This past weekend, during a small-scale and disjointed opening weekend of college football, Mike Bobinski could hardly watch, as life without fall football really sunk in.

"You couldn't have drawn up a more perfect and beautiful football day," Bobinski said of Saturday afternoon. "Yet that wasn't to be this year."

Under normal circumstances, Bobinski would have been in Lincoln for the Boilermakers' 2020 season opener at Nebraska. Instead, he was home watching Netflix.

He could have watched college football, but mostly couldn't bring himself to.

"It was probably too depressing to bring myself to (watch)," Bobinski joked.

Weeks ago, the Big Ten voted 11-3 at the presidential level to postpone fall football amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Among Power 5 conferences, only the Pac-12 followed suit.

The SEC, ACC and Big 12 — and a slew of smaller conferences and independents — are playing, or at least giving it their best shot.

"We had the same plan they have," Bobinski said of his observations of and discussions with conferences that aren't idled. "We just didn't see it through at a point in time."

Now, attention turns to a restart, whenever it may be.

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"I think everyone's — and I'd count our presidents in this group, and I'd count President (Mitch) Daniels in this — rooting for the earliest possible return," Bobinski said. "It's painful to watch others do this. That's no secret. It's human nature. ... To watch others do it, and us not do it, is not desirable.

"The answer to that is the soonest we can possibly get back in action, that's our objective. I just don't know exactly what that will be. We've been in very close contact with our television partners, primarily FOX but obviously ESPN has a significant role in football also, and kept them apprised of all the opportunities that may be in play, but again, it's all just options until we have clarity around the medical side of things."

There have been numerous models put forth in the court of public opinion, one possibility being a post-Thanksgiving kickoff, once most college campus clear of gen-pop students, another being a January kickoff of games played in a variety of indoor neutral-site venues. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm has advocated for a spring season.

Before any model is actionable, though, there are benchmarks that must be hit and presented to the presidents, Bobinski said, involving access to rapid-response COVID-19 testing — Purdue's A.D. said he hopes the Big Ten will have access to such products come October — as well as sound, consistent protocols for contact tracing and return-to-activity risk mitigation, "particularly around cardiac issues," Bobinski said, a nod to the concerns over inflammation of the heart that reportedly loomed large during the postponement decision. An advisory group, led by Ohio State doctor Jim Borchers and Penn State A.D. Sandy Barbour, with significant presidential involvement, is leading that effort," Bobinski said.

"All of it's achievable," Bobinski said. "None of it is an insurmountable climb. It just has to get done. That's the phase we're in right now."

In the meantime, Purdue's athletic department grapples with a projected $50-million shortfall.

It's taken considerable cost-cutting measures by implementing pay reductions, furloughs and even layoffs around the athletic department — and freezing purchasing and such things — and has raised $3-million and counting from its More Than A Game campaign heading into Wednesday's Purdue Day of Giving. But the pain of tens of millions lost won't easily be remedied, and still may require some form of third-party financing help.

"We're going to do everything we can to contain this without long-term, multi-year financing, because that just creates issues down the road that would also need answers. ... But that's clearly on the table if we don't raise enough money or if circumstances are wholly unfavorable as the year rolls on."

More to come ...

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