Reports: Big Ten To Begin Season October 24th (UPDATE: IT'S OFFICIAL)
According to a report from Yahoo's Pete Thamel, as well as corroboration from The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach, the Big Ten has decided to move forward with a football season that will kick off next month.
On Wednesday morning, the waiting finally ended. Sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports that the Big Ten will return to play in the fall of 2020. The league is expected to start the season on Oct. 24, which is scheduled to allow for both a conference title game and a potential spot in the College Football Playoff.
The major shift that swayed the conference's decision on playing a fall season was the availability of rapid testing. Or that's going to be the PR pitch, at least.
What changed in less than five weeks? A confluence of medical advancements, fan blowback, political pressure and the successful start of the college football season elsewhere – especially in leagues like the ACC – all contributed to the league reversing course. Sources said that the presence of daily rapid testing, which has led to a successful start in the NFL, will be used in the Big Ten and will be a key part of the league’s messaging why it’s moving forward.
We'll have much more on this whenever there's an official announcement and accompanying schedule. There'll be time for an eight-game conference-only season and Big Ten title game with that start date if there are no weeks off—fingers crossed that this goes smoothly!—in order to get the season played before the college football playoff field is chosen.
IMMEDIATE UPDATE: IT'S OFFICIAL, THINGS ARE MOVING FAST AROUND HERE.
The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.
The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.
There are many more details in the full press release. Buried at the end is a promising note about the rest of the sporting slate:
Eventually all Big Ten sports will require testing protocols before they can resume competition. Updates regarding fall sports other than football, as well as winter sports that begin in the fall including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and wrestling, will be announced shortly.
Here we go.
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September 16th, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
You're welcome.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^
Spasibo tovarisch
September 16th, 2020 at 10:17 AM ^
Just look at you and DT, gettin things done.
/s
September 16th, 2020 at 12:08 PM ^
I guess your comment and this tweet is proof of collusion.
September 16th, 2020 at 1:33 PM ^
Absolute proof, absolutely!
September 16th, 2020 at 9:47 PM ^
Thank you President Trump for helping to get Big Ten Football back on the field!!
September 16th, 2020 at 9:32 AM ^
Pros: Yay, I don't have to watch the Lions for a full season!
Cons: I don't want anyone to get sick and I really was looking forward to not losing to Ohio State this year lol
September 16th, 2020 at 12:06 PM ^
I felt the same way. I know a 'good fan' believes and gets excited for games, but I've only been a fan since '06. Ohio State game means to me 3 hours of torture and crushed hopes every fall
September 16th, 2020 at 12:09 PM ^
I don't want anyone to get sick
This can't be your way of thinking or literally everything in society is "too dangerous." (And then when we shut everything down, we create lots of new dangers.)
The goal needs to be the same as it was in March keep our health systems from being overrun.
September 16th, 2020 at 2:37 PM ^
So deaths and long term morbidity are cool as long as hospitals aren't overrun?
You've been around awhile, you can't possibly think this is a good argument. There's a way mitigate risk without shutting everything down now that we know prolonged indoor contact is the biggest risk to getting infected.
September 16th, 2020 at 12:16 PM ^
Stop it.
MILTON IS COMING, THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS
It is time to change the tide. It only takes one win.
September 16th, 2020 at 12:38 PM ^
Last week, I saw a film, as I recall it was a horror film
+1 for bringing back good music memories
September 16th, 2020 at 9:36 AM ^
Mixed emotions on this. I thought when Michigan football returned it would feel glorious. But after everything that has happened in the last month, after seeing what the games that have happened look like, knowing that we're in no better shape in this pandemic, it doesn't feel right.
Regardless, Go Blue.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:06 AM ^
IDK, man. Michigan playing football in October feels about as right as it gets.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:29 AM ^
I keep thinking about the baseball player who said we haven't earned sports. Nothing we have done makes me feel like we deserve this. If our country (or even just state) had really come together to beat this thing, maybe I'd feel different. But we've basically just given up after a half-hearted effort and we're trying to force things back to normal.
And that ignores all the other issues, like our priorities being completely out of whack. Football players get all these rapid tests, meanwhile, university employees can't get tested unless they have symptoms. Things are fucked up in so many different ways, but hey, football!
September 16th, 2020 at 11:01 AM ^
I keep thinking about the baseball player who said we haven't earned sports. Nothing we have done makes me feel like we deserve this.
September 16th, 2020 at 11:11 AM ^
I agree about mixed emotions. e.g., i'm realistic and realize that the rapid antigen testing for football is not "taking away" tests that would go toward the AA community ot UMich students/faculty--those 'extra' tests prob just wouldn't be available.
But it is sub-optimal that football will have the best testing...that aren't available for students going to in-person class, research internships, volunteer opportunities to even just surveillance.
September 16th, 2020 at 11:44 AM ^
Yep. I’m sure I’ll get there but I have zero excitement at the moment.
September 16th, 2020 at 12:47 PM ^
Give it a rest, pest. It's not about deserving anything. It's about gainful employment for the college football industry. It's about opportunities for football players who have worked their asses off. It's about non-revenue sports played by kids who have also worked their asses off and earned the scholarship. It's about the remainder of the TV business that is funded, at least in part. by sports fees.
But no, all that matters is that the sheep feel like it's too scawy in the big bad world. The american attitude of "fuck it, let's go" has made this country extraordinary in a (relatively) short period of time. I caution all not to give that up because of something that will pass in due time.
September 16th, 2020 at 12:58 PM ^
Great comment. All these people are worried about the players well being need to realize that there will be some sleeper players that will get discovered and drafted making life changing money that wouldn’t have been discovered if not for this season. Take burrow from last year as an example. It’s also much safer for them to be tested everyday and in a regimented program than back at home without access to the same tests and medical personnel. If the players want to play why the fuck should you or I tell them they can’t??
September 16th, 2020 at 1:25 PM ^
Because they aren’t in a bubble and never will be. It’s not just about the players and coaches, but the people they come into contact with as well.
This country is so focused on their own individual liberties or what they want that they don’t give a shit whether anyone else is impacted by their decisions.
I’m happy to have football back, but there’s a large segment of the population who really doesn’t get why they cancelled in the first place and unfortunately they were louder and angrier than the other side.
September 16th, 2020 at 3:53 PM ^
Again everyone else that’s worried about coming in contact with them can stay home. They have that right.
September 16th, 2020 at 8:02 PM ^
Are you going to give them money to live on, while you contribute to making the world outside their homes more dangerous, so they can exercise this right you speak of?
September 16th, 2020 at 1:23 PM ^
"Fuck it, let's go" would have been a good attitude to take into getting this virus under control. Instead, a whole lot of this country decided that any personal sacrifice would be too inconvenient and that thousands of people dying daily would be ok as long as they got to watch football. It's the exact opposite of the attitude that made this country extraordinary.
September 16th, 2020 at 1:48 PM ^
Yes, this country is so extraordinary that we can't even band together against a faceless virus. The American attitude is "I won't do anything to help the greater good if I'm slightly inconvenienced."
September 16th, 2020 at 4:13 PM ^
Change that to if it violates my rights and you’re correct. MOST people have no issue wearing masks, telling people they can and can’t open their business or work is another thing entirely.
September 16th, 2020 at 3:58 PM ^
It is the ultimate irony that Trumpies like to call other people sheep.
September 16th, 2020 at 4:15 PM ^
Why do you assume everyone on the opposite side of you is a “Trumpie” I hate Trump and have never voted republican in my life. Yet I believe in mainting rights and allowing others free choice. It’s comments like this that won Trump the election in 2016 and will most likely lead to another victory in 2020.
September 16th, 2020 at 8:03 PM ^
0/10 not convincing at all
September 16th, 2020 at 9:53 PM ^
Trump 2020...unless you hate America.
September 25th, 2020 at 8:23 AM ^
I thought his slogan was "because you hate America"?
September 16th, 2020 at 9:37 AM ^
Yay!! However...
Why is the start not until Oct 24? That's six weeks away, while everyone else is playing right now! I get there has to be some training camp time, but most teams have been in a semi-constant state of team practices and workouts since early August. I very much doubt they need 6 full weeks to get ready. I'd rather see an Oct 10 start date with a couple of weeks left open in the (fairly likely) event that a game gets postponed.
I mean, if you decide to play, then fucking play!
September 16th, 2020 at 9:41 AM ^
I have that exact same question. It makes no sense to wait that long. Teams are already practicing and it's not as if travel resources are so overbooked that you have to book them months ahead of time. TV has open spots and would gladly replace the Army game of the week with Michigan vs. Penn State. What am I missing here?
September 16th, 2020 at 9:49 AM ^
The later start could be a compromise to the people who want to ensure good testing procedures. Also maybe logistics (travel, stadium operations, attendance/distancing).
I am only guessing.
September 16th, 2020 at 9:52 AM ^
As far as I know they don't have the rapid testing supplies all in yet, so I'm sure there's a delay on that end.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:02 AM ^
I believe it has to do with Wisconsin and Maryland. If they are requiring 21 days from a positive test, that would mean they would only have 10 days to get ready for a season opener on 10/17. And that's assuming that their last positive test would be today, which I'm not sure is the case.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:26 AM ^
I've seen it reported that the 21-day thing will be a league-wide regulation as well. Which I'm in favor of. Should be plenty of time to get over the virus, and properly test for myocarditis without allowing the team to rush someone back. Safety is the most important thing here at the end of the day.
Also, aren't there 3 schools that have suspended all football activities at this time too? If the goal is to get all schools 4 weeks of training camp, then they need to give those schools time to get a team back on the field.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:31 AM ^
Gives them time to cancel the season again, I am not very optimistic about it, this gives them more time to look at every one else playing and still be able to say no before it starts.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:59 AM ^
That's exactly what I was thinking, another stall tactic. I'm excited, but not believing it until that first snap.
September 16th, 2020 at 11:14 AM ^
I agree and that's the smart thing to do. If the season turns into a train wreck, we'll know by late October.
"the successful start of the college football season elsewhere" It's hilarious that people believe this when about half the games last weekend were canceled and others affected. Maybe it'll get better though. I still haven't seen details on when they think teams will have rapid tests readily available.
September 16th, 2020 at 10:53 AM ^
Frontline healthcare worker and I oversee the Covid issues in our office. The Sophia Quidel machines are on a 4-6 week wait for acquisition right now.
I’m assuming this means that offices like ours will be waiting longer to get one, however
September 16th, 2020 at 11:13 AM ^
logistics.
early this year even a simple thing as surgical masks took forever to catch up to demand.
September 16th, 2020 at 9:38 AM ^
Damn, I was really looking forward to a guaranteed undefeated Michigan Football Ace Season, I'm not going to lie.
September 16th, 2020 at 9:42 AM ^
Once the games start, the delay will be just a memory. We will sing The Victors as the band moves down the field. I just hope they allow students in to watch the game. As a Grad Student, I will be at every game with my mask on. What a wonderful day.
It is a sliver of hope in these polarizing times that we can all come together for the common good.
September 16th, 2020 at 12:26 PM ^
Lol, no fans was already announced, and likely no bands either. Have you watched any college football yet this year? It will not look or feel anything like we are used to. Sorry to disappoint.
September 16th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
I've watched and I've seen games with bands and/or limited fan capacity.
September 16th, 2020 at 1:15 PM ^
Good for you. Like I said, the B1G already announced no fans, and I'm thinking bands are highly unlikely.
September 16th, 2020 at 4:16 PM ^
True. But didn't they announce the games would be cancelled too? Then changed their minds? I seem to think I heard about football decision reversal recently.
September 16th, 2020 at 9:43 AM ^
It's good for the guys who wanted to play and for schools that need the money, I guess. But a thousand people died yesterday from COVID-19 and we aren't any closer to having a handle on it. So this feels a little hollow, the result not of some amazing medical advance (rapid testing has been in the works for a long time) but most likely political pressures and a rather obvious disincentive to think beyond the bottom line.
Anyway, hopefully this is a safe and enjoyable season. I do ask that for all the people who loudly fought to have players play this year despite all of the dangers, they provide equally vocal and fervent support for things like NIL rights, additional medical care, free transfers, and all of the other player-focused rights that have been pushed for recently by the athletes.
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