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sports Diahuebs 17 september 2020

Reverse: Big Ten will try to play fall football after all

(AP)- Players were pumped. staff Sept. 30. The Big Ten is
Coaches were stoked. Fans taking an especially cautious
seemed relieved. Even the approach with those who
president was pleased. The do test positive: The earli-
Big Ten is going to give fall est an athlete will be able to
football a shot after all. Less return to game competition
than five weeks after push- is 21 days after a positive di-
ing fall sports to spring in the agnosis, and following a car-
name of player safety during diac evaluation and clearance
the pandemic, the conference from a cardiologist.
ran a reverse Wednesday and
said it plans to open its foot- “We’re in a better place, re-
ball season the weekend of gardless of how we got here
Oct. 23-24. or how painful it was during
the time we waited to get this
“Let’s goooooo!!!” Ohio State moment,” Ohio State athlet-
quarterback Justin Fields ic director Gene Smith said.
tweeted. “That’s all behind us. What’s
Amid the celebration, a word beautiful is that we have
of caution: This is still not a process and protocols in
going to be easy. place that’s based on science
“We can’t emphasize enough and based on lessons learned
that what we’re putting for- since Aug. 11.” The Big Ten
ward still requires preven- said its Council of Presidents
tion, requires accountabil- and Chancellors voted unan-
ity from everyone involved imously to restart sports. The
from our student-athletes to vote last month was 11-3 to
coaches to staff to be doing postpone, with Ohio State,
the things to prevent getting Iowa and Nebraska voting
this infection,” said Dr. Jim against. Still, the Big House
Borchers, the team physi- in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and
cian for Ohio State. “And our Beaver Stadium in State Col-
progress will be measured lege, Pennsylvania, won't be
by their efforts but also we packed with 100,000 fans as
hope by the efforts to pro- is usually the case in the fall.
vide a clean competition and Not even close. Tickets will
practice environment.” All not be sold to the general
14 teams will be scheduled public for Big Ten games,
to play eight regular-season though some attendance is
games in eight weeks, plus expected.
have the opportunity to play a
ninth game on Dec. 19 when That’s still an 80,000-seat
the conference championship stadium that we don’t have,"
game is played. The College said Wisconsin athletic direc- but the conference has been back.” Trump also took aim havior through this time
Football Playoff selections tor Barry Alvarez, who had battered for a month and at the lone Power Five con- has been excellent, and they
are scheduled for Dec. 20, estimated the loss of football businesses in college towns ference not yet scheduled to never stopped fighting," said
which means the Big Ten's would cost the school $100 from Nebraska to Maryland play: "There is no reason why Ohio State coach Ryan Day,
best should be back in the million. have lost millions in sales. the Pac-12 shouldn’t be play- whose team was ranked No.
hunt for a national champi- The decision to play came First-year Commissioner ing now.” 2 in the preseason Top 25.
onship — if all goes well. after sharp pressure from Kevin Warren was the main
coaches, players, parents target, criticized for a lack of The Pac-12 followed the Big The new schedule comes
If it does not, the schedule and even President Donald communication and not pro- Ten in postponing play last with a twist. On champion-
does not provide much room Trump, all of them pushing viding enough information month, but was far more de- ship Saturday, the plan is to
to adapt. Other conferences for a Big Ten football season. to back the initial decision. tailed in its explanation and provide each team an addi-
built in bye weeks, which The conference is home to has more hurdles to clear. tional game, matching teams
allows time to deal with po- a number of battleground “We have passionate athletes. Half the Pac-12 schools are by their places in the division
tential disruptions. The Big states in the November elec- We have passionate families still operating under state- standings: No. 2 vs. No. 2,
Ten itself did that back in tion, and Trump swifly ap- and we have passionate fans,” wide restrictions that make it No. 3 vs. No. 3 and so on.
early August, but now must plauded the move. Warren said of the blowback. impossible for teams to even Alvarez said those matchups
go forward with a condensed Northwestern President "And so I take that from a practice. The Pac-12 CEO could be tweaked to avoid re-
schedule and signs that Morton Schapiro, chairman positive standpoint.” Group is scheduled to meet matches.
things could go awry. Across of the presidents' council, The Big Ten postponed fall Friday to discuss the confer- For now, the third Big Ten
major college football since said the turning point for sports just six days after un- ence’s options. schedule of the year should
Aug. 26, 13 games have been him on giving the green light veiling a modified, confer- As the Big Ten and Pac-12 be ready in about a week.
postponed because of teams to football — even though ence-only schedule that was bailed in August, the oth- Surely, it will rekindle excite-
dealing with COVID-19 out- many students have not been set to begin Labor Day week- er Power Five conferences ment, but how much of it
breaks. Some have not been allowed back on his school's end, and indicated it would forged ahead, along with gets played is still uncertain.
rescheduled. Evanston, Illinois, campus try to make up the season in three other major college Michigan Gov. Gretchen
The Big Ten is banking on — didn't come until this past the spring. But there was no football leagues. Games have Whitmer, a Democrat, said
daily testing to mitigate the weekend. plan in place and the reac- started, with the Big 12 and she supports the Big Ten's de-
risk of outbreaks and decrease “For me, it wasn’t about po- tion included criticisim from Atlantic Coast Conference cision but noted COVID-19
the probability that a few litical pressure, money or the president. “I called the kicking off last week. The “is still a very real threat.”
positive tests will gut rosters lawsuits,” Schapiro said. “It commissioner a couple of Southeastern Conference “We’re all trying to do what
when contact tracing sends was about the unanimous weeks ago and we started re- begins play Sept. 26. Alvarez we can to engage in some
players into 14-day quaran- opinion of our experts. It ally putting a lot of pressure said Big Ten teams can begin normalcy and keep people
tines. The Big Ten will begin evolved over the course of on, frankly,” Trump recalled practicing immediately. safe," she said. "There’s not a
daily antigen testing of all fall weeks.” Wednesday. “There was no “They never lost faith. They perfect way to do this.”
sports athletes, coaches and The Big Ten will take a bow, reason for it not to come never lost trust. Their be-