Big 12 Announces Football Cancellation Thresholds

The Big 12 announced its rules for a football game to be labeled a no contest Friday afternoon.

The minimum number of players a Big 12 team needs to play a game in 2020 will be 53, according to the league’s release. That number includes scholarship and walk-on players. For reference, there are 130 players listed on Oklahoma State’s roster.

Earlier this week on the ESPN+ documentary ‘Our Time: Oklahoma State Football,’ Gundy said publicly he needs only “about 40 players” to play games.

If a team falls below seven offensive linemen, four interior defensive linemen or doesn’t have a quarterback, that game can be ruled a no-contest unless that team still elects to play. OSU has 22 offensive linemen, 13 defensive tackles and six quarterbacks on its roster.

These numbers will be based on game-week COVID-19 test results, and while a game could be determined a no contest the week leading up to it, the Big 12 has two bye weeks for each team this season with the hope of being able to make games up. The Big 12 Championship game is also somewhat flexible, as the conference could push the game back a week.

An example of this happened Friday, as TCU and nonconference foe SMU had to postpone their game for the time being. TCU “discovered some student-athletes and support staff” tested positive for the coronavirus. In the announcement, TCU said the teams are monitoring future dates to make the game up.

Oklahoma State starts its season Sept. 12 when the Cowboys host Tulsa.