Ryan Day: Ohio State will be 'short-handed' against Michigan State

The Ohio State Buckeyes were cleared to resume football activities earlier this week ahead of Saturday's showdown with the Michigan State Spartans after COVID-19 concerns threatened the remainder of their season. 

While OSU coach Ryan Day wouldn't say how many players tested positive or are still quarantining, he admitted during his weekly radio show on Thursday that his side will be "a little short-handed" on the first Saturday of December. 

"It's been a tough, tough week," Day explained, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "It's certainly been a frustrating week. But I'm resting comfortably."

Day recently tested positive for the coronavirus and won't be permitted to coach on the sideline, something he said will make the Michigan State contest "the hardest three hours of my life."

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson will serve as Ohio State interim coach in Day's absence. 

Despite not facing the Illinois Fighting Illini last Saturday due to COVID-19 issues, Ohio State remained No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Current Big Ten protocols mandate that a team must play a minimum of six games this fall to be eligible for the conference title game, meaning Ohio State must compete against Michigan State and the Michigan Wolverines on Dec. 12 to meet that threshold.

Michigan's game versus the Maryland Terrapins scheduled for Saturday was canceled on Wednesday after the Wolverines paused team activities because of positive COVID-19 test results and subsequent quarantines. It's unknown if the Big Ten would allow Ohio State to schedule a non-conference opponent if Michigan can't safely field a team on Dec. 12.