The Big Ten is considering not having a fall football season.
The 2020 college football season has been in question since the moment sports shut down back in March. The most prominent conferences have decided to go with schedules featuring few or no non-conference games. The Big Ten is one conference with zero on the schedule.
Thus come the ripple effects. Smaller conferences are losing the guaranteed money that comes with those games and the Mid-American Conference has canceled the fall football season entirely. The Big Ten is now reportedly considering the same.
Source: Big Ten presidents are meeting today. All options are on the table. There's some presidential momentum for canceling the fall football season. It's unknown if there's enough support to make that decision today.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 8, 2020
Big Ten season in question moving forward
The Big Ten shutting down the fall season would likely make the goal to play in the spring. But it could also force other Power 5 conferences to follow suit.
Fans must also remember that it is not up to the teams themselves. Presidents of each university will come together to make the final decision and while football is a major revenue generator, the safety of the student-athletes will be kept in mind as well.
Another ominous sign also emerged regarding the fate of the fall season.
News: The Big Ten announces that it will not progress to padded football practices, which is known as "Day 3" of the acclimatization practice period. (They will be able to practice in helmets.) The league wants further evaluation before it progresses to full-contact practices.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 8, 2020
Not being able to have contact practices at this point in August isn’t great news for fans who have the games marked on their schedule.
Games are set to begin the first week of September and we are already past the first week of August. To suddenly ramp up contact drills would be unsafe as well.
Moving the season to the spring would result in the loss of a ton of money and could lead to top players opting out to go straight into the NFL Draft. This is an unprecedented situation and ultimately, safety should be the top concern over money.
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