After a hint from Nebraska, Big Ten makes return of football this fall official
It’s game on for Big Ten football.
The league reversed its no fall season decision from August and announced Tuesday that games would begin starting in October.
Stringent testing protocols paved the way. The Big Ten will require athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals who are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing.
The league said test results must be completed and recorded before each practice or game. Daily testing will begin on Sept. 30.
A hint of the decision was supplied by Nebraska on Tuesday.
In a hot mic incident, University of Nebraska president Ted Carter said, “We’re getting ready to announce Husker, Big Ten football tonight.”
Carter made that comment before the announcement of a $92 million research contract for the school’s National Strategic Institute.
The league will begin play on the weekend of Oct. 23-24. A schedule wasn’t announced but the starting date would give the league eight weeks before a league championship game on Dec. 19, one day before the College Football Playoff pairings are announced.
You’ll have to watch the games on television. No fans will be allowed in the stands.
“As a conference, we’ve made a decision, no public sales of tickets,” Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour told The Big Ten Network.
The Big Ten will join the SEC, ACC and Big 12 as Power Five conferences playing this fall.
On Aug. 11, the Big Ten had announced that there would be no football in the fall due to concerns about COVID-19 testing and tracing and longer-term heart issues related to the virus.
The league’s medical officials met with Big Ten presidents last weekend to provide updated medical information that includes more testing.
By waiting until October, the Big Ten may be able to avoid problems that have occurred with leagues and teams that have already started.
Three Big 12 teams missed their Sept. 12 starting dates because of too many positive tests from their team or their opponent.
The Big Ten’s call leaves the Pac-12 as the lone major conference without football. Commissioner Larry Scott issued a statement Wednesday suggesting the league, which has canceled all sports in the fall semester, isn’t ready to return to competition.
“At this time, our universities in California and Oregon do not have approval from state or local public health officials to start contact practice,” Scott said in a statement. “We are hopeful that our new daily testing capability can satisfy public health officials approvals in California and Oregon to begin contact practice and competition.
“We are equally closely monitoring the devastating fires and air quality in our region at this time. We are eager for our student-athletes to have the opportunity to play this season, as soon as it can be done safely and in accordance with public health authority approvals.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 10:07 AM.