The Stanford (0-2) football game against Washington State (1-1), originally scheduled for Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. PT, was canceled on Friday due to COVID-19 cases on Washington State’s football team.
The Cougars would not have had the minimum number of scholarship players available due to “a number of positive football student-athlete COVID-19 cases and resulting isolation of additional football student-athletes under contact tracing protocols,” according to a Stanford Athletics statement.
Under the Pac-12’s cancellation policy, the game will be declared a no contest.
“The cancellation of this game is very disappointing to our student-athletes and our fans,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “While all of us want to see our football student-athletes on the field competing, our number one priority must continue to be the health and safety of all those connected to Pac-12 football programs.”
Stanford is still seeking its first win of the year, following back-to-back losses to No. 11 Oregon and Colorado to start off the season.
“We are saddened for not only our student-athletes, coaches and staff, but those within the Stanford program, who have worked so hard preparing for this weekend,” Washington State’s Director of Athletics Pat Chun said in a statement. “We have built health and safety protocols in consultation with campus, Pac-12 Conference, NCAA, local, state and federal guidelines, and continue to follow them, ensuring that the safety of all Pac-12 student-athletes, coaches and staff continues to be our top priority.”
The Cardinal will now turn their attention to the 123rd iteration of the Big Game against Cal on Friday. Last year, Golden Bears quarterback Chase Garbers outdueled Stanford, snapping a nine-year streak of keeping the Axe on the Farm.
“That’s something we’ll have to live with for 364 days,” head coach David Shaw ’94 said following his team’s loss last year.
Kickoff is currently scheduled for 1:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
Contact Jeremy Rubin at jjmrubin ‘at’ stanford.edu.