Reports have surfaced the last week of the Big Ten’s apparent hoped-for plan of a winter season to begin in January, including eight games and concluding with a Big Ten title game in early March.
The season would end soon enough to give players time to prep for the 2021 NFL Draft April 29-May 1 in Cleveland, while also providing ample buffer between the winter 2021 season and fall 2021 season—which the Big Ten supposedly wants to be a normal 12-game slate.
A report by the Penn State Rivals.com site on Wednesday said a pre-set eight-game schedule will begin the week after New Year's Day, likely kicking off on Wednesday, Jan. 7 or Thursday, Jan. 8, and progressing through the weekend.
“I think as long as the other conferences have their seasons, I think that this has a really good shot of working, yes I do,” a Big Ten head coach told GoldandBlack.com. “Because of the fact that the kids will be sent home at that time of the year, it probably would create a better scenario from a campus-wide dynamic.
“It will be interesting to see how it works with scheduling. And at that time of the year, you know, with the virus in the winter, will definitely be a challenge. There are things that could cause it not to work. There is a lot yet to be figured out. I think it probably has the best shot of any of the plans I have looked at.”
What could the eight-game schedule look like?
"I don't know,” said the head coach. “You obviously will play division games. That has been a consistent piece that’s always been there (in previous 2020 schedule incarnations). How they determine the other ones? I don't know. There is no formula they have come up with yet that I know of.”
When could the Big Ten officially release its plans for a 2020 winter season?
“I don’t know,” said the head coach. “I really don’t.”
The sooner the better, right?
“I would think,” said the head coach. “Anytime you have more clarity as you make decisions and plans, it helps. We haven’t had much clarity on anything. You have to be flexible. Plan A, B and C. … “
Bulging rosters
Get ready for Big Ten rosters to balloon to over 100 scholarship players.
That’s the reality after the Division I Board of Directors approved a proposal to grant all fall athletes an extra year of eligibility--and a year to play it--no matter if they play a 2020–21 season or not.
“It was probably fair,” said a Big Ten head coach of granting the extra eligibility. “There are still so many unknowns. Nobody knows what's gonna happen with the season, even the conference's that are trying to play. What are their seasons gonna look like? Will they be cut short or interrupted?
The scholarship limit is 85. But allowing players to return for an extra year—if they want—could have a big impact on players in the Class of 2022 (current high school juniors).
“I think it’s gonna have a major impact on that group,” said the head coach. “I don't see it having much impact on the current class. Most people have those classes under control. And the guys who are gonna go pro will go pro regardless of having another year or not.
“It’s going to be a very interesting dynamic of roster management that coaches will have to deal with.”
Football or bust
Will anything stop the SEC, ACC and Big 12 from playing this fall?
“The campuses,” said the head coach. “That’s the issue. If something stops them from playing, it will be outbreaks on campuses because of having 30, 40, 50,000 kids on campus and going to parties.
“It seems like they have the football part of it under control for the most part and definitely trending in the right direction.”
Still, even campus outbreaks haven’t stopped football. Last week, North Carolina sent its students home after just a week on the Chapel Hill campus following a virus outbreak. But the football players remained on campus to prep for the season. That runs counter to what so many athletic directors said in the spring: If students aren’t on campus, there won’t be football.
“That was definitely stated earlier,” said the head coach. “But hasn’t been consistently followed.”
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Dome, sweet dome
Media outlets have reported that the Big Ten winter season would be played out in domes within the Big Ten footprint. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ford Field in Detroit, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Miller Park in Milwaukee and the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., have been mentioned as possible venues.
“You can’t play outside in the Midwest,” said the head coach. “It’s really your only option (domes). The negative to that is you aren’t playing on your own campus. A positive is being in a controlled environment.”
Would schools be assigned a “home” dome to play their games in?
“I don’t know,” said the head coach. “I doubt it. Probably not. I think it will be rotated. Just assigned for the weekend (to a dome)
“You have to coordinate with the NFL (to avoid playoff game conflicts) which is something the Big Ten is doing. (This plan) has a chance, the best chance of anything I have heard.”
Rose Bowl in March?
Like the Big Ten, the Pac-12 is postponing its 2020 season with likely hopes of playing in the winter of 2021. Could the champions of each conference meet in the Rose Bowl, which for years has been a tradition for both leagues?
“Hopefully, they have some type of culmination to the season,” said the head coach. “A last game for everyone to do. You want it to be a meaningful experience for everyone involved. Nothing has been decided, but a lot different things have been thrown around. You’re just trying to make the best experience possible for the players.”
And could there be bowl matchups between Big Ten-Pac-12 teams besides the champions of both leagues?
“Possibly,” said the head coach. “That could be a thing to do."
MORE:
• Leading sports doctor on Big Ten postponement: 'I don't understand'
• B1G coaches rankled by fall practice model, but it could change in October
• B1G source: Winter season is 'all about preserving the '21 (fall) season'
• Healing begins in Big Ten, but discord still simmers amid postponement
• Big Ten letter explains reasons for postponement
• Bobinski hopeful for spring season
• Some Big Ten football parents push back on postponement
• Brohm discusses his plan to play in spring and fall of 2021
• Brohm: "Our team is disappointed"
• With football on hold, Purdue athletic department challenged
• Big Ten postpones season, could possibly play in spring
• Cancel or delay? Decision looms as Purdue and league teams practice today
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