Sun Belt Title Game Canceled Due to Positive COVID-19 Test

The Sun Belt title game between Coastal Carolina and Louisiana will be declared a no-contest, with the teams declared co-champions.

Saturday's Sun Belt championship game between No. 12 Coastal Carolina and No. 19 Louisiana has been canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Coastal Carolina program, the school announced Thursday.

We are devastated. https://t.co/cBsfAnU1bX

— Coastal Football (@CoastalFootball) December 18, 2020

The team said that, because of contact tracing, an entire position group would be unavailable for Saturday's game due to possible exposure to the person who tested positive. The game will be ruled a no-contest, and the two sides will be declared co-champions.

"We are very disappointed that the championship game cannot be played, but we are so proud of all of the players and staff members and their hard work during this truly challenging season," Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill said. "We will honor both teams as 2020 Sun Belt Conference Co-Champions."

Coastal Carolina is currently the second-highest ranked Group of Five team in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. The Chanticleers trail only No. 9 Cincinnati, which faces off against No. 23 Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference title game on Saturday.

"We are all obviously devastated with this development and hurt for the student-athletes from both institutions in that they will not have a chance to compete for a conference title," Coastal Carolina athletics director Matt Hogue said. "However, the adherence to health and safety protocols for our student-athletes has been and remains the first priority. Those protocols and guidance from our medical team fully governs this decision."

Coastal Carolina and Louisiana faced each other on Oct. 14 in Lafayette, La. The Chanticleers won, 30-27, on a 40-yard field goal by Massimo Biscardi with four seconds remaining.

With the championship being split, this will be Coastal Carolina's first Sun Belt title in program history, and Louisiana's third. The Chanticleers joined the conference in 2017, while Louisiana has been a member since 2001.