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Big Ten Announces Member Schools Will Only Face Conference Opponents This Fall
Amid continued coronavirus uncertainty, the Big Ten dropped a bombshell Thursday, announcing the league will only schedule games against conference opponents this fall. In doing so, the Big Ten becomes the first of the Power Five leagues to adopt a conference-only model for fall sports. The ACC had previously announced a delay to Olympic sports (soccer, volleyball, cross-country and field hockey) while the Ivy League plans to curtail its athletic programs until at least January 1.
Choosing to eschew its non-conference slate is an unprecedented measure by the Big Ten, but itâs probably what is needed right now. Weâve seen professional leagues take drastic steps to reduce travel, hoping to limit playersâ exposure to the virus (the NBA and NHL are both resuming in restrictive âbubbleâ environments), and it seems colleges are beginning to follow suit.
Thursdayâs landmark announcement comes as a major blow to college footballâthe NCAAâs biggest moneymaker by farâeffectively wiping out marquee games featuring Ohio State and Oregon, Wisconsin versus Notre Dame and Penn State against Virginia Tech, among other highly-anticipated matchups.
With the college sports season fast approaching, the NCAA finds itself in a race against the clock. Will football and other sports delay their seasons or will other conferences follow the Big Tenâs lead in adopting abbreviated, conference-only schedules in a last-ditch effort to keep the fall sports season alive? With COVID-19 not showing any signs of slowing down (in fact, its prevalence has increased in many areas of the country), the upcoming fall sports seasonâand the reopening of colleges in generalâremains very much in flux.
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