Report: Big Ten Football Considering Return To Play On Thanksgiving Weekend
Aug 28, 2020, 11:07 AM | Updated: 11:08 am
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren speaks following the cancellation of the men's basketball tournament due to concerns over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 12, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Who had the prestigious and historic Big Ten Conference as college sports most wild and unpredictable league? Just another reminder of how crazy 2020 has been this year.
The Big Ten Conference announced on August 11th that it was postponing football and fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now there are reports that the Big Ten Conference is considering a start date around Thanksgiving weekend according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Happening now: pic.twitter.com/sziVN5N4wZ
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 28, 2020
Again, 2020 y’all.
Only one other Power 5 conference followed the Big Ten’s lead in postponing fall sports. That was the Pac-12. None of the other three fell in line leaving a strange situation where college football will be played this fall without two of college football’s top conferences.
According to Bruce Feldman from The Athletic, Big Ten coaches met on a call Friday afternoon discussing the possibility of a return in late fall or in the winter in early January. Ultimately the decision is still going to come down to university presidents.
This potential reversal of their postponing decision comes one day after eight Nebraska football players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten Conference said reversal on the fall football season.
Also, 14 parent groups Big 10 football teams calling themselves #B1GparentsUnited has pressed Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren on bringing fall football back after a lack of transparency in the process to shut down the season.
We have been in contact with 11 of the 14 parent groups representing BIG 10 football teams. WE ARE UNITED, & our message has been fully aligned. This letter to the @bigten, Presidents/Chancellors, & @KevinFWarren represents the simple requests from #B1GparentsUNITED #LetThemPlay pic.twitter.com/aAzMHNwahK
— Nebraska Cornhusker Football Parents (@ParentsNebraska) August 26, 2020
2020 marks the first fall that the Big Ten Conference isn’t playing football since its creation in 1896. So the postponement has not been well received in parts of the country where other leagues like the American Athletic Conference are still playing.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
