As they say, a Big Ten football season comes to those who wait.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Wednesday’s announcement ...
■ The Big Ten deserves more credit than ridicule
If you think all of this is madness — and believe the reversal is either a great moral failing or long overdue — that’s understandable, and I appreciate the call.
But, to me, neither extreme rings true.
Which is why, in the throes of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic that comes with no clear answers, I’m willing to extend the Big Ten a measure of grace.
For all of the clown-car pileups along the way, what matters is the destination, and, in the end, the league got it right. A season that will begin with rapid, daily testing and no fans in the stands is a plan, not a prayer.
“A lot of you may not like it, and their communication has been lacking, but the Big Ten has behaved more or less how a responsible conference would proceed under the circumstances,” tweeted Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist at Oxford College of Emory University, who has been among the most sober voices when it comes to playing football this fall. “No fans, postpone until you're confident you get frequent rapid testing.”
While clearly the fear of missing out pressured the Big Ten to return, I take issue with the premise that the leagues that played on have successfully navigated the storm.
Already, we’ve seen 13 FBS games postponed and rosters depleted. In one perfectly absurd opener, Arkansas State was short nine starters for its trip to Kansas State, which itself was without about two dozen players.
Meanwhile, let’s check in with defending champion LSU, where “most” of the team has caught the coronavirus — per coach Ed Orgeron — and the school is preparing to welcome nearly 26,000 fans per game to its hot-spot community.
Sorry, but if herd immunity and sanctioned super-spreader events are what qualifies as a plan for playing September football, I’m glad the Big Ten didn’t have one.
■ The Big Ten lives in the real world
Can the conference safely play football? With daily testing, yes.
Now, should all of these tests go to healthy young athletes when testing remains in short supply for many more vulnerable populations and essential industries?
That’s a fair question, and it gets to the heart of how our country prioritizes sports.
I wish I had a good answer.
All I can say is welcome to the real world, where those who fill culturally significant roles — including pro athletes and, yes, Big Ten football players — are treated differently than those who don’t. It’s been that way since the beginning of time.
It would have been an ethical issue if the Big Ten had accepted tests from the federal government, but that’s not the case. The tests were privately purchased.
At a time of great angst, I’m struggling to get worked up over the Big Ten jumping the line to play a season that will bring joy to millions of people.
■ The schedule leaves little margin for error
With the conference set to play nine games in nine weeks, beginning Oct. 24, there’s no built-in flexibility if things go off the rails.
Not ideal.
But a couple counters: Here’s predicting things don’t go off the rails. As long as players — most of whom live together — exercise reasonable responsibility (do as I say, not as I did!), the daily testing should prevent outbreaks. Northwestern team physician Jeff Mjaanes told reporters Wednesday the antigen tests are so effective, they can “detect a level of virus thought to be below the level of infectivity,” thus allowing schools to isolate a player before he’s contagious.
Also, if a few games are postponed, big deal. It’s 2020. We can adjust, and if it puts your mind at ease Buckeye fans, the playoff committee will, too.
“It's assumed by the committee that we may not have consistency in the number of games that leagues will play,” said Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, a former committee member. “Some [teams] might have eight, some might have nine, somebody might only have seven. Who knows? ... This year, there will maybe be a little bit more of trying to identify which team, frankly, has the best look about it.”
Speaking of which ...
■ Ohio State should have a really good look
In the fight to reinstate a fall Big Ten season, it didn’t take Phil Steele to identify which team had the highest stakes.
Hint: It was the one with a Heisman favorite at quarterback (Justin Fields) and as much top-to-bottom talent as any team in the country.
Ohio State president Kristina Johnson got right to it Wednesday, saying, “What I'm thrilled about is we get to play for all the marbles.”
Indeed, the Buckeyes will be a leading contender, especially if their star opt-outs — guard Wyatt Davis and cornerback Shaun Wade — return.
“They have shared with me that they want to play football, they want to be part of this team and play with their teammates,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Now the opportunity is here.”
The guess is the projected first-round picks both return, and, if they do, it could mean the difference between the best team in the Big Ten and the best team anywhere. I could go either way between the Buckeyes and Clemson for the top spot on my next AP ballot.
“This could have been a once-in-a-lifetime team,” Day lamented last month.
Now, we’ll see if he’s right. Let the race for the marbles begin.
First Published September 17, 2020, 1:10 a.m.
