Big Ten teams will play 10 conference games and begin the season on Sept. 5 should teams be able to safely compete, the conference said Wednesday. …
Big Ten teams will play 10 conference games and begin the season on Sept.5 should teams be able to safely compete, the conference said Wednesday. The announcement sets the parameters for a regular season that eliminates all non-conference play and adds in an additional off week to provide the highest degree of scheduling flexibility in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. “Developing consistent medical protocols and testing procedures for the health and safety of our student-athletes and our athletic programs is critical,” said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. “Our Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and local, state, and national experts have provided guidelines throughout our decision-making process with our student athletes’ health and safety as our first and foremost concern.” Within the past week, two Big Ten programs, Rutgers and Northwestern, have chosen to postpone team workouts amid outbreaks among athletes and coaches.
