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Dan Patrick: Big Ten, Pac-12 to Cancel 2020 Football; Latest on SEC, ACC, Big 12

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have reportedly decided to cancel their 2020 football seasons and are set to announce the news Tuesday, according to Dan Patrick.

 

The ACC, Big 12 and SEC remain in a state of flux, and the SEC is attempting to save the 2020 season by inviting some schools to join the conference, per Patrick.

 

In a conference-wide vote, Iowa and Nebraska were the only Big Ten universities in favor of holding the season this fall, Patrick reported (h/t Brett McMurphy).

 

The decisions of Power Five conferences are complex in large part because the NCAA does not consider student-athletes employees. Whereas players in professional sports leagues could collectively bargain safety protocols as a union, major college football athletes have no such recourse.

 

Many professional sports leagues have also guaranteed union members the ability to opt out of the 2020 season without penalty, often with a stipend. NCAA teams could theoretically revoke the scholarship of a player who refuses to play under the current structure.

 

While several notable players, including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, have spoken out on their desire to play, they have done so while requesting several provisions given to professional players. Using the hashtag #WeWantToPlay on Twitter on Sunday night, Power Five conference players requested mandated health and safety protocols, that players maintain their eligibility and scholarships if they opt out, and the ability to form a players association.

 

The SEC's attempt to save its season seemingly comes down to whether it can convince ACC or Big 12 member schools to form a one-season coalition. If that's the case, those schools will likely have to make concessions to guarantee the safety of the players, which may change the landscape of college football.

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2903897-dan-patrick-big-ten-pac-12-to-cancel-2020-football-latest-on-sec-acc-big-12

 

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On 8/9/2020 at 8:12 AM, High School Harry said:

Doubt it.  Too much of a scheduling and logistic nightmare.

They have enough on their plates just figuring out if, how, and who as far as getting fans into the stadium much less players on the field.

Meh, all the teams have private planes so the only difference would be hotel arraignments.  It isn't like the stadiums are being used for anything else during the pandemic.    I am sure the networks (Fox, NBC, CBS) would love this as almost every game could get a national audience and to make back some money from college probably being cancelled.

 

ESPN/ABC sports might be obliterated if the SEC falls in line and cancels their season as well.    Losing SEC and Big 10 football this fall will be a crushing loss.   They have 1 NFL game a week. 

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SEC commissioner stresses patience as conference decides whether to play 2020 college football season

As the 2020 college football season hangs in the balance, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey continued to stress patience on Monday, writing on Twitter that the best advice he's received since COVID-19 is: "Be patient. Take time when making decisions. This is all new & you'll gain better information each day."

 

"SEC has been deliberate at each step since March...slowed return to practice...delayed 1st game to respect start of fall semester.....Developed testing protocols...We know concerns remain," Sankey continued.

 

"We have never had a FB season in a COVID-19 environment. Can we play? I don't know. We haven't stopped trying. We support, educate and care for student-athletes every day, and will continue to do so...every day."

 

Sankey's message of patience came as the Big Ten presidents reportedly plan to meet Monday night to make a final decision on whether to cancel the scheduled fall football season. It's been widely reported that the Pac-12 would follow suit if the Big Ten cancels.

 

The SEC announced July 30 that it planned to play a 10-game, conference-only schedule and pushed the start of its season to Sept. 26. Sankey said the adjusted schedule offered "the best opportunity to complete a full season by giving us the ability to adapt to the fluid nature of the virus and the flexibility to adjust schedules as necessary if disruptions occur," and the league went ahead Friday with announcing which additional two opponents for each team in the conference. 

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sec-commissioner-stresses-patience-as-conference-decides-whether-to-play-2020-college-football-season/

 

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Big Ten Conference receiving pushback after reports say it voted to cancel football and fall sports for 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference has voted to cancel the football season — and all fall sports seasons — amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports, but already coaches, players and politicans are speaking out and pushing to have a season.

 

The Detroit Free Press was among the first to report the results of the vote. National sports radio host Dan Patrick reported that sources told him the vote was 12-2 among the Big Ten presidents in favor of canceling the fall season. Nebraska and Iowa voted against cancelation, per Patrick.

 

Multiple reports in the early afternoon pushed back against those initial reports, saying no official vote had been taken. Yahoo.com college football reporter Pete Thamel Tweeted the following: “Just got a text from a Big Ten spokesman. ‘No vote has been held by our presidents and chancellors.’ "

 

The Big Ten has not made an official statement since announcing a slowdown in the football practice calendar Saturday morning.

 

If the decision holds, what it means for the Ohio State Buckeyes — who have several underclassmen expected to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft — remains up in the air. Also uncertain is whether a spring season will be played instead, and how that might be constructed.

 

The Big Ten’s decision came against the publicly stated sentiments of Ohio State players and their parents. Both groups released letters within the last three days expressing confidence in the athletic department’s COVID-19 protocols and testing plan and pleading their case to play this fall.

 

The Buckeyes practiced as scheduled Monday morning.

 

Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors met Sunday night via conference call. An Ohio State spokesperson confirmed incoming President Kristina M. Johnson participated in that call. Johnson was not on a regularly scheduled call among Big Ten leadership on Saturday, though Ohio State representatives were to be briefed by Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren at a later date.

 

Those meetings, and the vote to postpone, came after a confusing series of stops and starts in Big Ten athletics in the past week.

 

The Big Ten announced its revised football schedule on Wednesday. A re-worked calendar was necessary after the league canceled all of its fall sports non-conference schedules. The new football season — which was scheduled to begin Sept. 3 — included multiple idle weeks for every team to better facilitate potential postponements due to coronavirus.

 

On the same day, the Big Ten announced it would allow teams to begin preseason camp based on the NCAA’s allowed schedule. For Ohio State, which was set to open on a Thursday night, Sept. 3, against Illinois, that meant opening practice last Thursday.

 

Saturday morning, the Big Ten announced football teams would remain in the helmets-only phase of the acclimatization period, ahead of that already scheduled afternoon meeting among Presidents. That mandate effectively prohibited teams from graduating to more physical contact.

 

Other factors, however, likely weighed on the presidents’ minds. An outbreak within Rutgers’ program was reported to have grown from 15 to 28 individuals early last week. Other teams, including Ohio State, have paused workouts at some point due to positive COVID-19 tests.

 

About a dozen Big Ten players had already opted out of this season, including stars Micah Parsons of Penn State, Rondale Moore of Purdue and Rashod Bateman of Minnesota. Parsons was the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in the cleveland.com Big Ten Preseason Poll, and Moore and Bateman finished second and third on offense.

 

Dozens of Ohio State players remained steadfast with public appeals for faith in their athletic department’s testing procedures and prevention guidelines. Their parents joined them with a collective letter on Sunday night, as rumblings of the season’s pending demise began to amplify.

 

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren repeatedly warned in various news releases that announcement such as the new schedule were no guarantee a season could be played this fall. Other league administrators, including Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, also spoke realistically about the challenges ahead throughout the past five months.

 

The spring option keeps alive the potential for football revenue. Canceling the season entirely would have potentially devastating consequences for some athletic departments. At Ohio State — the biggest athletic department in the nation by number of teams sponsored — football accounted for $50.5 million in ticket revenue and $34 million in media rights from a $200 million budget in 2018-19.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2020/08/big-ten-conference-has-voted-to-cancel-football-and-fall-sports-for-2020-according-to-reports.html

 

 
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11 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

Big Ten Conference receiving pushback after reports say it voted to cancel football and fall sports for 2020

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference has voted to cancel the football season — and all fall sports seasons — amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to multiple reports, but already coaches, players and politicans are speaking out and pushing to have a season.

 

The Detroit Free Press was among the first to report the results of the vote. National sports radio host Dan Patrick reported that sources told him the vote was 12-2 among the Big Ten presidents in favor of canceling the fall season. Nebraska and Iowa voted against cancelation, per Patrick.

 

Multiple reports in the early afternoon pushed back against those initial reports, saying no official vote had been taken. Yahoo.com college football reporter Pete Thamel Tweeted the following: “Just got a text from a Big Ten spokesman. ‘No vote has been held by our presidents and chancellors.’ "

 

The Big Ten has not made an official statement since announcing a slowdown in the football practice calendar Saturday morning.

 

If the decision holds, what it means for the Ohio State Buckeyes — who have several underclassmen expected to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft — remains up in the air. Also uncertain is whether a spring season will be played instead, and how that might be constructed.

 

The Big Ten’s decision came against the publicly stated sentiments of Ohio State players and their parents. Both groups released letters within the last three days expressing confidence in the athletic department’s COVID-19 protocols and testing plan and pleading their case to play this fall.

 

The Buckeyes practiced as scheduled Monday morning.

 

Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors met Sunday night via conference call. An Ohio State spokesperson confirmed incoming President Kristina M. Johnson participated in that call. Johnson was not on a regularly scheduled call among Big Ten leadership on Saturday, though Ohio State representatives were to be briefed by Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren at a later date.

 

Those meetings, and the vote to postpone, came after a confusing series of stops and starts in Big Ten athletics in the past week.

 

The Big Ten announced its revised football schedule on Wednesday. A re-worked calendar was necessary after the league canceled all of its fall sports non-conference schedules. The new football season — which was scheduled to begin Sept. 3 — included multiple idle weeks for every team to better facilitate potential postponements due to coronavirus.

 

On the same day, the Big Ten announced it would allow teams to begin preseason camp based on the NCAA’s allowed schedule. For Ohio State, which was set to open on a Thursday night, Sept. 3, against Illinois, that meant opening practice last Thursday.

 

Saturday morning, the Big Ten announced football teams would remain in the helmets-only phase of the acclimatization period, ahead of that already scheduled afternoon meeting among Presidents. That mandate effectively prohibited teams from graduating to more physical contact.

 

Other factors, however, likely weighed on the presidents’ minds. An outbreak within Rutgers’ program was reported to have grown from 15 to 28 individuals early last week. Other teams, including Ohio State, have paused workouts at some point due to positive COVID-19 tests.

 

About a dozen Big Ten players had already opted out of this season, including stars Micah Parsons of Penn State, Rondale Moore of Purdue and Rashod Bateman of Minnesota. Parsons was the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year in the cleveland.com Big Ten Preseason Poll, and Moore and Bateman finished second and third on offense.

 

Dozens of Ohio State players remained steadfast with public appeals for faith in their athletic department’s testing procedures and prevention guidelines. Their parents joined them with a collective letter on Sunday night, as rumblings of the season’s pending demise began to amplify.

 

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren repeatedly warned in various news releases that announcement such as the new schedule were no guarantee a season could be played this fall. Other league administrators, including Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, also spoke realistically about the challenges ahead throughout the past five months.

 

The spring option keeps alive the potential for football revenue. Canceling the season entirely would have potentially devastating consequences for some athletic departments. At Ohio State — the biggest athletic department in the nation by number of teams sponsored — football accounted for $50.5 million in ticket revenue and $34 million in media rights from a $200 million budget in 2018-19.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2020/08/big-ten-conference-has-voted-to-cancel-football-and-fall-sports-for-2020-according-to-reports.html

 

 

At the end of the day this decision will be made by University Presidents and their lawyers and the harsh reality is I can't see there being a season as much as I want it.    The coaches and athletic directors will have limited input.

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4 hours ago, SF2 said:

At the end of the day this decision will be made by University Presidents and their lawyers and the harsh reality is I can't see there being a season as much as I want it.    The coaches and athletic directors will have limited input.

I do think the comments made by Saban and others are worth considering.  Are those kids at more risk at school playing football?  If the school is full of kids, probably.  If the school is mostly empty, probably not.  It's an interesting question.  Schools are doing so much CYA with all their athletes right now (non revenue and non power 5) that it is almost comical.  They want the kids to do stuff entirely to cover the ass of the school at their own expense.  Don't get me wrong, I take the pandemic seriously, but the hysteria hyped in traditional and social media are leading organizations to make decisions based on appearances as much as reality. 

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Take this for what it's worth (it's TMZ):

 

12:13 PM PT -- 8/11 It's official -- the presidents of the Big Ten schools have voted to postpone the 2020 college football season ... with hopes of resuming in the spring.

 

The Big Ten -- made up of powerhouse programs like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska and more -- issued a statement explaining the decision.

 

"The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season, including all regular-season contests and Big Ten Championships and Tournaments, due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic."

 

Big Ten says it consulted with the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee ... and ultimately decided it was too risky to play in the Fall.

 

Big Ten chairman Morton Schapiro -- added, "Our primary responsibility is to make the best possible decisions in the interest of our students, faculty and staff."

 

Still no official word on the PAC 12, but our sources tell us they expect a similar announcement to come soon.

 

9:17 AM PT -- Multiple sources tell TMZ Sports ... both the PAC 12 and the BIG 10 are officially postponing the 2020 college football season.

 

One PAC 12 source told us ... some coaches and staffs have already been informed. The plan is not to cancel the season indefinitely, but to push to Spring 2021.

 

In other words, 2020 won't be a lost season -- just delayed.

 

We're told there are plans for an official announcement to come out on Tuesday. Until then, we're told multiple PAC 12 programs are operating as usual -- players working out at team facilities, etc.

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Big Ten cancels college football season for fall 2020, hopes to play in spring 2021

Following a morning meeting of the conference's presidents, the Big Ten on Tuesday decided to cancel the college football season for fall 2020 with hopes of playing in spring 2021. With this decision, the Big Ten has become the first Power Five conference to decide not to play this fall amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Sentiment throughout college football entering Sunday night was that the Big Ten and Pac-12 would cancel their seasons this week. However, the combination of outspoken coaches and the #WeWantToPlay X #WeAreUnited movement that developed suddenly late Sunday seemed to give pause to the five major conferences.

 

Big Ten coaches -- including Ohio State's Ryan Day, Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, Penn State's James Franklin and Nebraska's Scott Frost -- publicly advocated for playing the 2020 season on Monday. However, their pleas and those of Big Ten players were not enough to change the collective minds of Big Ten leaders.

 

In a statement released Tuesday, the Big Ten announced that "multiple factors" including the "medical advice and counsel" from its experts led to what it is deeming the "postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season."

 

"The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward," said Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren.

 

"As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.

 

"We know how significant the student-athlete experience can be in shaping the future of the talented young women and men who compete in the Big Ten Conference. Although that knowledge made this a painstaking decision, it did not make it difficult. While I know our decision today will be disappointing in many ways for our thousands of student-athletes and their families, I am heartened and inspired by their resilience, their insightful and discerning thoughts, and their participation through our conversations to this point. Everyone associated with the Big Ten Conference and its member institutions is committed to getting everyone back to competition as soon as it is safe to do so."

 

Myocarditis emerged as a significant health concern that largely led to the Big Ten's decision. The condition involves an inflammation of the heart muscle. It can reduce the heart's ability to pump, causing rapid or abnormal heartbeat.

 

At least 15 Big Ten players have been left with myocarditis after contracting COVID-19, according to a high-ranking source within the Big Ten.

 

"Myocarditis is the ballgame right now," the source said. "Myocarditis is the major issue they're looking at. … Between the Pac-12 and the Big Ten, that's what is really driving the push to push this off to spring."

 

In its latest medical guidelines, the NCAA said infected persons "of any age" with underlying heart conditions are a risk. There's at least one Power Five school where athletes who test positive for the coronavirus automatically get an EKG.  Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told the Associated Press on Sunday there was "growing evidence" of concern over myocarditis. Medical experts have told West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons that moving to the spring "will give us more time to be able to understand if the virus does necessarily impact the heart."

 

Recovery from myocarditis can vary anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, according to Harvard Medical School. 

 

The Big Ten's cancellation affects all fall sports, including cross country, field hockey, soccer and volleyball.

 

For weeks, it was believed that, if any Power Five conference decided to punt first on playing college football in the fall, it would be the Big Ten. After all, this was the conference that announced over a month ago it was moving to a conference-only schedule for the fall.

 

The Big Ten became the first conference to make such that adjustment in a move that blindsided their Power Five brethren. However, in short order, the other conferences ultimately made similar moves albeit with varied configurations and projected start dates.

 

Will the other Power Five conferences follow suit with canceling their fall 2020 seasons? Pac-12 presidents are meeting Tuesday afternoon to decide just that. The SEC and ACC appear prepared to move forward, while the Big 12 is currently in limbo.

 

Though cancellations have been taking place at all levels of college football, only recently did they affect the 130-team FBS. UConn was the first FBS team to call curtains on a fall 2020 season last week; UMass followed suit on Tuesday. The MAC was the first FBS conference to call off playing fall sports; it was joined by the Mountain West on Monday. Old Dominion on Monday became the first individual member of an FBS conference (Conference USA) to cancel its season. 

 

More than 30 Power Five players have opted out of playing this season.

There are now 89 of 130 FBS teams set to play the 2020 college football season at this time.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-cancels-college-football-season-for-fall-2020-hopes-to-play-in-spring-2021/

 
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One thing I promise: Every NFL-caliber player, especially the 5th year guys, will hear from SEC, ACC and Big 12 schools by the end of tonight. One (of dozens) unintended consequences here is that Big Ten rosters are going to get absolutely pillaged if football is played elsewhere
3:47 PM · Aug 11, 2020·Twitter Web App
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Wow... Just wow.  And I'm not even much of a college football fan.

 

If they play in Spring, what's that going to do to the draft?  Push it back to July?

 

As far as the NFL playing on Saturday, I still think too many logistic and other problems.

The only way I can see it is if they play with no fans in the stands.

However, I am far more often than I am right.

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5 hours ago, High School Harry said:

Wow... Just wow.  And I'm not even much of a college football fan.

 

If they play in Spring, what's that going to do to the draft?  Push it back to July?

 

As far as the NFL playing on Saturday, I still think too many logistic and other problems.

The only way I can see it is if they play with no fans in the stands.

However, I am far more often than I am right.

The NFL will play on every Saturday if all 5 power conferences are out. There are almost zero logistics issues.  In fact, with no college games the networks will have way more resources to televise 6 or 7 games on Saturday instead of 25 or so. 

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This should have been a legit NC season for the Buckeyes. It's a damn shame for those kids that have worked their dicks off for the last year.  Especially Justin Fields, likely the best QB in school history.  Now he's gone like a fart in the wind. 

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This is not good.  I feel it is an overreaction by the Big 10 and PAC 10.  The straw that broke the camel’s back was viral myocarditis.  Yes, COVID can cause it. Many other viruses cause it as well. Usually 100,000 cases a year in US.  Now that we know it would have been easy for the schools to do an EKG on anyone that contracted COVID.  It’s not like the kids won’t have a similar risk staying at home.  Many will have a higher chance of catching the virus and less testing to boot.  The difference is the colleges and conference can’t be held liable. 
 

The way it should have been handled is to only allow on campus those students than need to be on campus.  This would give schools plenty of room to put teams in a semi-bubble which would be way safer than what the most of us live in.  With all the reactionary press and social media coverage they made the safe decision for them.  Now kids will suffer for it.  Not just football players, but other non revenue athletes that will lose their scholarships. This is a mistake.  We are eating our own with stupidity in this country.  

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9 hours ago, spicoli said:

This should have been a legit NC season for the Buckeyes. It's a damn shame for those kids that have worked their dicks off for the last year.  Especially Justin Fields, likely the best QB in school history.  Now he's gone like a fart in the wind. 

Yep, just like the #3 ranked University of Dayton basketball team. Best team in 50 years and Toppin is a top 5 NBA pick. 

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