Tag: college football cancelled

Former Georgia QB Justin Fields creates petition to reinstate Big Ten football season

Former UGA QB Justin Fields, now with the Ohio State Buckeyes, created petition to reinstate the Big Ten football season amid coronavirus

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields has created an online petition to reinstate the 2020 Big Ten football season.

The former Georgia Bulldog, who transferred to Ohio State following the 2018 season, has been very vocal about his desire to play for a championship this fall with the Buckeyes.

Related: Georgia Football: COVID-19 status tracker

On Sunday morning, the Heisman hopeful created and shared an online petition that seeks to reinstate the 2020 Big Ten football season. The campaign, addressed to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, Big Ten university presidents, and Big Ten athletic directors, asks that the Big Ten overturn its decision to postpone the fall football season in 2020.

“We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season. Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penality or repercussion,” the petition reads.

The petition also explains why the players believe it is safe to play and why it is important to sign it.

“We want to play. We believe that safety protocols have been established and can be maintained to mitigate concerns of exposure to Covid 19. We believe that we should have the right to make decisions about what is best for our health and our future. Don’t let our hard work and sacrifice be in vain. #LetUsPlay!”

As of 12:30 pm ET Sunday, the petition has already collected over 30,000 signatures.

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College Football Key Questions: Can A Spring Football Season Happen?

In this unprecedented time for college sports, we’ll work on some of the key questions. Can a spring football season really work?

In this unprecedented time for college sports, we’ll work on some of the key questions. Can a spring football season really happen?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Can a spring football season in 2021 happen?

My first reaction was, “absolutely not.”

The logistics are a nightmare, there’s no real point, and the idea of playing in the spring seemed like nothing more than blather by the Big Ten and other leagues to cushion the blow of – let’s call it what it is – cancelling the 2020 fall football season.

But semantics do matter here. Instead of using the word cancel, postpone is more to the point, considering the idea will be for the spring of 2021 to serve as the 2020 fall campaign.

If there’s money to be recouped from a spring session, college football will find a way to play.

Can it really happen?

[jwplayer ty6hfzeT]

Jeff Brohm seems to think so

The Purdue head coach – along with all but killing the exact column I was doing – came up with a very detailed, very interesting idea on how to structurally play in the spring. He’s not alone, with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, among others, claiming that it’s possible.

At the very least, it’s a jumping off point for a sport that wasn’t exactly proactive in its planning for what could happen if the virus didn’t go away in time to have a fall season.

The coaches are going to want this. A football coach without a football season is about as useful as a remote control without batteries. If there’s a shot to play football, coaches will sell it.

Oh yeah, that virus thing

If this all starts up in late January or early February, that means teams will need to be ready to start practicing for real in mid-December – that’s four months away from right now.

There’s not going to be a working vaccine available, but the real hope is for better, faster, and more reliable testing – which was the hope back in mid-March, too.

It’s essentially what the Pac-12 said in its guide as part of the rationale for halting fall sports, specifically football.

“Testing capacity needs to increase to allow for more frequent testing, performed closer to game time, and with more rapid turn-around time to prevent spread of infection and enhance the safety of all student-athletes, coaches, and staff involved, particularly in situations where physical distancing and mask wearing cannot be maintained. This will require access to significant capacity of point-of-care testing and rapid turn-around time, which is currently very limited.”

This is it. This is everything.

For all the planning, all the bickering, and all the different opinions across the various social media platforms, a spring football season in 2021 – and, not to get into this yet, but a 2021 fall campaign, too – isn’t going to happen at anything close to normal, if at all, without a way to be almost certain that everyone on the field is fine.

So let’s say that around December 10ish we have a solid set of national protocols that all the colleges and conferences are cool with.

NEXT: Eligibility, NFL Draft, recruiting

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Why Notre Dame thinks they can pull football off in 2020

Notre Dame has had very few positive COVID-19 tests in the last two months and thinks football is still possible. Find out why, here.

With roughly 40% of FBS college football pulling the plug on the 2020 fall season, Notre Dame and the ACC remain scheduled to start games a month from today.

On the day Notre Dame opens fall training camp, the morning kicked off with Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly and start outside linebacker Daelin Hayes appearing on NBC’s Today Show.

The entire interview between Craig Melvin and both Kelly and Hayes can be seen in full below.

The biggest quotes from both were Kelly strongly sharing that “we believe we can play” as he detailed how thorough Notre Dame has been in using precaution to try and keep COVID-19 as far away from campus as possible.

Hayes shares his belief that essentially, if there is added risk in anything we do anymore, why not at least do what what we enjoy while being exposed to those risks, especially if players are under constant supervision and given weekly tests, like he says.

Full video of interview:

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I get both sides of the argument as to whether or not there should be games played and practices held.

If someone with COVID-19 plays football against a bunch of healthy young men then it’s inevitable that the between the blood, sweat, spit and whatever else gets passed along, that the virus will spread.

But if the players, coaches and staff have followed through with a plan and things have gone incredibly successful like they have, I have trouble with the thought that they don’t deserve at least a chance to play,until they prove they don’t.

I know we’re talking about a lot of 18-22 year old student-athletes and the mind of someone that age doesn’t always make the best of decisions.  So far protocols appear to have been followed with great success.

It’s easy to understand why the players and coaches believe they can pull this off, even while acknowledging the difficulty of the situation.  Obviously things can change in a moments notice with this like they’ve been doing nationwide for months, but until that time comes I fully see why the players and coaches so badly at least want a chance.

College Football 2020 Season: No Big Ten, Pac-12, What’s Really Going On?

The Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall seasons. So now what for them, and for the rest of college football?

The Big Ten and Pac-12 postponed their fall seasons. So now what for them, and for the rest of college football?

– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

They’ve been among the wildest, craziest, and saddest few days in the history of college football – at least off the field.

Start with this – the entire sport didn’t shut down like many thought it might when the doom-and-gloom predictions started on Sunday night.

What’s really going on, and what’s going to happen going forward?

[jwplayer ty6hfzeT]

5. The Big Ten and Pac-12 hit the pause button

It wasn’t a total stunner that the two big conferences decided not to play their respective 2020 fall college football seasons, but it wasn’t quite supposed to happen like it did on Tuesday.

The Pac-12 was always on the verge of shutting things down.

From the outbreak of the virus in Arizona, to the concerns with a new wave in Los Angeles, to several schools throughout California choosing to operate remotely, it was always just a question of time before it was all going to be over.

The player demands and movement weren’t why the conference chose not to play in the fall of 2020, and that wasn’t likely a big factor, but the demands for change hit a major roadblock after this.

The league simply decided it couldn’t do it. From travel, to logistics, to the lack of adequate testing, the recommendation was that the Pac-12 not play a full contact sport like football this fall, and that was it.

It wasn’t so easy for the Big Ten, especially considering it announced the shutdown just before the news broke that Kamala Harris was going to be Joe Biden’s VP choice. The Pac-12 announced its news after.

News leaked out on Monday that the B1G was going to shut down, the pushback made it seem like there was still hope, and then, by early afternoon on Tuesday, it was all done.

The thought was that the league was going to take a step back and wait a few weeks by moving its schedule start from the first week of September to the last week like the other Power 5 conferences, but nope. The presidents decided to stop the fall season.

Both conferences join the MAC and Mountain West in the idea of playing in the spring – more time to figure out a consistent plan (in other words, better testing) – but the dust has to settle first.

Too many questions have to be answered, from eligibility, to the transfer potential, to whether or not Nebraska – who wants to break ranks and play – might come up with a schedule of its own.

And now …

NEXT: Can the Big Ten and Pac-12 really play in the spring?

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College Football Conferences: Who Will Play In 2020, Who Won’t? The Best Guess Is …

After a crazy few days for college football, what’s the status of each of the conferences. Who’ll play this season, and who won’t?

After a crazy few days for college football, what’s the status of each of the conferences. Who’ll play this season, and who won’t?

So, you want to know whether or not your college football conference is playing this fall?

Get in line. This thing is changing by the tweet after the world went bonkers over the last 72 hours.

On Saturday morning the MAC was done, on Sunday evening the entire season was supposedly going to be shut down, and on Monday morning the Dan Patrick Show was telling everyone the Big Ten and Pac-12 were tapping out.

And then everyone got mad.

[jwplayer ty6hfzeT]

Trevor Lawrence let the world to know that college football players want to play college football, college football coaches let the world know that they like college football, and as predictable as Ohio State over Michigan in late November, the president took a sledgehammer to a delicately nuanced situation and politicized it.

The Big Ten pumped the brakes, the rest of the conferences wanted nothing to do with the pounding the B1G was taking, and now there’s supposedly still a chance of a fall football season in some form.

The talk ranged from spring ball in 2021 – total silliness thrown out there to cushion the blow of no 2020 season – to the utter nonsense of Ohio State and Nebraska chirping about finding other places to play. (You’re out of your freaking mind if you think the Big Ten will let the Buckeyes or Huskers play one down in any other league. Two words: TV contracts. Non-conference games, though …)

On a far more serious note, college football fans are about to become heart experts as they learn about the nightmare of a possible COVID-19 side effect called myocarditis.

So now what?

This will be updated on the fly as much as possible, but for now, here’s the best guess on the go-no-go launch status of each conference. All the percentage guesses are based on their apparent respective desires to play or not play if allowed the choice.

ACC

It’s been strangely silent, other than the movement kicked off by Trevor Lawrence.

This is one of the more interesting situations because of the Notre Dame factor. The league has a unique opportunity to have the Irish all to itself for a season, and as long as they’re happy, the league will be happy.

There might be a concern about the status of the other four Power Five conferences, but according to Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, the ACC will “absolutely” play in 2020.

Best Guess Status For 2020: 80% will play

American Athletic Conference

The AAC has the same problem the other Group of Five conferences are dealing with: they’re losing their key revenue-making non-conference dates.

After announcing on August 5th a plan to play eight conference games, the news went back-and-forth throughout Monday. It’s still not a sure thing, but …

Best Guess Status For 2020: 70% will play

Big Ten

The Detroit Free Press went with the story on Monday morning that the Big Ten season was going to be cancelled, but that was before the final be-all-end-all-or-not vote happened.

The Big Ten presidents reportedly were 12-2 – Nebraska and Iowa the outliers – to cancel.

The pushback was swift and strong, with Ohio State, Michigan, and Nebraska the most vocal, at least among fans, coaches and players.

There’s a meeting at 10:30 am ET to make a decision on what to do next.

From all the rumors, news, and opinions flying around, it seems like 1) the medical evaluators don’t think the Big Ten can pull this off, which means 2) the presidents don’t think they can pull this off, which means either 3) the league has a PR disaster coming by cancelling the 2020 season, or 4) the presidents will look like they caved to the pressure of football if they decide to go forward with a campaign.

Oh yeah, and commissioner Kevin Warren is talking about playing in the spring. February football in Minneapolis and East Lansing – yippee.

One key note. The Big Ten is currently scheduled to start its season in early September. while others  are expected to start several weeks later. So …

Best Guess Status For 2020: 70% cancel, 30% delay, with a lean towards kicking the can down the road by suggesting a late September start.

NEXT: Big 12, Conference USA, Independents, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, SEC, Sun Belt

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Report: Second Group of Five Conference Cancels Football

The MAC is no longer the only conference to have cancelled football this fall as another Group of Five conference joined them in doing so.

As we went back and forth with the Big Ten cancelling and then not actually cancelling football for the fall earlier today, we do now have word that another FBS conference has pulled the plug on their football season.

The Moutntain West Conference has canceled their 2020 football season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and over fear of player health and safety concerns.  Brett McMurphy of Stadium was first with the report.

McMurphy’s report adds that the conference will consider playing football in the spring but makes no guarantee to it happening.

The Mountain West Conference is home to Air Force, Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Nevada, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, San Jose State, Utah State and Wyoming in football.

The Mountain West Conference joins the Mid-American Conference as the first two to officially cancel the 2020 season.  The addition of Connecticut cancelling football last week brings the total to 26 FBS programs that won’t play football this fall.

The 2020 College Football Season Is Trying To Break Up With You (But Doesn’t Know How)

The 2020 college football season is close to being cancelled, but it keeps fans and players hanging on.

The 2020 college football season is close to being cancelled, but it keeps fans and players hanging on.

It’s not you, it’s the 2020 college football season.

You’re fine. It’s not anything you did, but the 2020 college football season is trying to break up with you.

It’s not because of your politics.

It’s not because you aren’t supportive.

It’s not because you forgot to wear a mask that one time when picking up your salted caramel & banana cream pancake breakfast from Denny’s.

There are circumstances beyond everyone’s control, and it’s just not working out.

[jwplayer muPr0F4N]

I didn’t want to be the one to say it – because your relationship seemed so promising just a few days ago – but the 2020 college football season is a hot mess, and you’re probably better off with that really cute 2021 thing that’s about to come by in a snap.

But the 2020 college football season just can’t let you go.

It’s still wants to go out to dinner, it might want to take a trip in the spring, and it’s saying it might want to hang out in certain ways, but a B1G part of the relationship probably won’t be around anymore.

I’m sorry. Everyone wants to see you two kids get together, but it’s not looking promising.

There are other college football seasons in the sea.

The stupid 2020 college football season, Part 1

2020 has been awful. It’s been disastrous, it’s been horrific, it’s been tragic, it’s been heartbreaking, it’s been unfathomable, and it’s also been revolutionary.

Now, 2020 has taken a new turn to the stupid.

YOU … HAD … FOUR … MONTHS, college football.

Where was the coordinated plan? Where was the idea to keep the players safe? Where were the outside-the-box thoughts and ideas to do this responsibly?

This is only a multi-billion dollar business, and yet the college presidents and athletic directors came up with a fat load of nothing.

And the real kicker? It’s not even the NCAA’s fault – at least not entirely – and it really doesn’t have anything to do with state-by-state policies on mask wearing and social distancing.

Most of the Big Ten and Pac-12 states were ahead of things when it came to masks and trying to do what’s recommended, and they’re the conferences reportedly leading the charge to shut it all down because they don’t know how to come up with a safe season.

Each conference was left to come up with a plan, and no one had it. No one had any idea how to make college football go. (That’s partly because the schools can’t figure out how to make college go, either, as more than a very, very expensive streaming service, but that’s for another day.)

You had four months, and now we’re here.

The stupid 2020 college football season, Part 2

Don’t say “the MAC” as a reason why the Power 5 programs are on the brink of cancelling the season, or I’m hanging up. The Power 5 does whatever the Power 5 wants to do.

Don’t you dare say “the media” as a reason why the Power 5 programs are on the brink of cancelling the season, or I’m hanging up triple-hard.

Forget your politics for a moment. Are you THAT far gone to really believe that a college president is going to take the most unpopular stance possible by voting to cancel a college football season – which almost certainly would lead to a death threats, possible job loss, and waving goodbye to a whole lot of fund raising – because of a few articles from some sportswriter who you actually think doesn’t like sports?

Don’t say “a vaccine” as a reason why the can might be kicked to spring of 2021, or I’m hanging up with with condescension.

Really, Big Ten? You want to play college football in Minneapolis, Madison, Ann Arbor, etc., in (bleep)ing February?

Really, college football? You’re concerned about player safety now, but you’re interested in the idea of what amounts to ten months of the sport in a calendar year? You really think you can finish up a spring season in May, and turn around three months later and kick things off again?

Oh, and by the way, Big Ten, what the hell are you doing?

First, you release your full schedule on a Tuesday. It’s built with the big showdowns early and openings later, with the assumption that some games will be postponed. And then, just a few days later, you decide you might want to cancel everything?

You know what you want to do – why didn’t you just end this a week ago?

There’s a global pandemic. People would be mad, but everyone gets it, even if they say they don’t. But now, Big Ten, you’re too chicken to simply cancel your own season because you want the optics of other conferences to join you?

And … you’re so worried about playing a season, but YOU’RE STILL ALLOWING FALL PRACTICES TO GO ON?!

The stupid 2020 college football season, Part 3

I’m just that dumb to still believe that there might be some semblance of a season. This take is probably freezing cold by the time you read it, but I still don’t buy into the idea that all the conferences are 100% on board with dropping the 2020 campaign.

I’m just that dumb to believe that some conference out there is seeing what’s happening as an opportunity.

“Go ahead, Big Ten and probably the Pac-12 – quit. More TV revenue, attention, and big-time transfers for us.”

I’m just that dumb to go from 47% convinced three weeks ago to 99.3% that the College Football Playoff will be Liberty and the three service academies.

I’m just that dumb to tin-foil hat believe that – at least in some way – the conferences are doing all of this to squash the player rights movement before it gets any traction.

The stupid 2020 college football season, Part 4

I write for COLLEGE FOOTBALL News. Of course I want a 2020 college football season, but I only want it if it’s as safe as can reasonably be played.

At the end of the day, everyone, it’s just a game, and it’s supposed to be fun.

We don’t know the long-term effects of this horrific virus on the human body. The odds are overwhelming that a college-age player who gets this won’t die, but that’s not really the point.

Yeah, they’re young adults, and yeah, they’re almost all on scholarship, but they’re not professional athletes. Each one is someone’s kid who was sent off to college.

That’s why, to be brutally honest, I feel oily going too hard backing the #WeWantToPlay trending movement, since I professionally benefit from these guys – who aren’t going to get paid – who just want to go out there and have fun.

With that said, as someone who’s 100% for players’ rights …

College players – now, more than ever – desperately need professional representation looking out for their best interests.

Negotiation 101: Don’t give up your leverage.

You can’t look all desperate with your #WeWantToPlay thing, and then come up with a list of demands – as reasonable as they are.

Among those demands …

“Establish universal mandated health & safety procedures and protocols to protect college-athletes against COVID-19.”

Yeah, no (bleep). Guys, if they could’ve figured THAT out, we wouldn’t be here. And because of that …

Nah, we don’t want to lose you, 2020 college football season.

You treat us like crap, you tease us, you’re probably devastating to our health, and now you’re threatening to leave.

It’s okay. If you love something, set it free, and if it comes back it’s yours, or something creepy like that.

College football, we’re still here for you – even if you need a break so everything until everything is okay.

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OSU halts voluntary workouts, Ivy League cancels fall sports

Workouts could resume if quarantining and retesting produces better results, but there’s no current timetable for the Buckeyes to return.

There appeared to be some optimism earlier this year surrounding an on-time start to the college football season, but that positive outlook seems to be growing more negative as Sept. 5 draws closer.

On Wednesday, it was announced that multiple Ohio State players had tested positive for COVID-19 and that voluntary football workouts would be postponed for at least a week.

Workouts could resume if quarantining and retesting produces better results, but there’s no current timetable for the Buckeyes to return.

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Here’s a look at what the university had to say:

“If a student-athlete tests positive for COVID-19, he/she will self-isolate for at least 14 days and receive daily check-ups from the Department of Athletics medical staff. Student-athletes living alone will isolate in their residence. If they have roommates, they will self-isolate in a designated room on campus.”

This news comes at roughly the same time as the Ivy League’s decision to cancel fall sports and activities — including football — due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It will be interesting to see which, if any other conferences, follow suit in cancelling or postponing football season.

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