Another nice column.
Big Ten might vote on restarting football as soon as Monday. Which schools most want to play? Here’s a ranking.
By
TEDDY GREENSTEIN
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
SEP 13, 2020 AT 6:41 PM
1 Debbie--I’m surprised Scott Frost didn’t join the rally outside Big Ten headquarters and
hold up a boom box playing the Nebraska fight song. He did go to Memorial Stadium on what would have been the Cornhuskers’ opener,
telling the Omaha World-Herald: “I know this institution was capable of playing football, and I really believe that’s what is best for the young men.” Athletic director Bill Moos is in concert with Frost, telling the Omaha paper that
all 14 ADs favored fall football. Nebraska officials said Thursday that they’re on the cusp of being able to
conduct rapid COVID-19 tests.
1 Ohio State--The Buckeyes are in championship-or-bust mode, so a late November start is as appealing as a BLT without the bacon. As coach Ryan Day put it in his statement: “We still have an opportunity to give our young men what they have worked so hard for: a chance to safely compete for a national championship this fall.”
3 Iowa--Athletic director Gary Barta dropped a clue regarding his mindset when he said in late May that he would not rule out welcoming a full house to Kinnick Stadium on fall Saturdays. “As long as the virus is here and until a vaccine can be created, there will be risks,” he said. Iowa paused football workouts Aug. 31 after
11 players reportedly tested positive, but the Hawkeyes are back at it.
4 Penn State--President Eric Barron released a generic statement supporting the Big Ten’s Aug. 11 announcement to delay fall sports but has been quiet since. Athletic director Sandy Barbour questioned whether a vote even took place, and coach James Franklin has been vocal in lobbying for football — or at least transparency from the commissioner’s office.
5 Purdue
6 IU
7 Illinois
8 N'western
9 Wisconsin--The Badgers might want to play but not for a while. Athletic director Barry Alvarez said Friday on his
monthly radio show that Big Ten presidents and chancellors will not approve football until “they feel comfortable that the medical questions … are answered. It’s not some magical date or who does the best lobbying.” Alvarez, who chairs the Big Ten’s Return to Play task force, on Wednesday announced that the football and men’s hockey teams were taking a two-week break from all team activities because of COVID-19 protocols.
10 Michigan--The ultimate clash of science versus football and academia versus athletics is taking place in Ann Arbor, Mich. Unless President Mark Schlissel, a renowned antibodies expert, gets unseated — and fast — he’s expected to win the power struggle with coach Jim Harbaugh. One additional amusing theory making the Big Ten rounds: However Ohio State votes, Michigan will do the opposite.
11 Michigan State
12 Maryland
13 Minnesota--Coach P.J. Fleck said that after the Aug. 11 decision was made, he sought the opinion of his Gophers. “Every player has said the Big Ten made the right decision,” he said. If the garrulous Fleck had done a 180 by now, we probably would have heard about it. Plus the Gophers are in a pro-science state.
14 Rutgers--Last, as usual. Or, for those who believe playing football during a pandemic is foolish, the Scarlet Knights are first. President Jonathan Holloway came out strong in an
NJ Advance Media story, saying the conference should wait until it can “learn about the science, different kinds of tests and potential vaccines
.” And he called President Donald Trump’s involvement in the Big Ten “cheap politics.” @MrsScrew !!!
The Full Column:
