Everyone waited by their favorite news-cycle device on Tuesday for an expected return for Big Ten football that never came. It was the latest in a timeline of chaos that will be well-chronicled for years to come that had multiple reports surface only to go quietly into the night time and time again.
Now, on Wednesday, the decision does appear imminent from several verified sources, that yes, the Big Ten isn’t pulling your chain THIS time. According to reports from ESPN, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (first reported), and Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, the conference will be announcing an October return of football sometime soon on Wednesday.
The start date is reported to be October 24 rather than the widely reported target of October 17 and will include daily, rapid testing. The ability to get comfortable with testing, monitoring, and safety protocols was reportedly the biggest hurdle to reversing the decision that was made to postpone back on August 11.
Sources: The Big Ten is coming back and will begin the weekend of Oct. 24. It'll include daily, rapid testing as a fixture of the plan. A statement from the league is imminent.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 16, 2020
The schedule will reportedly consist of eight game schedules, with the Big Ten Championship Game to be played on December 19, one day prior the last set of College Football Playoff rankings that determine the four teams included in the CFP.
As soon as we have the official word from the Big Ten, we will update.
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