The Big Ten Is Backtracking More Every Day
Just over a week ago, Aug. 19, reports began to surface that the Big Ten was considering an abbreviated eight-game conference-only football season to begin in January and finish in early March.
That plan gained steady momentum in the following days, as domed stadiums in Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Minneapolis were deemed the leading contenders to host "winter" football.
Our friends at IlliniNow.com even created a mock schedule for every Big Ten team, with Michigan playing seven games, all at the Detroit Lions' Ford Field, culminating with a March 6 showdown against Ohio State.
Ever since the Big Ten formally announced Aug. 11 it would be postponing its fall sports season, coaches have been working diligently to get something like a winter season on the table. It appears, however, that January might be when the season finishes not starts.
Per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jeff Potrykus, the Big Ten is now considering its 2020 season actually starting in 2020, possibly in late November, a report that Ohio State Athletics Director Gene Smith has confirmed.
It is important to note that while these ideas are accelerating, the ultimate decision will still rest with the 14 college presidents/chancellors, who originally voted to postpone earlier this month. Will they pull such a drastic 180? That remains to be seen, though a number of presidents have reportedly already changed their tune, sources in the Big Ten office told WolverineDigest.com.
"It's one thing to lose the PR battle to the SEC, ACC and Big 12, it's quite another to be losing so many battles close to home," one of our sources shared.
Those battles include parents of football players from almost every school (prominently Michigan, Ohio State and Nebraska), who crafted letters to the Big Ten's officers, held a rally near the conference's headquarters asking for an open dialogue with Commissioner Kevin Warren (they didn't get one), are holding weekly zoom calls, and are planning multiple protests the opening weekend of college football.
It has been coaches and players giving interviews and blasting the Big Ten's decision without mercy.
And, perhaps, most prominently, it includes a lawsuit brought by eight Nebraska football players, hoping to get the season reinstated, but really looking for greater transparency in what went into the decision to cancel.
While the Big Ten and Warren have released numerous statements and have done a few interviews, they have steadfastly denied any access to the phone, Zoom and email conversations that took place between the college presidents/chancellors in reaching the decision to postpone.
The Big Ten did respond to the lawsuit, saying: "We share the disappointment that some student-athletes and their families are feeling. However, this lawsuit has no merit and we will defend the decision to protect all student-athletes as we navigate through this global pandemic. We are actively considering options to get back to competition and look forward to doing so when it is safe to play."
At a preliminary court hearing Aug. 27, Big Ten attorney Andrew Luger said "the harm would be incredible if board of directors documents were made available to the public."
Yet less than 24 hours later, reports began to emerge the Big Ten is considering moving its timetable for a season to start from January to November, potentially even earlier to accommodate potential inclusion in the 2020 college playoffs.
It's no surprise that the university at the forefront of returning to the field as soon as possible is Ohio State, as the Buckeyes have a legitimate chance to compete for a national championship this season. No such opportunity would be available if the Big Ten begins play in January - the best-case scenario would be a Big Ten-Pac 12 matchup in the Rose Bowl.
There has been a major development in COVID-19 testing since the Big Ten made its Aug. 11 decision, a rapid test from Abbott Laboratories that costs significantly less ($5 per test) than previous methods available and can provide a result in 15 minutes.
Still, it seems a bit too coincidental the conference is pushing forward on a plan to begin its season in November after being ordered by a Nebraska judge to file a written brief by 5pm Monday responding to a motion brought by the eight players in the lawsuit.
"Our conference has a lot of egg on its face and not necessarily because we made the wrong decision about not playing," an insider from Big Ten HQ said. "We've just gone about this all wrong, and continue to do so.
"We're being seen as the enemy of our student-athletes, coaches and programs, and how does that bode for the future of our conference?
"The Big Ten's reputation has taken a huge hit. Our leadership is damaged at the top, we've all lost leverage with our fans, with our TV partners, potentially even future recruits. Our donors are speaking. Loudly. We've pissed off a lot of people."
Warren has come under significant heat for his lack of communication with ADs, coaches and players, his bungling of his first interview trying to explain why the season was being cancelled (on Big Ten Network shortly after the official Aug. 11 announcement), and for the, seemingly, hypocrisy in that his son will play this season, for Mississippi State.
Of course, Warren didn't make the decision for the Big Ten. The presidents/chancellors did, but he's the face of the conference. His son playing is bad optics, even if ultimately it wasn't his call.
"No one needs the season to happen sooner than later more than Kevin Warren," a source at Michigan shared. "If they play games in October or even November, everything is forgiven."
Will that happen? It remains to be seen. Everything is changing quickly, each day bringing new developments. Funny, had the Big Ten just announced it was delaying the start of the season from Sept. 5 to Sept. 26, it could have bided the time necessary to be more informed.
"Three weeks ago, the science was telling us one thing, but what we didn't do was take a collective deep breath and pause. Because 20 days later, the science is telling us something else.
"That level of uncertainty is a compelling reason to tread carefully and even postpone - because you don't want to put our student-athletes and coaches in harm's way of something we don't fully understand - but that uncertainty, and how quickly things change as we learn more, is also why we should have practiced patience from the start."