Big 12 Conference revises policy, forces teams lacking active players to be charged with forfeiture

The Big 12 conference on Tuesday announced an updated policy whereby teams that do not have enough players to compete due to COVID-19, or for whatever reason, will be charged with a forfeit.

The league has stated that for conference games it will be treated as if a game has been played. The team that withdraws will be credited with a defeat and the opponent with a victory.

The forfeit can be declared at any time before the end of a game. If both teams are unable to play, the match will be declared without competition.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby has the discretion to consider a game to be a no-contest “if extraordinary circumstances warrant it,” the statement said.