Big Ten football coaches want 8-game season starting Thanksgiving week

The Big Ten might actually play football in 2020.

Two-fifths of Power 5 football will not conduct a 2020 season in the fall, as the Pac-12 and Big Ten both canceled their fall season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Big Ten parents and players alike were not pleased with the decision, as parents tried to make their voice heard via “Parents United.” Commissioner Kevin Warren appears on the verge of caving, as the conference is discussing a shortened season.

The Big Ten might make the stunning decision to reverse their decision to postpone the fall football season until the spring. The prototype plan put forward by coaches would have Big Ten teams playing a modified eight-game schedule starting on Thanksgiving weekend. While the weather in the Midwest in November and December could be difficult to play in, the league is examining several domed stadiums as hubs for the shortened season.

The Big Ten wants to start playing in November

Most other Power 5 conferences are allowing either zero or one non-conference game, as keeping everything local cuts down on travel time and minimizes the potential of transferring the virus.

Considering how six of the Top 25 teams in the country reside in the Big Ten, college football fans will get to see heavyweights like Ohio State and Penn State compete for a championship, while NFL fans could get to see some of the league’s future stars strut their stuff in a truncated slate of games. If the league is confident in their coronavirus protocols and their ability to keep players and coaches safe, football might return to the heartland by Thanksgiving.

While there is some legit concern about restarting the season amid the coronavirus pandemic, especially after Warren’s emphatic insistence that a fall season was not feasible, fans desperate to see the likes of Justin Fields and Ohio State gearing up for the season will finally have their thirsts quenched.