Report: Big Ten football resumes with 8-game schedule, teams eligible for College Football Playoff

According to a report, the Big Ten will resume with an eight-game schedule spread out over nine weeks and teams will be eligible to make the College Football Playoff.

Ahead of the Big Ten’s formal announcement that the league will return to play, Journal-Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus is reporting the votes to resume the season are in and the season is a go.

He stops short of saying when the formal announcement will happen, but reports there will be an eight-game schedule played in a nine-week window and teams will be eligible to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. A revised eight-game schedule is expected to be released later this week and every team will be playing. Teams will have four home games and four road games.

Stadium’s Brett McMurphy reiterated the report from Poyrykus of the Big Ten’s plans to return.

The Big Ten football season is reportedly a go and teams will play an eight-game schedule and will be eligible for the College Football Playoff.

It’s unclear when the first games will be, but it’s anticipated it will be Oct. 17 for the first Saturday of games and the Big Ten Championship Game will be held on Dec. 19, the same date as the SEC, ACC and Big 12 Championship Games. Selection Sunday is the following day when the College Football Playoff field will be determined.

The Big Ten has been in a holding pattern since postponing the football season as they wait to gather more information on testing availability, contact tracing and cardiac effects of those infected with the coronavirus, specifically myocarditis.

They’ve been subject to petitions from players like Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields advocating for a reversal of their decision, stern letters and parents staging protests at the Big Ten headquarters, called out for lack of transparency by Ryan Day and James Franklin, among others, and derided by fans on social media who want Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren fired.

Then there was President Donald Trump using parts of his campaign rallies to tell the Big Ten to open up and having conversations to insinuate the Big Ten was on the “one-yard line” in terms of starting the season. Republican politicians across six Big Ten states followed Trump’s message in an effort to win votes by “saving the Big Ten for their constituents.”

While the league remained in limbo, the ACC, Big 12, AAC, Sun Belt, Independents and a few FCS schools all began their season. The SEC is set to begin its season on Sept. 26. Meanwhile, people demanded answers to why the Big Ten seemingly had no plan, or at least no public plan about the next step. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 hasn’t been subject to the same scrutiny or vitriol for their decision compared to the Big Ten.

There were whispers of how a spring season could look, but that quickly turned into starting in the winter because top players like Fields and other top NFL Draft picks certainly wouldn’t play and it would not afford enough time between the 2021 fall season. So that plan then morphed into starting around Thanksgiving week and later bumped to mid-October with the hopes of still competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.