Big 10 football will resume on the weekend of Oct.24. The conference will attempt to play eight games in eight weeks which will keep them on track for the championship game on Dec.19. The championship will also include a cross-division game for each school and the teams will be seeded for each division. The season will be complete for Selection day and playoffs which is Dec.20. There will be no fans, but the conference aims to allow family and staff at both home and away games. All games will be held on campus. 

The season was postponed on Aug.11 due to Covid-19, however, some people did not feel as though the season should have been postponed. 

 “I don’t think they should have postponed the season, that was pretty foolish in my opinion.” Hayden S. ‘21 said.

Others think that the postponement was the right decision for the safety of the players.

“From a political standpoint it was the right decision. If they didn’t postpone the season there would be outrage.” Mason H. ‘23 said.

All teams will take rapid tests everyday which will begin on Sept.30. This will be a policy for all 14 teams. All test results must come in before each practice and game. If a player tests positive, the conference requires the player to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Each team will have a chief infection officer, and the officers job will be to report Covid data. They will make decisions about practice and the conference will let the game continue based on the positivity rates of the team and population. Players who test positive will be forced to sit out for 21 days. While the player is in their 21 day quarantine they will undergo comprehensive cardiac tests which will be cleared by a cardiologist. Each team has had a cardiologist assigned to them. The conference will use a color code system–green, orange, and red. The color code is for the team and rates of the population of the college.

President Trump tweeted about how excited he is to see  the conference back.

“Great News: BIG TEN FOOTBALL IS BACK. All teams to participate. Thank you to the players, coaches, parents, and all school representatives. Have a FANTASTIC SEASON! It is my great honor to have helped!!!” President Donald Trump said. 

The Big Ten will join six Football Bowl Subdivision(FBS) conferences, including the Atlantic coast conference (ACC), Big 12 and Southeastern Conference (SEC), in fall seasons.

“They deserve to compete. The safety nets are in place for players to stay healthy amid this pandemic,”  Football coach Mark Solis said.