Big Ten scraps nonconference football games due to pandemic

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JOHN ZENOR

The Big Ten Conference announced Thursday it will not play nonconference games in football and several other sports this fall, the most dramatic move yet by a power conference because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The conference cited medical advice in making its decision and added ominously that the plan would be applied only “if the conference is able to participate in fall sports.”

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said it was “much easier if we’re just working with our Big Ten institutions” in terms of things like scheduling and traveling.

“We may not have sports in the fall,” Warren told the Big Ten Network. “We may not have a college football season in the Big Ten.



FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 file photo, Turf manager Jared Hertzel touches up the newly-painted Big Ten conference logo on the football field at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. The Big Ten Conference announced Thursday, July 9, 2020 it will not play nonconference games in football or several other sports this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Jacob Hannah/Lincoln Journal Star via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/8d3ce03aabbd5421667846b0f76f4440

[turbinetree]

1. I commend the Big Ten, safety is more important for everyone

[greenjar_01]

2. Guess what?

They're not going to play in-conference football games either.

[snacker]

3. I agree with you. nt

[Sherman A1]

5. Precisely

Anyone who thinks they are going to do so, is simply whistling past the graveyard.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. Thinking positive, at least UMich won't lose to TOSU this year.

So there's that.

[greenjar_01]

8. ROFL

[rpannier]

4. Next? I'm guessing the Pac-12

If two or three Power5 cancel, or just the Pac-12
Notre Dame will probably follow next. Notre Dame has two big games this year against Pac-12 teams; USC and Stanford. As well as their (lost) game against Wisconsin. The game against Navy has been postponed. Every other game is against schools that will not generate huge money.

SEC will likely be the last of the Power 5

Be curious about Army. They're an independent.
Trump will likely insist that the Armed Service schools play.
Air Force and Navy are in conferences (Mountain West and AAC). If those conferences close their seasons, there isn't much the schools can do.
Army has no games against the Big Ten this season.
Except for the Armed Services games (Air Force and Navy) and Oklahoma they don't have any really big games. And many of their games are against smaller 1-A division schools that are likely to not play outside of their conference (Their game against Princeton has already been cancelled)

[TheFarseer]

6. At least

Now we won’t get our butts kicked at home by Cincinnati. Kind of hoping the rest of the season gets canceled so we won’t have to see how much we still suck in Lincoln.