Clay Travis
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The Big Ten is poised to stage a new vote of the president and chancellor decision to cancel fall sports as early as this weekend. That new vote would come with newly revised medical standards in place which would allow the conference to begin play as soon as October 17th.
This new vote will come in the wake of a return to competition task force meeting scheduled for three eastern this afternoon, which will provide a new framework and protocol to safely play sports this fall in the Big Ten. The committee, created by Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, has been integral in reaching this point.
A season beginning on October 17th would allow Big Ten schools to play nine conference games and still stage the Big Ten championship game on December 19th, one day before the college football playoff selection committee votes on the four playoff teams on December 20th.
It’s believed there are enough votes to restart play, reversing the Big Ten presidents and chancellor 11-3 vote to cancel the season. The hope is the vote to play fall sports will be unanimous, even if that unanimity includes an understanding that all schools may not be able to play full Big Ten schedules due to complications on their individual campuses.
This would represent a remarkable turn for the conference in the space of five weeks and reflects five key factors:
1. the evolution and expansion of medical safety protocols that have made playing safer now than it was believed would be the case back in August when fall sports were canceled
2. a continued decline in viral cases compared to August
3. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren’s aggressive behind the scenes work to make a season possible, including the formation of the return to play task force
4. persistent advocacy from players, parents, fans and alumni both in public and behind the scenes
5. cooperation and assistance from the White House to provide support as needed.
All of these things have come together in short order to allow the Big Ten to be on the precipice of a return to play.
Again, the votes still have to be taken this weekend, but there is reason for substantial optimism that the Big Ten will play this fall.
An official vote could come as soon as Sunday.
Buckle up.
Big News, but I still see too many Hard No Play votes.
The Administrators and Liberal Alumni of most of these schools are not likely to embarrass themselves even more by reversing course, which might benefit Trump in the election.
Hope I’m wrong.
Make no mistake — despite his public protestations to the contrary, Warren is a devoted SJW doing everything he can behind the scenes to sabotage the vote. And Michigan president Mark Schlissel is more TDS than MD.
I’m encouraged but skeptical how the politics will continue to play into this. On the flip side, I think the college presidents and liberal allies have been able to see that this stoppage has exactly helped them like they were hoping. I suspect they do vote to return, especially after seeing games this weekend.
I’m going to follow the rule in legislative politics that you don’t schedule a vote unless you already know what the results will be. Based on what Clay is saying, I would be very surprised if they have a vote and it fails. That would only bring additional criticism to the Big Ten, Kevin Warren and the schools.
Good point, Stephen.
I will be glad if they vote to play, but these Big 10 assholes should not be given credit or be called heroes. I don’t care if they are all working their asses off now. They should have done this 3 months ago. Thanks for reversing your awful decisions.
Let me be the first to congratulate Clay Travis on saving the Big 10 football season.
I would congratulate Nebraska first and then Ohio state on board as well. Without those two programs they’d be the PAC 12 this season. The internal division, complaints, lawsuits allowed discussion to revise the decision to occur. The vote may fail, but the fight was worth it.
This isn’t Congress. What has changed for any of the 11 schools that already voted NO?
And how would it be fair for an entire conference to start late and still be part of a college championship. Isn’t that cheating?
Let them vote, but what has changed?
Roll Tide
Chris, what they will claim is better testing protocols, etc. But the truth is that with other college football conferences playing with no Covid issues along with the NFL, NBA, MLB ect. that the optics look REALLY bad for the Big 10 to claim that they are acting in the best interests of the student-athlete.
And while I understand your concerns that starting late and playing fewer games may not be fair, given the extraordinary circumstances, the fact that the Big 10 is prepared to reverse course and play is not only a crushing blow to the Coronabros, but another sign that people are recognizing that this pandemic is 90% political and 10% science and are prepared to return to normalcy.
Clay i would add a 6th/7th factor to your list: the aggressiveness of the Univ of Nebraska / State of Nebraska and the absolutely PERFECT – better than textbook – PR plan worked among Ohio State Prez, OSU Athletic Dept and the State of Ohio. I am happiest for these 2 schools and the enterprises behind them that built the case, week after week, for B1G Football.
Go Irish!
Was there a vote? The clock is ticking
Beware of the “red mirage”, mail-in fraud, flip flopping, blackmail, you name it. Powerful people don’t like to be made to look like fools, so I’ll believe this when it’s final.
The pandemic is the corrupt libs placing their knee on the neck of American citizens and their constitutional freedoms. 2 million citizens die every years according to CDC records. Corrupt, liberal health care providers are coding deaths as virus when the morbidity rates would have happened anyhow. Test results have been proven to be corrupted as well. Just follow the results: Dems: lock down everything including sports is their goal; draconian measures their desired result. Twisted, unethical, disingenuous schemers: had enough? Vote Republican!