Big Ten Postpones Fall Sports

Indiana University and Purdue University will not be on the football field this fall after the Big Ten Conference has postponed all fall competitions.

Other sports were affected by this announcement, but the biggest sport to lose is football.

The Big Ten Conference cited too many uncertainties surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and two different medical groups suggested to postpone the season. The Presidents of the Universities had the official vote, but the results of that vote have not been released to the public.

The Big Ten Conference announced in July that they would be canceling all non-conference football games, and the league released a revised schedule just one week ago. Commissioner Kevin Warren stated at that time that football was still up in the air, and one week later, it was canceled.

The league will be looking to play fall sports during the spring semester, but some have questioned whether or not that is even capable. Other sports could possibly pull it off, but that would mean that football is played in the spring and fall in 2021.

Purdue and Indiana both released statements acknowledging the cancellation of the football season, and their respect for the decision. Neither school is looking to pursue other athletic opportunities this fall, but that’s not the case for every Big Ten School.

The University of Nebraska announced that they were extremely disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten presidents, and they are exploring other options. According to sources, Nebraska has reached out to other conferences to pursue some games.

Shortly after the announcement from the Big 10, the Pac-12 Conference announced that they were postponing all collegiate activities until January 2021.

Brohm Releases Spring Football Plan

Purdue University football coach Jeff Brohm has created a comprehensive plan that would allow the Big Ten Conference to play football this spring. Under Brohm’s plan, he believes the conference could safely allow for teams to play ball this spring and then return again in the fall.

Brohm released his plan to national media outlets on Tuesday, just hours after the Big Ten Conference made the announcement. On Thursday, the plan was released to local media outlets, and it highlights a plan for each school to play 18 regular-season games in a span of 10 months.

The comprehensive plan outlines potential start dates in the spring and continues throughout the College Football Playoffs that take place in January 2022. His plan calls for an expanded Playoff system, but this would include all of the Power 5 Conferences.

On top of coming up with a potential timeline, Brohm also outlines what a spring football schedule would look like. He suggested just eight Big Ten regular-season games be played later this spring.

The proposal reportedly has been shared with the Big Ten Conference, and it will likely be one of several options that are explored throughout the winter. The Big Ten Conference will have to see what the other conferences decide to do before coming up with a solid plan.

This news comes as a blow to sports fans across the country. Sport has been widely affected due to the pandemic, even the Indy 500 has felt the effects.

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