If it holds true, it looks like Michigan may not have to worry about losing to Ohio State this November. It’s not because the Wolverines will be able to get the monkey off their back by winning on the field in Columbus. No, it’s because University of Michigan President Dr. Mark Schlissel reiterated this past week that if there are no students on campus, there will not be college football at Michigan.
The comments come as a result of an interview Schlissel — who has an immunologist background — did with the Wall Street Journal.
“If there is no on-campus instruction then there won’t be intercollegiate athletics, at least for Michigan,” Schlissel told the Wall Street Journal. Schlissel went on to say he has “some degree of doubt as to whether there will be college athletics (anywhere), at least in the fall.”
UM president: “If there is no on-campus instruction then there won’t be intercollegiate athletics, at least for Michigan.” He has “some degree of doubt as to whether there will be college athletics [anywhere], at least in the fall.” https://t.co/Cfp83Xd1z5
— Rachel Bachman (@Bachscore) May 24, 2020
Schlissel’s comments come as optimism begins to build with the possibility of a college football season. Especially following the NCAA’s vote to allow voluntary workouts on campus once again as of June 1. Ohio State is slowly beginning to embrace a careful return as well as it plans to welcome football athletes back on June 8.
Maybe Schlissel missed the memo.
The comments aren’t without merit however. Michigan — and the Detroit metro area in particular — have been hit harder than most locales during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state is still under an extended stay-at-home order until June 12.
Other Michigan state institutions have made decisions to allow students on campus already this fall, but the situation is completely different in Ann Arbor. Schissel believes a decision on face-to-face instruction could be made “in the coming weeks,” at which time a further decision can be made for athletic events.
“Any decision we make for this coming fall is likely going to be the case for the whole academic year. What’s going to be different in January?” Schlissel said.
Associate athletic director Kurt Svoboda released a statement that falls in line with where the situation stands, meaning we’ll all have to wait to see what happens in the next month.
“Whenever students are allowed back on campus, we will work with U-M leadership and the Big Ten Conference to establish next steps,” Svoboda said in a statement last Wednesday.
So stay tuned. Though most folks connected to the situation in this country believe college football is on pace to occur on time, with each state, conference, and institution able to make their own decisions, we could see a patchwork of decision-making and policy.