If this sad Big Ten has been a defined theme for summer, it will wait. Waiting for the news about the fate of the season. Awaiting responses from fixed conference office fees. And, finally, waiting for the news on the reversal.
On Wednesday morning, the wait was finally over. The council made it official after sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports that Big Ten will return to play in the fall of 2020. The league’s season is expected to begin on Oct. 24, allowing for both a conference title game and a potential venue in the League Football Play Playoffs.
“Over the last six weeks, our focus with the task force has been on ensuring the health and safety of our student-athletes. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a conference statement that our goal is always to return to the competition so that all student-athletes can realize their dream of participating in the sport of their choice. “We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force has done to ensure the health, safety and well-being of student athletes, coaches and administrators.”
The decision is expected as the Big Ten Council Pres Presidents and Chancellors (COPC) met on Sunday night, as optimism spread through the league. But as the days went by and the information evaporated, the coaches and managers around the league froze as expected.
This summer in the typical Big Ten fashion was the most messy, when the news came out on the hot mic by then-Nebraska President Ted Carter that it was not at once spectacular and surprising.
Sources told Yahoo that several events around the league had met with their players over the past few days and outlined plans for how they would practice and be ready to play by the October date reported in the media. But they warned that the plan was based on the votes of the Big Ten COPC. It finally happened, as coaching staff around the league spent two nervous days waiting for signs of smoking from the Big Ten office fees.
Wednesday’s news comes more than a month after the same COPC group voted 11-3 to postpone the fall season. The conference doubled down about a week later when Warren Raine said the Big Ten COPC was “in favor of postponing the Fall Games and would not come again.”
Yard markers with the Big Ten conference logo 2 Nov. Seen on the ground during a game between Michigan and Maryland on. (Same Rob Robbins / Getty Images)
The Big Ten was the first major conference to decide to postpone the fall and is now the first of its kind. Pack-2 follows in the footsteps of the Big Ten, but there is no intention to take the Big Ten back on the field, as conditions in California and Oregon do not allow those teams to practice. So far, three of the 10 FBS conferences will not play this fall – Mac, Pack-12 and Mountain West.
The delay from Sunday’s COPC meeting to today’s announcement, finalizing the details, answering last-minute questions, and making sure messages about the reverse came out better than initial messaging. When Big Ten first announced its decision, Warren came under investigation for not sharing enough details.
What has changed in less than five weeks? The confluence of medical advances, fan blowbacks, political pressure, and the successful start of the college football season – all in leagues like the ACC – all contributed to the league reversing course. Sources said the presence of the daily fast test, which has led to a successful start in the NFL, will be used in the Big Ten and will be a key part of why it is moving forward in the league’s message.
According to a B1G-source, so far, the games will not be played on campus except for fans (except families). That could change the situation. Quick test is worth doing 8 games in 8 weeks. Title Game 12/19.
– Dan Vetzel (DenVetzel) September 16, 2020
On Sunday’s COPC call, sources told Yahoo Sports that the league’s three different weapons have returned to the competition task force – medical, scheduling and television – all 14 of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors have been formally unveiled. The chief medical voice is Dr. Ohio State Head Team Physician. Is Jim Borchers, who is the medical co-chairman of the return to the Competition Task Force. The presentation was said to be complete and gave a clear explanation of why the league is better equipped to play on 11 August than it is.
“Everyone involved with Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking measures that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of student-athletes and surrounding communities,” Ohio State Chief Physician Dr. Jim Borchers said in a conference statement. .
“The data we are going to collect from the test and the Cardiac Registry, which studies the Covid-1 study and seeks to reduce the spread of the disease in large communities, will be a major contribution to all 1 Ten Big Ten organizations.”
The league has decided to return to action. The foundation of Saturday’s meeting on Saturday was laid with an important step. The eight presidents and chancellors of the league – a group known as the steering committee to return to the competition task force – heard a presentation on medical development from the Big Ten’s initial vote. They agreed to hand it over to a full 14 presidents and chancellors for a vote.
In addition to addressing daily rapid testing and ways to reduce contract prevention, Big Ten is also expected to unveil new information about myocarditis screening and the league can safely test for myocarditis following any positive tests.
The question now turns to the ability of schools to prepare their teams to play. Getting physically prepared for the season is something that weighs heavily on the Big Ten coach. One school in the league – Wisconsin – is on hold due to Covid-19 issues. The other two schools, Maryland and Iowa, returned after the pause.
There has been a flurry of how quickly those schools can get ready to play, especially as the league tried to return to participate in the College Ledge Football Play Playoffs. Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said Wisconsin should be ready to play, even if they do not resume practice until September 24 as scheduled.
“[Coach Paul Chryst] And I’m on the same page, “Alvarez told Yahoo Sports on Saturday night. “We can prepare our people. We can build a team in three weeks. We feel comfortable with it. “
The Big Ten have found the fact where they have discussed returning. After August 11, Vren Ren made the decision and immediately after poorly reporting the reasoning, the Big Ten offices were silent for more than a week from the fees. Warren then said the decision would not be reconsidered after eight days.
Around that time, players, parents, coaches, athletic directors, fans, television partners and politicians – all sides began to create pressure. Many thought the Big Ten would rush to make a decision, especially after creating a modest schedule that would pull them back from the games and even cancel a whole week to accommodate the COVID-19-related interruptions that seem inherent in the season.
A month later – and much awaited – Big Ten is back on track to play.
