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Desperate times call for desperate measures.
While we await word whether or not the 2020 college football season will be held on schedule, postponed to spring or canceled altogether, there are some developments in terms of contingencies. It first started with the Big Ten announcing last month that it would move to a conference-only schedule, eliminating the non-conference slate for all 14 member institutions. In the same broad stroke, it said that it would prioritize divisional matchups, meaning, inter-divisional games would likely be front-loaded once the revamped schedule is released.
What does that mean for The Game — the annual regular season finale between Michigan and Ohio State?
Well, according to the Columbus Dispatch, it means that it is likely to move to early in the season, but not as the season opener.
For the first time since 1942, Ohio State is likely to conclude its regular season by playing a team other than Michigan.
A Big Ten source told The Dispatch that the game against Michigan will probably be played earlier in the season as a hedge against the COVID-19 pandemic causing a cancellation in late November.
If the game is scheduled in September or October and the coronavirus situation forces a postponement, it could then be played at a later date.
The source stressed that no final decisions about scheduling have been made, and that the situation is fluid, but that moving the game is the most likely scenario at this point.
If that happens, it is unlikely that Ohio State would play Michigan in the season opener.
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It would be an odd look to see the rivalry played earlier in the season, but, despite the lopsided nature of it the past two decades, it’s still better it’s played than not at all if some semblance of a season does take place.
We at WolverinesWire had predicted that it could become the season opener to ensure it happens regardless, but the Dispatch threw some cold water on that theory. Still, there could be some interesting early-season matchups if The Game isn’t atop the docket. The other annual rivalry game against MSU could move into the Week One slot or the home game against Penn State could also be moved up.
Nonetheless, we will know very little until the Big Ten releases a revamped schedule now that its member institutions are only playing in-conference. The conference had announced at the time of its original proclamation that it would release such a week afterwards, however, that has yet to come to pass.