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Counties with Big Ten, Big 12 schools see bigger increases in COVID-19 cases

As fall turns to winter, communities across the United States have become COVID-19 hot spots — and those that host Power Five football programs are no exception.

In fact, data analysis conducted by Emory's Rollins School of Public Health for USA TODAY found that the counties in which Power Five schools are located have seen an even larger spike in COVID-19 cases than the nationwide average, with communities in the Big Ten and Big 12 experiencing the most dramatic increases in their seven-day averages of daily new cases per 100,000 residents.

Three Big 12 schools — Oklahoma State, Kansas and Iowa State — have seen the daily COVID-19 cases in their counties more than double from the previous week.