying for a bowl game. SC has to play Cal to hope to get a bowl bid. After getting crushed by UCLA and BYU they will be 4-7 so the game will be pointless anyway. Oh well, false hope is better than no hope.
I wish I could say I really care if USC beats CAL or not. As you say, at 4-7, which is likely, USC, it’s pretty much a meaningless, throw-in game that will probably produce one of the worst crowds in Strawberry Canyon history. But Beat the Bears, just for old times sake! At least we never hired Justin “Skinnypants” Wilcox to be the USC HC. He’s 24-27 at CAL so far in five years and only 13-24 in the Pac-12. The Cat would be proud! I’ll never forget when The Cat lost to punchless CAL and Wilcox in the Coliseum… Read more »
Who really wants this team to represent USC in a bowl game. Not me for sure.
Are we better than I think we are ?……… (From Yahoo sports article today ) >>>>>>> Bowl Projection >>> Holiday Bowl (Dec 28)
Really? You don’t think you know more about USC football than Yahoo Sports? Maybe USC’s brand is still working for it after all?
Realistically, I don’t see 4-5 USC beating either UCLA nor BYU, especially with USC’s undertalented team and our lame-duck staff working overtime trying to find new jobs.
If this horrible USC team somehow gets to another bad bowl, I hope the Trojans win it. USC, once known as America’s Bowl team, has lost three of its last four bowls, and two crappy Holiday Bowls since 2015. ✌
Well if that projection comes true we will face a Virginia team that as of today is 6-3 and (Per Yahoo Sports ) is averaging 545 yards offensively PER GAME (Yahoo Sports claims that is ranks Virginia 3rd in the Nation .)
Maybe USC could actually give the Cavaliers a decent game. Maybe not. They’ve already been annihilated by UNC (59-39), WAKE (37-17), and BYU (66-49).
But without Drake London, I don’t see how USC puts up any big offensive numbers large enough to win.
ND plays VA this weekend in Charlottesville.
Do not care much about Virginia one way or the other …..But I just do NOT like ND …..So GO Virginia .
Allen, granted now our Saturday is freed up since the game was cancelled, I am starting to think this will be a blessing in disguise.
Definitely, though Covid-infected CAL will have a better chance of actually beating us on Dec. 4. That’s right around the time when many think USC should be announcing the new head guy’s name.
USC Men’s Basketball Signs Five-Star Recruits Vince Iwuchukwu, Kijani Wright
Trojans’ 2022 class projected to rank No. 4 in the nation
LOS ANGELES — “USC men’s basketball has signed center Vincent Iwuchukwu and forward Kijani Wright to National Letters of Intent (NLIs) it was announced by head coach Andy Enfield today (Nov. 10). USC’s announced signings are part of a 2022 recruiting class projected No. 4 overall by 247Sports.com. It is the eighth consecutive USC recruiting class ranked inside the top 30 and its fifth class inside the top 20…”
usctrojans.com
So ………Maybe Mens Basketball is gonna start to financially carrying the entire Athletics Department for the next 10 years or so .
Has Andy even been offered a new contract yet? Maybe I missed the extension
I doubt it because Bohn wants to see if Enfield can take USC deep into the tournament again. Last year’s Elite 8 finish was the first time Enfield did any good in the tourney in eight years of trying, Half the time he never even makes any tournament, and that includes the NIT.
What’s wrong with making Enfield prove he can do it again before he gets the big bucks extension for just one good year?
I agree, and have no problem with it. But the strategy could backfire if Andy has another upper conference finish and decent tourney run, then gets a better offer from another decent program. I’ve got mixed feelings about him, but he has been able to still recruit well after loosing assistants like Tony Bland and Hart
I get the impression Andy likes L.A. (even if USC has always been a football school, which is a challenge). I’m not sure Bohn likes him enough. He’s willing to risk losing another coach who basically learned on the job at USC, but has shown he might get hot. The four straight wins over UCLA have been fantastic! I’m trying to look at Bohn in a positive light, in part because I want to think he knows what he’s doing as far as USC football goes. After watching Haden and Swann flop (amazingly both on that all-time ’72 team), I… Read more »
For Sam Darnold fans, he’s likely out “several weeks” with his shoulder injury.
Matt Barkley, who was on the Titans practice squad, signed as a backup by the Panthers.
I think he is done with the Panthers. They did pick up his 5th year option before the season started if I remember right.
If pick/injury-prone Darnold’s already worn out his welcome with the Panthers, I wonder who else will take a flyer on him?
Not as a number one, but maybe as a backup. Hopefully he has wisely invested the money he’s already made, and will just enjoy being part of a team. It’s worked out good for other guys like Matt Barkley. No shame in being a backup if it keeps you in the league.
I’m still hoping Darnold can be an NFL starter, at least a middle-of-the-road guy. I never watch his team, so I never really see him, except for his frequent interception highlights. I’m sure he can stick as a back-up. But maybe he’s just irreparably damaged goods already. Tough sport.
For those not familiar, Rittenhouse was a 17 year old last year who went to a ‘Black Lives Matter’ type of rally armed with a rifle. At the rally Rittenhouse killed 2 men and wounded a 3rd. At his trial Rittenhouse defended by asserting self-defense, and many are now siding with his argument and wondering why the State brought this action. Well, first of all, if Rittenhouse had not brought his rifle to the rally no killings would have occurred. I would have probed into his motives for having a gun– was he expecting serious trouble or was he intending… Read more »
Looks to me if he wasn’t armed there would be no trial, he would be dead.
Truth, but if he or anyone around him had any wisdom, he would have never been there in the first place.
How much wisdom does a 17 year old really have. I know I had very little at that age.
Exactly! Kid should have been nowhere near there. Not sure if mom or dad were around but it should’ve been a hard “ no way you are going down there”.
John- to be honest, your post is leftist BS, right out of the MSNBC playbook. If Rittenhouse had not been armed, he would been killed. The video clearly shows that he was in fear of his life. Even witnesses called by the prosecution have validated many of the defenses points. The people he shot were criminal dirt bags, and one even boasted that” if I catch any of you F*ckers alone, I will F* ucking kill you. The same POS was a convicted child molester, who had been in the hospital the day before, because of a suicide attempt. The… Read more »
I am not political, but this Right-Wingers vs Left-Wingers in-fighting is dangerous for America’s health.
Please save your stupid commie propaganda commentary for a different blog comrade. This is a USC Trojan blog where we discuss all things that are USC.
What part was “stupid commie propaganda,’ that the kid’s mind-set is quite relevant or that it is sometimes difficult for prosecutors to obtain convictions or perhaps it was questioning why a 17 year old would break the law by carrying a high powered rifle.
And, by the way, who are you anyway, are you somebody important?
So what left winger felon do you support? The child rapist, the grandmother beater or the convicted felon DUI idiot with illegally possessed handgun chasing a 17 year old kid that was running for his life towards the cops? I suggest you drop it and let’s talk SC football.
Reading around and throughout the Web, I get the strong impression that the majority of hard-core USC fans actually believe that USC football is at the absolute lowest point they have ever observed, bypassing the dreadful Trojan regimes we have survived in the past.
Do you agree? Or do you think the Paul Hackett days (and other obvious examples) were even worse?
This team gets my vote. Never seen a combination of poor coaching, lack of fundamentals, lack of desire, and poor/undisciplined play like this group. Donte also ranks as the worst HC. Granted, he is interim, but he is just plain awful.
IMO, this is the worst. It’s not just the losing, it’s the way they are losing and by how much. There has been no direction or identity on either side of the ball. It feels like a bunch of guys getting thrown together for the first time in some inter mural game. It never feels like they are playing for each other. Hackett lost and looked disorganized, but not like this.
This team is so bad even they realize it. It is reflected in their play. They are like me, in a hurry to get this season over.
I think this year, and Hackett’s last(2000) are probably a dead heat, in terms of futility.
But at least the Cat has been sent packing.
True. We can’t ever forget that The Cat himself was relieved of his duties by Mr. Bohn in early Sept. It was a glorious day when that happened.
I’m still enjoying this Trojan football season as an all-time measure of how bad things can really get.
Throw in Caruso’s indelible public promise to bring in a “world-class” coach, and I’d say we have ’em right where we want them.
The Kyle Rittenhouse trial is a great example of why prosecution attorneys should never ask critical questions of a defendant in open trial they don’t know the answer to. What a disaster. The state is getting wiped out big-time in this case.
The facts are winning. When your prime witness admits he pointed a loaded gun at the defendant and was then shot, I think your case is dead in the water. In fact, it should never have been filed. Personally, I think the DA will get bar sanctions out of this case. The idiot also directly violated a court evidentiary order. There never was a case.
I think the AD Thomas Binger is pretty skilled, and obviously very experienced. But he’s tried to play fast and loose with Judge Bruce Schroeder, who is very well-schooled on the law and never shy about handing Binger his hat. For 18 years old, Rittenhouse has certainly handled himself as well as can be expected, even jousting to his own advantage with Binger, who is fishing around on cross, just trying to slap some dirt on him wherever he can find it. You’re right. This case was brought because of political purposes. Self-defense is so well-established here. It’s intriguing to… Read more »
I think he crossed over the line. It is one thing to bring a meritless case because of political pressure. It is quite another to violate court orders intentionally. What I loved was the evidence that the other side was also armed and threatening to kill their opponents. These facts were never covered by the mainstream media, or, if they were, I sure missed it.
The mainstream media only covers what they want, and exactly the way they want to cover it, exactly when they want to cover it. That’s a fact of American life as we know it today. The deliberately agenda-driven media has become so corrupt IMO. There’s all kinds of coverage I can’t waste my time on any longer because of blatant media bias. They all seemed to give The Bumble Cat the benefit of the doubt whenever possible, except for just a sparse few. I never understood that, especially since Clay’s teams were so often on the wrong side of horrible… Read more »
We indeed had armed insurrection in this country, but was not as reported. I am with you on the media, particularly the mainstream media.
I lost all respect for mainstream media during the months of protests after the Floyd death, when it was clear that the agenda was to make it a white vs black, and all police vs black, instead of holding individuals of those groups accountable and responsible for their actions . The stereotyping and assumptions about all the people in a race or profession was and is the worse kind of hypocrisy and racism in my opinion. I have no desire to watch the mainstream news anymore, except on a need to know occasion
I refuse to watch it. It is simply propaganda.
I agree and don’t watch the news at all. I honestly have no clue about the legal proceeding being discussed and am not happy that it’s on a blog about my two-time Alma Mater USC. Let’s talk about things like men’s Water Polo defeating #1 ranked UCLA for the league title by an 8-7 score. Go Trojans!
More on the USC coaching search per The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel: “If I were UCLA AD Martin Jarmond, I’d be crossing my fingers and hoping Chip Kelly does go 8-4, because it would really not behoove UCLA to be in the market for a new coach right now. That buyout is not the issue so much as the fact USC is going to be going first, and two other notable Pac-12 programs, Washington and Arizona State, are very likely going to come open as well. Washington State already is, and I would not be surprised if Justin Wilcox bolts Cal… Read more »
Really interesting take. Best to sit out this year. A ton of major openings.
I don’t think “it’s essential in the Pac-12 to hire someone with West Coast experience”. What does that really mean. I guess that would eliminate most all the possibles the media is pointing at. Actually, a good HC would hire a staff with people acquainted with the “Culture and the recruiting terrain”. It looks to me like what the Pac12 needs to do is get away from the west coast experience and emulate main stream America as it seems to work really well in the Big10 and SEC.
UPDATE: Joey McGuire Texas Tech’s Head Coaches thoughts. Im sure it crushed Harrell’s Offensive Coordinator hopes. Per FootballScoop ”Sources said that current Tech offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie, Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, and SMU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley are expected to draw interest for the offensive coordinator position in Lubbock. At defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers linebackers coach Mike Siravo is expected to be McGuire’s top target. McGuire said Tuesday that the Big 12 of 2021 is not the stereotypical Big 12 the average college football fan may have in their head. Teams still align in spread formations, but they… Read more »
GH made a huge mistake in coming to SC. He should have gone to UNC with Mack Brown. He simply was not ready to take over complete management of the offense of a major program. I have no idea if he can rehab his career given the dumpster fire that he created. He was not even seriously considered for the OC position at his alma mater.
I’m hoping PITT beats Brown’s disappointing 5-4 Tar Heels this weekend. The 7-2 Panthers seem pretty good even and cleaned CLEM’s clock 27-17, though MIA recently beat them 38-34.
Graham Harrell has turned out to be such a worthlessly disappointing OC for USC that I figure Brown truly lucked out by not bringing him aboard. Brown has been very lucky when it comes to USC.
Allen, You may be correct, but I am giving the young man the benefit of the doubt. I have the story several times. A young buck wants a job where he is the boss and he is simply not ready. So, he makes a ton of mistakes. Sometimes they learn and recover. Sometimes, not. Lane Kiffin is a perfect example. He was not ready to coach the Raiders; he was not ready to coach SC. He had to fail to learn. I think NOW he would be able to successfully coach SC. Given the history, he would be a bad… Read more »
Forgot to address your point: we do not know if Mack Brown would have managed GH and forced him to address his mistakes. Helton never did that. GH was entirely on his own. GH might have bombed with Brown or may have grown. We will never know. He sure bombed at SC.
I’d LOVE to see Lane get the ‘Bama job. I’d even be okay with Lane getting the USC job. When you’ve sunk down as far as USC has, there’s a lot of candidates who would be major improvements.
Helton set the bar so low, just about any competent coach is an improvement. Clay was the worst HC in Power 5. A position he held for six straight years. I doubt there ever will be a coach who matches Clay’s record.
Nobody is mentioning the fact that Cal claims to have a 99% vaccination rate. And most if not all of the players missing the game are just protocol or contact tracing players. If I say the vaccine is not effective will a disclaimer appear?
If the two worst team in a league cancel a game and nobody hears about it, does it matter?
The vaccine is designed to minimize how sick you get, hospitalization and death. It is very good at that. There is no mention if any players are sick, they just tested positive. Check out Yahoo Sports Nick Bromberg and Chase Garger’s tweet. This is more about the nanny state of the city of Berkeley and the socialists running UCB than it is about keeping people safe. In the last month 6 people have died of Wuhan Fever in Alameda County. 54 people are currently hospitalized with it in the whole county. It is no longer a public health problem in… Read more »
I got the vaccine in May. In August I got the Delta. Thanks, vaccine. I don’t believe masks work worth a tinker’s damn, especially the way in which face diapers are worn.
The vaccine is supposed keep you from getting as sick–how in the hell can that be proved?
I do know that the Marxists who run our country love the chaos that Covid creates and the direct power that they have accumulated for themselves to run (and ruin) other people’s lives.
The vaccine is supposed to reduce your chances of getting sick and improve your chances of fighting it if you do. That is what vaccines do. No vaccine is 100%. You most likely got less sick vaccinated than without. Hope you are okay now. There is data comparing hospitalization/death in vaccinated versus unvaccinated. The numbers may be a little fuzzy but there is a benefit.
You are right the Marxists will not give up control voluntarily.
By the way, my wife and I got our 3rd Moderna and boy did we feel like crap for a day. Don’t plan on doing much the day after you get it.
Golden Trojan, there are 3 topics I don’t argue about with any man– religion, politics, and his favorite sports teams. I guess I should add ‘VAX or no VAX’ to that list.
My guess is CA will never give up the COVID pandemic. My guess is not one of the Cal kids was hospitalized. Like getting a cold. LA County is now demanding 99.995 level of lack of infection to lift its mandates. The present CA controls are not based on rationality. The imperial and enlightened leaders of the state clearly know this. Witness the wedding of the SF billionaire heiress attended by the CA political elite. Masks were not worn by those mandating them for rest of the serfs. My guess is once they are forced to let COVID go, they… Read more »
There will always be a crisis, it is how they exist.
❤
Unless we are naming Justin Wilcox or Donte as our coach I wouldn’t think this will change or delay anything about coaching announcement, correct? Not sure why it would.
Donte Williams on USC aiming for bowl game:
(LAT) — “For them to not get to play would just be a crime,” USC interim coach Donte Williams said of Cal. “We want to play the game, and a forfeit is not the way to go and not the way you want to qualify for a bowl game. Our whole thing is fighting on and competing.
“That’s why we want to play these games, to make sure we put our best foot forward and get to a bowl the right way...”
Ryan Kartje (LAT)
Donte was around Clay too long.
Donte has definitely twisted himself up publicly with his wording much too often. This USC learning on-the-job coaching curriculum definitely has its drawbacks.
I love Jim Mora’s “Playoffs? Are you kidding me? Playoffs?” Donte should have channeled Mora Sr rather than Clay.
The rest of the quote was, “I just want to win another game!”
I don’t know why Mora failed at UCLA. He sure had the Trojans’ number when NFL bystander (Colts) Brett Hundley was his QB. So many times, it’s all about who your QB is. I first learned this lesson in person at the Beban Bomb game in ’65, when I was 13.
Delaying this nightmare even longer … the hope was Dec 4th was coach naming day
Kedon Slovis sits out practice because of lower leg injury:
LAT — “Slovis suffered the injury during Saturday’s loss to ASU, but he showed no obvious signs of pain after the game. On Tuesday, he had a noticeable limp and wore a sleeve on his left knee…”
latimes.com
Is this game cancelled or postponed? Postponed to when? I prefer cancelled.
I think it’s been re-scheduled to Dec. 4.
So this agony of the USC 2021 football season gets extended. I am just thrilled.
Maybe it’ll even delay the new coach project we’ve got going. Not sure.
Pac12 approves moving the game to Dec. 4th.
USC Basketball is on Pac 12 Network right now in a game against Cal State Northrdige.
Well, looks like SC will get a Bowl Game with Cal. We should name it. And find a sponsor. Maybe a cesspool pumping company! We could call it the Honey Dipper Bowl!
This is all turning out perfectly, and as planned!
How about the Andy Gump Bowl?
If the Cal washout game ends up a forfeit game and gives SC a 5-5 record they have a chance to be bowl eligible should they beat sucla (BYU might be too tough for our boys)… However, if it is not a forfeit game there still is no way that SC should be deprived of a bowl game if they beat sucla or BYU. (I know, I know it will be the Potato Chips Bowl or something like that, but at least it gives Troy more practice time which they desperately need) SC has finally found a way to win… Read more »
“…to at least slow down…” it should read. I took the Scott Wolf class of how to avoid editing when in a hurry.
Per ESPN:
“Due to additional impact on specific position groups, we have decided to postpone Saturday’s game. We have had multiple COVID-19 positives within our program, and we are taking every step we can to mitigate the spread and protect the greater community.”
EDITOR’S PICKS
Cal to be shorthanded vs. Zona due to protocols5dPaolo UggettiThe schools later agreed, and received Pac-12 approval, to reschedule the game for Dec. 4 — a day after the conference title game. That follows the precedent set when the Big Game between Cal and Stanford was postponed in 2018, due to poor air quality.
With these coaches do you really think more practice time will be a good thing?
John you seriously want to see this USC team in a bowl game?
A Gomer like embarrassment … this garbage team quit a long time ago
Did they quit? Or are they just playing the way Hugs taught them. We don’t want to hurt anybody’s feeling by beating them.
Never having owned a television I don’t even see SC now, and wouldn’t in any bowl game. But this SC team needs practice, and a lot of it.
That’s like if you are covered in mud needing to wash off and jumping into a mud hole to get clean. This culture cannot produce anything other than what you see, or in your case what you can’t see.
Lets just beat UCLA …..Just do that and at least this season will not be total write-off ………..FIGHT ON !!!!!
I can imagine Cal-Berkeley is full of non-conformists refusing to get vaccinated and will flip off anyone who tries to tell them it’s about public safety.
The very good part: USC gets a bye before UCLA, which is hosting CU at the RB.
A little residual luck leftover from the Helton days where he escaped-benefited from such byes. Playing-losing to Cal the week before the crosstown would be a negative alright.
Allen, Maybe Donte can perfect his 2 QB system with the extra week!
Donte’s QB dilemma. I didn’t really view it as the fairly big problem it has become. It’s always been a bigger issue than I thought, maybe.
It’s not a problem in my view. If Dart is healthy, play him for the whole game no matter what happens. Play Miller Moss if Dart is still injured. Slovis is ineffective. I don’t think he’ll be drafted. It’s too late. He can’t consistently move the offense. Period. Nice kid, and I am sorry this happened to him, but there is no way to rehabilitate him now. There is too much film — Slovis is a statute, he plays scared, he stares down his main target, he holds the ball too long, and he does a poor job reading defenses.… Read more »
UCLA is playing CO, which is a semi-bye.
Now with the extra time will they do something constructive?
Remember Gomer with extra time …. the lazy ass called off practice
Yes … you know the old saying ‘Give Donte Williams two weeks to prepare and you will only beat him by 3 TDS “
Wouldn’t you know it!?
This will be the first FBS CFB game to be canceled by COVID in the 2021 season.
And USC, just when we all thought the Trojans would put a wonderfully memorable beat down on the Bears, is robbed of this tremendous opportunity!
Too sarcastic to be funny