At Cal, a Single Positive Test May Wipe Out Two Football Games

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

For months, the athletic department at Cal thought it was doing everything just right to keep the coronavirus out and get games going again. The football team’s season opener on Saturday was supposed to be the university’s first athletic competition since March. Like hundreds of other colleges, Cal was determined to make it happen, safely.

“We’ve designed what we do,” Athletic Director Jim Knowlton said. “And we’re probably the most strict of any school around.”

Then came a positive test for a player on Monday, a follow-up positive test on Tuesday, and a public announcement of the diagnosis on Wednesday. Still, the game was on the schedule.

Behind the scenes,…