Ohio State football continues to wait for Big Ten decision on playing in October

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football must wait at least one more night to learn whether the Big Ten will reverse its earlier decision and schedule fall football.

Update: Big Ten football will return in October, giving Ohio State its national championship opportunity

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Jeff Potrykus reported Tuesday a “proposal has been approved.” Both he and Stadium’s Brett McMurphy reported the Oct. 17 weekend is the first option. Cleveland.com could not independently confirm those reports, and no formal announcement came from the league.

Tuesday featured updates hinting at progress but falling short of a resolution.

• Nebraska President Ted Carter was overheard on a hot mic ahead of an unrelated news conference saying “We’re getting ready to announce the Huskers and Big Ten football tonight.”

Asked later to clarify his remarks, Carter said, “I think that was picked up a little out of context. All I said is there is work going on. I remain cautiously optimistic like everybody else that we will get to discovering when it is safe to play.”

Nebraska was one of the three schools who voted against the original cancellation decision on Aug. 11. A group of Cornhusker players also filed suit against the Big Ten asking for the decision to be overturned.

• At roughly the same time, Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank was giving testimony at a U.S. Senate hearing on name, image and likeness income for college athletes. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine asked Blank whether the Big Ten would announce a resolution this week.

Blank said she could not say whether a Big Ten decision would come Tuesday, and said conference decisions usually came about by consensus, if not necessarily by vote. She reiterated the original Aug. 11 cancellation stemmed from concerns about contact tracing and possible long-term heart issues for athletes who contract COVID-19.

“Until we have answers to that, we will keep our season postponed,” Blank said.

• Michigan State president Samuel Stanley spoke to the Spartans football team and said he expected to provide an update soon, according to the Detroit Free-Press.

The same report said a high-ranking Big Ten source told the Free Press it remained unclear whether all 14 teams would participate in a fall season.

• Fans were not the only ones expressing their frustrations on the swirl of rumors. Penn State defensive end Shaka Toney chimed in on Twitter.

“Everyone only thinking about football,” Toney wrote. “The rumors y’all keep putting out is destroying our mental health. Just let them announce it please. If you care about players in the B10 just wait for the answer.”

• Pac-12 players, perhaps motivated by the evidence of traction in the Big Ten, began making their own push to start a 2020 season.

The biggest hindrance to that league’s resumption are COVID-19 restrictions in California and Oregon. USC quarterback Kaedon Slovis took the argument to California Governor Gavin Newsome. He tweeted out a letter signed on behalf of the entire Trojans team asking to be allowed to play.

“We have sat by for two weeks watching teams across the country play the game we love safely,” Slovis tweeted. “Most schools have a fraction of the resources that our school and conference have provided to play safely. You are the only thing holding us back. Please #LetUsPlay.”

On Buckeye Talk, we discussed the new perspective Shaun Wade’s father, Randy, provided on the OSU cornerback’s decision to opt out. We also delved into what Michigan President Mark Schlissel’s current ordeal tells us about where football falls on the list of priorities of campus leaders. Not that it isn’t important, but we sometimes lose perspective of everything currently happening in the Big Ten.

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