More than a month after announcing that it was postponing all of its fall sports seasons amid concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Big Ten is reportedly deliberating bringing back football in the coming weeks.
While the league has yet to make such an announcement following a Sunday meeting between university chancellors and presidents, multiple reports state that one could be coming soon. Until then, here's the latest news regarding the Big Ten and the potential return of the 2020 football season:
- On Sunday, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported that the 14 Big Ten presidents/chancellors were presented with a comprehensive plan that focused on medical protocols and what has changed in the weeks since the league announced its postponement. While no timetable was set for a vote, Thamel said that one was expected soon and that there was a lot of optimism regarding a potential return to action.
- While some reporting indicated that certain Big Ten schools would opt out of the 2020 season should the conference decide to return to action, Stadium's Brett McMurphy reported that wasn't the case. Rather, should the Big Ten vote to bring back its football season, all 14 programs plan on participating.
- According to Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, some Big Ten football programs are already setting practice schedules in anticipation of an October kickoff. Like Thamel, Forde characterized the league's meetings over the weekend as productive in terms of moving forward with a season, with an official vote expected to take place as early as Monday.