Big Ten Schedule Coming Soon, Will Include Opt-Outs, Unique Conclusion

The Big Ten announced today football would return Oct. 23 and 24. Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, head of one of the scheduling committees, announced an interesting twist that includes a ninth game for everyone.

Alvarez told the Big Ten Network Wednesday a schedule would be coming soon, and it would include the champions of each conference squaring off Dec. 18 and 19 … and more.

“I was head of a committee involving A.D.s and head football coaches. We were charged to present schedule models that made sense and give a strategy to allow teams to get back on the field,” Alvarez said. “We came up with four different models we felt made sense, presented to the Council of Presidents and Chancellors.”

The schedule they selected will start Oct. 23 and 24 and will include eight games, “plus one.”

“It’s a very unique champions week where all teams will play …. 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 (etc.), on the 18th and 19th,” Alvarez added. “It’s very unique scheduling … gives everyone an opportunity to play nine games.”

Alvarez said the new schedule would be worked on over the next few days at the Big Ten offices and should be laid out “later this week.” Several sources have said it’s likely to include games against everyone in the Division plus two crossovers. That would mean, of course, that “champions week” could include several rematches.

There are no current plans for fans in the stands, the Michigan athletic department said in an email.

“At this time, due to current state of Michigan public health limitations, the University of Michigan is unable to have fans at home athletic events,” they reported. “Safety regulations will continue to be evaluated by campus leadership in conjunction with medical experts and state/local government officials. We will communicate any changes as they get determined.”

There is hope that family will be allowed, per several sources.

Others, meanwhile, have reported that more U-M players will choose to opt out rather than play this fall. Currently, only senior cornerback Ambry Thomas and redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Jalen Mayfield have gone that route, but there were rumors of others recently. Some of the notable omissions from the list of six captains, too, raised eyebrows, though nothing has been officially confirmed.

At Ohio State, cornerback Shaun Wade and offensive lineman Wyatt Davis are among the top players having announced their departures, while Penn State's Pat Freiermuth and Micah Parsons also opted out. There are reports that the former three are reconsidering their decisions.

Regardless, football is back, and it’s a “special day” for the Big Ten Conference, Commissioner Kevin Warren said today.

“The only goal we’ve had over the last 40 days was to safely allow our student athletes to return to competition so they can fulfill their dreams … it was all about safety,” Warren said.

Northwestern President Morton Schapiro added he met with doctors “over and over again,” relied on the medical experts with the rest of the Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors and found many to lean on.

"Fortunately, in the Big Ten there are a lot of medical experts,” he said. “Once they convinced us it was safe to play, we were unanimous in that decision.”

Northwestern A.D. Jim Phillips, meanwhile, said they’d been in constant contact with FOX, as well, to make sure the network was on board. It’s expected to be seamless in that respect.

Yet they all know there’s no guarantee they’ll make it through the season unscathed, and there’s no margin for error like there was with the last schedule. That 10-game slate was supposed to start in September and had potential bye weeks included for make-ups. They'll have no such safety net this time.

“The biggest thing we all have to realize is this is a fluid situation,” Warren said. “We all wanted to make sure we put the health and safety of our student athletes at the forefront of all our decisions. Like all situations, we need to adapt. The world we live in today, whether it’s sports or any other areas, even in our families, we need to be able to adapt.

… “We need to remain flexible. The biggest thing is we need to stay collaborative with each other, transparent with each other and make sure we focus on the future and stay together.”

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