It was a wild and crazy Monday as the day started with discussions of the Big Ten Conference ready to announce that they would be cancelling or postponing the 2020 college football season. It was even reported that there was a vote of 12-2 in favor of cancellation. Iowa and Nebraska were named as the two schools still in favor of moving forward with the season.
Given the certainty of the conference announcing a cancellation, it was quite believable that there was a vote. Until reports began surfacing that a vote didn’t take place. Was it a bad source? Or did the Big Ten put out a rumor to gauge the backlash that would follow? We may never know but it was quite interesting to say the very least.
Big Ten spokesman says "no vote has been held by our presidents and chancellors."
— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) August 10, 2020
According to Phil Harrison of Buckeyes Wire, the Big Ten Conference will hold a meeting Tuesday morning with school presidents. Could we finally have some sense of a season from the Big Ten perspective? Well, maybe. The interesting thing that came out of Monday’s chaos just happen to be a few coaches standing up for their teams and pleading to play.
Nebraska’s Scott Frost was the first to be brought to my attention.
"Our university is committed to playing no matter what… We certainly hope it's in the Big Ten. If it isn't, I think we're prepared to look for other options."
Nebraska head coach Scott Frost shares his thoughts on playing this fall
(via @HuskerSports) pic.twitter.com/EKsqbcK5dP
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 10, 2020
In a message to the media, Frost said they want to play football whether they have to look outside of the Big Ten to accomplish that task. In a similar statement, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wants to play whether that is in the Big Ten or with another conference.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day was just asked on ESPN about playing in another conference if the Big Ten shuts down: "We need to look at every option. And if that's the only option, we need to explore it and see if that's something we can do."
👀
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 10, 2020
Even the Buckeyes bitter rivals, Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh issued a statement about playing this season. If it all comes to a head and the school presidents cancel football, should those schools go looking elsewhere? One rumored report discussed all three teams discussing a move to the Big 12 even if it was just for one season. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman refuted the report but should Bob Bowlsby entertain the idea?
As the Big 12 Board of Directors meeting draws near, they should exhaust every avenue, every discussion and ask every question. If those three teams plus Iowa want to join for a season so they can have football then why not? If it can be deemed safe enough to play, a season should be played.
The Texas Longhorns have future matchups with Michigan and Ohio State down the road but what if you could see those matchups this season? Nebraska head coach Scott Frost brought up some valid points on the financial side during his press conference. Schools, college towns, states, faculty and staff would all be impacted by no sports.
Many reports surfacing show that the Big 12 is likely split on their decision as of right now. However, the school feels like they are in a good place to have football. The team is ready to play, the coaches are ready to coach and you can be the fans are ready to be fanatics. The idea might sound crazy at this point but it is 2020.
To quote head coach Tom Herman, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”