Three dates remain open for scheduling
Don’t lose sight of this bit of scheduling wizardry in the Big Ten football plan. A lot of work went into creating the grid. https://t.co/QobfHA3KbG pic.twitter.com/Nzi6PhUNv7
— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) August 5, 2020
The main reason why The Big Ten went to a conference-only schedule is to allow flexibility during the pandemic. There are going to be players test positive for COVID-19 which means we are most likely to have disruptions that will call for the rescheduling of games.
Because of that, all teams — including Ohio State — have three open dates built into the schedule. The Buckeyes have open dates on October 3 after the game with Indiana, after the trip to Penn State on November 14, and then the date the conference has left open for all teams in-between the last regular-season game and the Big Ten Championship Game. The date of that opening is November 28.
In a sport that often has its brass and leaders criticized, the schedule is nothing short of a collaborative masterclass. Once again, the Big Ten has led the way on how to do be creative, and all of this is set up the best possible way to try and see football in 2020 amidst some of the most challenging times any of us have seen.