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This could be the week the Big Ten releases its revised 2020 football schedule. At least that’s the hope of some coaches.
“Since we are supposed to start fall camp next week,” a Big Ten head coach told GoldandBlack.com via text this week. “I sure hope so!”
The league announced on July 9 it was punting the three non-conference games for each member school and having schools play 10-game/Big Ten-only schedules. The reasons to do so amid a global COVID-19 pandemic that threatens the season were many, including assurances member school will enact similar healthy and safety protocols to quell virus outbreaks.
Now, almost three weeks later and with the start of training camps across the conference set to begin in August, urgency looms for Big Ten schools to know when they will kick off the season.
“Nope!” was how another Big Ten head coach responded via text message when asked if he knew when to expect the revised menu of games. Does the coach think something could be decided this week?
"Hope so," he replied.
Big Ten athletic directors and coaches meet each Thursday via conference call to discuss topics. And the 2020 schedule is a top issue. Per usual, they will convene this Thursday. Perhaps agreement will be made between the league and its TV partners and a new slate of games will be announced soon thereafter.
“All uncertain at this point,” a Big Ten assistant coach texted.
Players across the Big Ten have been on campuses for several weeks, going through supervised workouts with staffers … all while trying to avoid an outbreak of COVID-19. Safety measures have been innumerable, with players working in pods and frequent facility cleaning being among myriad standard health protocols.
Hyper prudence hasn't maintained an air-tight environment, however. So far, the Big Ten has seen football programs at Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers and Indiana shut down at one time or another this summer due to a virus outbreak.
But no one knows what will happen once the entire team assembles for training camp practices in August and the process of building to the season-opener begins. And what will occur when thousands of students flood Big Ten campuses later in August?
The clocking is ticking.
Big Ten schools need to know who their first opponent will be … and when the game will be played. This much seems certain: Division foes figure to play each other—probably early in the schedule. But how will the four cross-division opponents be determined? Each Big Ten team already had three cross-division games scheduled. Will the opponents remain the same?
“I would think,” a head coach told GoldandBlack.com last week. “I hope so. We’ve been planning for them. We’ve already done a lot of work. You would think they would, but you don’t know for sure. But I would think so.”
And will a cross-division rivalry game like Purdue-Indiana be preserved? Some feel rivalry games will be played early in schedules for fear of not getting them played later in the season if a virus outbreak shutters the season. Could we see Michigan-Ohio State in Week One?
Major League Baseball is offering a look at how a bubble-free sport operates. And, the results haven’t been encouraging. The Miami Marlins experienced a raft of infections over the weekend has caused games to be cancelled less than a week into the truncated 60-game season.
“With baseball jacking it up, it will get more difficult,” a Group of Five head coach told GoldandBlack.com.
What will happen in a high-density, contact sport like football? How can infections be avoided, especially when you factor in that football players will be mingling with thousands of fellow students on campuses while attending classes?
The first big weekend of college football games was slated to be September 5--Week One. Will that date still be the opener for Big Ten schools? Or will the start to the season be delayed?
The Pac-12 quickly mimicked the Big Ten’s 10-game, league-only scheduling model. And, according to long-time Pac-12 writer Jon Wilner, the Pac-12 will start September 19. Conference presidents will meet on Friday to approve or vote down the date.
Could the Big Ten push its start date back like the Pac-12? Perhaps. But who’s to say the virus situation will be any better then?
Yahoo! Sports received an NCAA email this week that issued a "blanket waiver" to allow all FBS schools to start on August 29, which was "Week 0" on the 2020 football calendar. According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo!, the waiver was requested by the Football Oversight Committee and will provide additional flexibility for scheduling.
On and on the reports and speculation go ... this much is certain: Big Ten schools need to know when their first game is before much else can happen.
"Should by Friday," a Big Ten coordinator texted when asked when he thought a 2020 schedule would come out.
Stay tuned.
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