Big Ten Football is back in action beginning late October
Arguably the best conference in college football will be in action this fall.
It was announced on Wednesday morning that the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously to resume the college football season starting the weekend of October 23-24.
Under immense pressure from coaches within its conference, the Big Ten created the 'Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force,' whose sole purpose was to find safe ways to return to competition. The decision to return was based on "significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition."
Part of the guidelines to return to practice/play is that all players, coaches, trainers and other associated with the team who will be on the field must undergo daily antigen testing prior to all practices and games. The results must be completed prior to stepping onto the field for any practices or games.
If a player who tests positive for COVID-19 through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.
“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers, Head Team Physician, The Ohio State University and co-chair of the Return to Competition Task Force medical subcommittee. “The data we are going to collect from testing and the cardiac registry will provide major contributions for all 14 Big Ten institutions as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.”
The Big Ten's plan is to return to competition beginning the weekend of October 23-24. They would then play eight games in eight weeks with the conference championship set for Saturday, Dec. 19 — one day before the College Football Playoff committee decides who makes the final four.
The Big Ten was the first Power 5 conference to cancel/postpone the fall college football season, doing so on August 11. The Pac-12 quickly followed suit while the Big 12, SEC and ACC elected to keep playing — and began last week with very few hitches.
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