Big Ten Conference Expected To Vote On Resuming College Football In Fall of 2020

On August 11th, the Big Ten postponed its fall sports season, including football, because of concerns around the pandemic. Last Saturday, the medical subcommittee of the Big Ten’s return-to-competition task force met. That meeting pushed the process forward for a possible revote by the Big Ten’s council of presidents and chancellors. It could have been as early as Sunday.

Saturday’s presentation focused on the medical information. And Sunday’s meeting was expected to broaden the focus to include how to start, when to start, and the medical thresholds that must be met in order to return. Specific return dates are expected to be discussed.

A Meet Was Held, But There Was No Vote

Though no vote held, according to sources, many left the meeting with a sense of optimism that football will happen in the Big Ten this fall. The key factor behind the change in attitude is the current availability of rapid response tests.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and the league have received significant backlash since the initial decision to postpone. It has come from coaches, players, parents of players and politicians. Even President Trump stepped in. He spoke with Warren last week about testing and other areas to get Big Ten football started as soon as possible. The August vote was 11-3 in favor of postponing the season. But things have changed since then.

If the presidents vote to start the fall football season, the earliest time frame for kickoff would be mid-to-late October.