OU has petitioned the NCAA for a waiver that would allow the Sooners to move their 2020 football opener against Missouri State from September 5 to August 29, The Oklahoman has learned. Missouri State apparently is agreeable to the move.
OU athletic director Joe Castiglione’s rationale in this pandemic-stricken year is that moving the opener would give OU an off week after each of its first two games, which could be valuable with the testing of players for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
With constant testing and the subsequent contact tracing for those exposed, teams face a season with frequent quarantines and isolation of players who either have the virus or have been exposed to it.