The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols and has voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020: https://t.co/b5yHShGb1D
— Big Ten Conference (@bigten) September 16, 2020
The Big Ten Conference will play football in 2020 after all.
An official statement released by the leaders of the conference Wednesday laid out the Big Ten’s plan to start their 2020 football season in late October, with comprehensive COVID-19 protocols in place:
The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.
The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.
Stadium’s Brett McMurphy broke down the scheduling plan for the Big Ten’s truncated season:
Big Ten will play 8 games & then title game on Dec. 19. Also teams that finish in 2nd-7th place in East & West Divisions will play a 9th game against each other on Dec. 19. 2nd place teams will face off, 3rd place, etc.
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 16, 2020
What remains to be seen is whether or not any of the top Big Ten prospects who have already opted out and declared their intentions to start preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft will change course and decide to play this fall, now that the season is officially back on.
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