Buckeye Breakfast: Online Learning at Rutgers this Fall, Ivy League Likely Postponing Fall Sports
Rise and shine, Buckeye Nation! Each morning, we will get you caught up on the latest news and information regarding the Ohio State Buckeyes and the college athletics world. Here are your headlines for July 7, 2020.
Rutgers University Students Will Primarily Participate in Online-Learning this Fall
Depending on the day, it can seem like college football season is a slam dunk to start on time or a foregone conclusion it won't be played until at least the spring - if at all. The fact is, no final decision has been made yet. But Rutgers University announced yesterday that they will incorporate a primarily remote-learning model for the fall semester. NCAA President Mark Emmert said a few weeks ago that most of the college presidents he's spoken with have agreed on one thing: if it's not safe for the student-body to be on campus, then it isn't reasonable to bring back college athletics.
Most football fans aren't sounding the alarms quite yet, but it's certainly crossing their minds. No matter where you personally stand on the matter, this likely isn't a good sign for things returning to normal in the Big Ten this fall.
Ivy League Expected to Postpone Fall Sports Until Spring 2021
Several college football coaches told Bruce Feldman and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic that the Ivy League is expected to announce Wednesday the postponement of all fall sports - including football - to spring 2021.
When the coronavirus pandemic brought the sports world to a screeching halt back in March, it was the Ivy League that led the way in pumping the brakes. They were the first ones to postpone their basketball tournament and they took some serious heat for that decision. Then two days later, all of the other conference tournaments and the Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournaments had followed suit.
The Ivy League plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and they aren't as reliant on large crowds. Most games draw fewer than 10,000 fans. It's certainly not the same caliber football as the Big Ten produces each year. But the leaders of some of the most well-respected academic institutions in the country are on the precipice of another monumental decision that has college athletics collectively holding its breath.
One particular piece from Feldman's and Auerbach's report is worth noting.
Decisions to postpone the college football season, whether it is by a month or a shift to the spring, will likely need to come at the conference level. Unlike March Madness, the NCAA does not control college football’s postseason. That means individual leagues will make their own decisions, though some announcements could be somewhat coordinated. For example, the Colonial Athletic Association’s football membership draws from four different conferences. Some of those leagues could make their own decisions that could then force the CAA’s hand. The Power 5 leagues could also make their decision together as well.
In other words, the rest of college athletics doesn't have to follow in the Ivy League's footsteps. But they are certainly working together to come up with the best course of action.
The Memorial Golf Tournament Reverses Course, Bans Fan Attendance
The Ohio State University is only 15 miles from Muirfield Village Golf Club, which is hosting back-to-back PGA Tour events this week and next week. The Memorial Tournament, next week's event, was slated as the first Tour event to allow a limited crowd. But the PGA Tour backpedaled on that decision today.
We hope you have a great holiday, and remember ... time and change will surely show, how firm thy friendship OHIO!
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