Wolverine Watch: Jansen Sees A Door Closing On The Opener

Jon Jansen says there’s no way the 2020 college football season gets played without an asterisk. If you read between the lines, there’s an asteroid headed for the season opener.

There’s nothing official out there from Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel — or any other AD across the nation. But if you listen carefully, you’ll understand the prospects for a season free of COVID-19 impact stand very close to a summer and fall devoid of hot political debate.

Jansen, the Michigan All-American and two-time captain, would love nothing more than to hop on a plane for Seattle come September, heading for the Wolverines’ opener against Washington.

He’s already talking about it in the past tense.

“Going out to Seattle as a player was always one of my favorite trips,” Jansen said on TheWolverine.com Podcast yesterday. “I love that city, and it would have been a great match-up. Big Ten-Pac-12, blue blood program in Michigan and Washington — it would have been a great match-up.”

Would have … but most likely won’t be, Jansen offered.

“Do I think it will be different than normal? I do,” he said. “I’m not sure that we make the trip out to Washington to play the Huskies. I’m not sure we play a non-conference schedule.”

Still, Jansen cautioned, every day we learn more about the virus that has changed life for everyone in America and those across the globe. The debate rages about how much to open up, when to come together, and certainly when to try and hold major athletic events.

Some Big Ten institutions are taking matters into their own hands. Iowa is opening up football workouts on June 1. Purdue has assured its students will be back on campus come the fall.

“That’s going to be the No. 1 thing that has to happen, before we have a college football season,” Jansen said. “All of the commissioners got together with Vice-President [Mike] Pence, and they talked about what has to happen. The No. 1 thing is, there has to be a campus experience. There have to be students on campus, going to class, before you can talk about having a college football game, or any fall sports.

“I think it will happen. Does it happen in every Big Ten school? I don’t know. Every state is different, every university, every situation. No matter what happens, there is going to be an asterisk next to what happens this college football season — 2020 will be a season that is unique unto itself.”

Jansen posited that a season featuring only a Big Ten schedule — and a possible head-turning plus-one — could be quite compelling. There could be a potential opponent floating out there looking for games, if conferences decide to play only league brethren.

“If the SEC decides they’re only going to play conference games, it doesn’t mean the Big Ten has to,” Jansen said. “We have a great opponent right in the middle of Big Ten country. That’s Notre Dame.

“They’re not a part of a conference, so they can’t play conference games. I think 10 of their 12 are Power 5 opponents, so if they don’t play in a conference, and those others play only conference games, what does Notre Dame do?

“That could be conference games plus one for those in the Big Ten. I think that would be a great scenario.”

It would be a great one for Michigan fans, especially if Notre Dame had to return to Michigan Stadium for a second straight year to get that game. Wolverines fans figure they’re owed that one, after the Irish hosted consecutive contests surrounding the latest suspension in play between the schools.

Further, Jansen pointed out, a College Football Playoff — and perhaps an expanded one — might be in order, if a largely league-only campaign were to play out.

“The playoff committee would have to be involved in some of the decisions that are made,” he said. “Honestly, it makes for a more compelling college football playoff when you have match-ups between leagues. It is an exclusive then. It’s Big Ten against ACC or it’s Big Ten against the SEC.

“The question then is, do they possibly modify it? The Pac-12 has been left out for three years now. The Big Ten was for two years and we got in with Ohio State last year. How do they reconcile no common opponents, and who the most deserving four teams are?

“Maybe this is the first year of the expansion of the College Football Playoff, just because of necessity. We could get a chance to look at what it might be like.”

Nobody knows what anything will look like — yet. There’s little doubt, it won’t look like business as usual.

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