T1. Nebraska
Nebraska football coach Scott Frost directs his players during a game against Colorado on Sept. 7, 2019, in Boulder, Colo. (David Zalubowski / AP)
I’m surprised Scott Frost didn’t join the rally outside Big Ten headquarters and hold up a boombox playing the Nebraska fight song. He did go to Memorial Stadium on what would have been the Huskers' 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.
T1. 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
Penn State football coach James Franklin. (JOSE F. MORENO / TNS)
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
Within 48 hours of the Aug. 11 announcement, coach Jeff Brohm outlined a plan for an eight-game season beginning Feb. 27 that included postseason play. He since has backed off that timetable, joining “the sooner the better” camp. Purdue President Mitch Daniels released a statement Sept. 1 saying medical advice made it “too uncertain to proceed in good conscience.” Could Daniels be swayed? He is a former Republican governor in a red state.
6. Indiana
Coach Tom Allen is gung-ho about playing, but it’s tough to get a feel for the administration. Athletic director Scott Dolson delivered a stern warning via Zoom to Indiana’s 700 athletes Friday, warning them about a spike in positive tests. The university reported a concerning 7.3% positivity rate across the campus in recent testing. Four teams paused workouts indefinitely Sept. 4, but football was not one of them.
7. Illinois
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, left, hugs running back Mike Epstein after a game against Ball State on Sept. 2, 2017, in Champaign. (BRADLEY LEEB / AP / Associated Press)
The Illinois administration is so proud of its advances in rapid saliva testing, nary a Zoom call goes by without a mention. The university imposed a lockdown last week after a surge in cases, but athletic director (and former Illini tight end) Josh Whitman is hoping football returns, telling SI: “We didn’t get a ton of notice when we hit the stop button, and we may not get a ton of notice when we hit the start button again.”
8. Northwestern
Those who assume the egghead school is content to sit out 2020 don’t understand President Morton Schapiro’s passion for sports, especially football. He probably knows the Wildcats' 2-deep as well as Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith knows that of the Buckeyes. Northwestern has been so diligent in its protocols, it paused practice for several days because of one positive test — and that turned out to be a false positive.
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
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh prepares for a games against Rutgers on Sept. 28, 2019, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
The ultimate clash of science versus football and academia versus athletics is taking place in Ann Arbor, Mich. Unless President and renown antibodies expert Mark Schlissel 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
President Samuel Stanley has a medical degree from Harvard, and first-year coach Mel Tucker has a depleted roster with few seniors. You know the saying that all politics is local? Coaches around the conference believe the Spartans have little appetite to suit up in 2020 with the threat of going winless.
12. Maryland
The university suspended all athletic activities Sept. 3 after a spike in COVID-19 cases. In stressing the school’s emphasis on the “health, safety and welfare of our student athletes,” athletic director Damon Evans borrowed a line from Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren.
13. Minnesota
Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck celebrates with wide receiver Rashod Bateman after a touchdown during a game against Northwestern on Nov. 23, 2019, in Evanston. (Paul Beaty / Associated Press)
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. School 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.”
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Nebraska football coach Scott Frost directs his players during a game against Colorado on Sept. 7, 2019, in Boulder, Colo. (David Zalubowski / AP)
I’m surprised Scott Frost didn’t join the rally outside Big Ten headquarters and hold up a boombox playing the Nebraska fight song. He did go to Memorial Stadium on what would have been the Huskers' 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.
T1. 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
Penn State football coach James Franklin. (JOSE F. MORENO / TNS)
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
Within 48 hours of the Aug. 11 announcement, coach Jeff Brohm outlined a plan for an eight-game season beginning Feb. 27 that included postseason play. He since has backed off that timetable, joining “the sooner the better” camp. Purdue President Mitch Daniels released a statement Sept. 1 saying medical advice made it “too uncertain to proceed in good conscience.” Could Daniels be swayed? He is a former Republican governor in a red state.
6. Indiana
Coach Tom Allen is gung-ho about playing, but it’s tough to get a feel for the administration. Athletic director Scott Dolson delivered a stern warning via Zoom to Indiana’s 700 athletes Friday, warning them about a spike in positive tests. The university reported a concerning 7.3% positivity rate across the campus in recent testing. Four teams paused workouts indefinitely Sept. 4, but football was not one of them.
7. Illinois
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, left, hugs running back Mike Epstein after a game against Ball State on Sept. 2, 2017, in Champaign. (BRADLEY LEEB / AP / Associated Press)
The Illinois administration is so proud of its advances in rapid saliva testing, nary a Zoom call goes by without a mention. The university imposed a lockdown last week after a surge in cases, but athletic director (and former Illini tight end) Josh Whitman is hoping football returns, telling SI: “We didn’t get a ton of notice when we hit the stop button, and we may not get a ton of notice when we hit the start button again.”
8. Northwestern
Those who assume the egghead school is content to sit out 2020 don’t understand President Morton Schapiro’s passion for sports, especially football. He probably knows the Wildcats' 2-deep as well as Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith knows that of the Buckeyes. Northwestern has been so diligent in its protocols, it paused practice for several days because of one positive test — and that turned out to be a false positive.
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
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh prepares for a games against Rutgers on Sept. 28, 2019, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)
The ultimate clash of science versus football and academia versus athletics is taking place in Ann Arbor, Mich. Unless President and renown antibodies expert Mark Schlissel 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
President Samuel Stanley has a medical degree from Harvard, and first-year coach Mel Tucker has a depleted roster with few seniors. You know the saying that all politics is local? Coaches around the conference believe the Spartans have little appetite to suit up in 2020 with the threat of going winless.
12. Maryland
The university suspended all athletic activities Sept. 3 after a spike in COVID-19 cases. In stressing the school’s emphasis on the “health, safety and welfare of our student athletes,” athletic director Damon Evans borrowed a line from Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren.
13. Minnesota
Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck celebrates with wide receiver Rashod Bateman after a touchdown during a game against Northwestern on Nov. 23, 2019, in Evanston. (Paul Beaty / Associated Press)
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. School 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.”
Big Ten might vote on restarting football as soon as Monday. Which schools most want to play? Here’s a ranking.
College football’s first full Saturday had wild upsets, Heisman moments and an ACC victory by … Notre Dame. It did not have highlights from any Big Ten team. There was hope that confere…
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