clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Reports: Big Ten looking at beginning football on Thanksgiving Weekend

The 14-team conference might be looking at returning to play before the calendar year ends.

Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown speaks to Michigan Wolverines linebacker Khaleke Hudson during the second half of the Citrus Bowl between the Michigan Wolverines and the Alabama Crimson Tide on January 01, 2020, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Turns out the Big Ten might be playing some football sooner rather than later.

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported yesterday that it’s possible the Big Ten could start playing as soon as Thanksgiving Weekend. And oh my, has that escalated quickly. National college football writers are now saying that the league coaches are on a call as we write this discussing bring games back.

This is what we call a “whirlwind” of information happening.

Would the College Football Playoff alter their schedule to accommodate one of their Power Five leagues? Would the Pac-12 and other conferences such as the Mountain West and Mid-American also considering getting started before the projected suspension of play until after January 2021? How much is the new saliva-based testing being offered and now approved by the Food & Drug Administration, in combination with the work already done by the NBA and Yale, a factor in a possible return to play?

And here’s the big one: Do the schools expect to be able to offer that level of testing for the entire student body? Because it’s not going to look great if you’re paying to test football players and not everyone else.

Keep in mind this is the coaches on a call and not the university presidents or chancellors, and those will need to be the people actually making the decision.

We have a lot of questions! Hopefully we’ll see some answers this afternoon.