Snook: OSU, N, Iowa, PSU trying to convince Wisc, Mich to do 10-game fall season
Jeff Snook, a kind of John U. Bacon of OSU football, has posted on Facebook that OSU, with the help of three other schools, is trying to organize a 6-team, 10-game season among B1G schools. OSU, Nebraska, Iowa, and Penn State are on board with the proposal, and the goal is to convince Wisconsin and Michigan to sign on. Manuel, Harbaugh, and several large Michigan donors support the plan, but Schlissel is opposed:
Athletic Director Gene Smith, with the full support of school president-elect Kristina Johnson, has been working behind the scenes for the past six days to organize fellow Big Ten conference athletic directors in convincing at least five other university presidents to move forward with a 10-game season to be played among six teams, a source familiar with the movement told me today.
In this proposed format, each team would play the other five Big Ten teams who are participating twice -- once at home and once on the road, beginning on either Sept. 26 or Oct. 3. The season would conclude by mid-December and there would no Big Ten title game in Indianapolis.
As of Tuesday night, the source claimed that Penn State President Eric Barron, Nebraska President Walter “Ted” Carter and Iowa President Bruce Harreld are on board with the new plan. The group hopes to convince two other universities, notably the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan, to join them.
“They really need to flip Wisconsin and Michigan to get to six schools and make this thing work,” the source said. “And they have only so much time to do it. They need to make progress and get it done in the next seven to 10 days.”
Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, who coached the Badgers from 1990-2005, is a strong advocate for the plan but has yet to convince UW President Drew Peterson, the source said. Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel, a former Wolverine player under Bo Schembechler, and coach Jim Harbaugh also want to compete this fall season, but school president Mark Schlissel has so far opposed their efforts. Schlissel, who has a medical degree, spoke in support of “player safety” after the Big Ten’s announcement to cancel last week.
“This thing probably won’t go anywhere unless certain Big Ten presidents – like those at Michigan and Wisconsin – feel the pressure from their alumni, fans and especially their major donors,” the source said. “I understand that several seven- and eight-figure donors at Michigan are very unhappy with the Big Ten’s decision and are putting pressure on their president to change his mind. And they may be threatening to withhold their money.
“If they can get six schools to participate, the remaining Big Ten schools then have the choice to either join them or opt out of the season.”
More in the full article on Facebook.
August 19th, 2020 at 8:31 AM ^
Every day, somebody comes out and says there’s a plan to still have football. And then there’s follow up and it’s not really true.
If we wanted to play any games, they needed to move the season earlier, not later. But it’s too late now. Campuses across the country are gonna be mostly closed by the end of September. In which case, how do you justify giving special privileges to football teams without acknowledging that it’s a semiprofessional league?
August 19th, 2020 at 8:38 AM ^
I scanned the post. I did not see any reference to Sparty. Pretty bad when you are no longer relevant in even a bs post.
August 19th, 2020 at 8:56 AM ^
Who's that?
August 19th, 2020 at 8:43 AM ^
How would this work without 4 other big ten teams?
cant threaten Nebraska that they won’t be in the big ten if they go it alone, then leave 4 schools out
August 19th, 2020 at 9:16 AM ^
It appears to be more of a school devised scheme, outside of B1G purview. So while they're all B1G conference members, this is being coordinated outside the athletic conference by individual teams. Sort of like an ad-hoc intramural thing...
August 19th, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
The B1G would implode with the loss of the 5 teams assuming it includes OSU and Michigan.
August 19th, 2020 at 8:44 AM ^
These threads have grown tiresome. The conference isn't going to magically change it stance.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:17 AM ^
It's not the conference changing tunes, it's individual teams going off on their own while remaining within the conference footprint to avoid the whole Nebraska hissy-fit from Warren.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:29 AM ^
I get that. It's not going to happen though no matter how hard they try. Even if they do get them on the field it will be watered down so much that it might not even be that entertaining.
August 19th, 2020 at 8:48 AM ^
This is like an after school special where the dumb kids are peer pressuring the smart kids to use drugs.
August 19th, 2020 at 11:40 AM ^
Why-oh-why was there not a School House Rock about pandemics?!?
August 19th, 2020 at 8:52 AM ^
I place this as... 8% more plausible than whatever crazy BS WD posted yesterday, so you’ve got that going for you. Which is nice
August 19th, 2020 at 9:26 AM ^
Lose to OSU twice in one season...eff that.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:33 AM ^
It's not going to happen. We've had, what, UNC, MSU, and Notre Dame now revert back to all online classes pretty quick? Even if anyone starts playing football, I can't imagine it lasts more than a couple of games as teams start getting hit with COVID-19 outbreaks.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:35 AM ^
Clever how he throws UM under the bus here... that it's all our fault their team can't play. OSU fans will just eat that up.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:49 AM ^
Yep, that's OSU Reporter 101 right there. Blame everything on big bad Michigan and you're guaranteed tons of clicks.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:23 AM ^
If you told a OSU beat reporter that Jim Harbaugh forced Meyer to keep Zach Smith on staff, they would investigate that claim more than they did Meyer two years ago.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:36 AM ^
Sounds like someone’s wishful thinking. Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio State are all so deeply imbedded in the Big Ten culture I find it hard to believe they would go rogue and set up an alternate football schedule however much Justin Fields or anyone else wants to play this season. I think Michigan does what the Big Ten as a league does, whatever that may be.
August 19th, 2020 at 2:14 PM ^
I think pretty much every Michigan football player and coach (our head coach has said so forcefully and publicly) wants to play this fall season.
August 19th, 2020 at 9:40 AM ^
Coronavirus is Road Runner, thinking that America (aka Wile E. Coyote) can't possibly do anything dumber.
Yet here we are, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^
These donors who are allegedly trying to pressure schools to play by threatening to withhold money if they don't should be tied to a post and coughed on by every covid-positive person in a fifteen-mile radius. Assholes.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:13 AM ^
It takes a special level of sociopathy to extort institutions of higher learning for pleasure.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:26 AM ^
But aren’t the donations to the AD? I thought the AD and the University were independent budgets. The interesting part is that the University President has the decision whether they are allowed to play. It’s a difficult dynamic to navigate, so you could absolutely interpret this as holding the School hostage. I’d be willing to bet the donors think they’re holding the AD hostage. The shitty part is that the AD can’t control the decision. It’s one hell of a difficult navigation, and it still speaks the idiocy of the donors.
August 19th, 2020 at 1:21 PM ^
Extortion is when you are trying to get someone else's money. Only in Putin's world is it extortion when I decide I no longer want to give my money to a failed institution. SMH
August 19th, 2020 at 10:10 AM ^
This is 100% fake news.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:58 AM ^
Sadly, I'm sure there is some truth to it at some levels.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:13 AM ^
If this is true this really shows just how far College athletics and especially College football has separated itself from College itself. Obviously, it's all about the money but this is just taking it to another level. How can you try so hard to have games even a modified season, partial conference schedule etc and then on the other hand be against paying players. Also, I don't ever want to hear the bullshit reasons for not having an expanded playoff etc after this.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:17 AM ^
At this point, the powers that be might as well lean into the argument rather than run away from it.
Forget classes and degrees and ethics. Just pay the players a nominal salary and pay rent via the college general funds for use of their names and facilities.
Then everyone can get on with their lives.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:31 AM ^
Every day, a new rumor, with the villains and heroes jumbled up from yesterday.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:33 AM ^
Its really difficult getting on board with anything that comes out of The ohio state penitentiary.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:39 AM ^
Jeff Snook is like John U. Bacon? Lol. Also, this idea has one tiny problem ... it seems to violate the GOR given by all B10 schools to the B10 conference. The B10 conference holds all TV rights to B10 home games and has pledged those rights to ESPN and Fox as part of our B10 conference TV contracts. If any games are played in the teams' home stadiums (possibly even anywhere within the B10 footprint, depending on the exact contract language) the B10 conference gets the TV revenue.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:42 AM ^
I wish that this would happen, but I can't see it. The UNC example shows how universities are going to respond to an outbreak. They are not willing to absorb any risk whatsoever (I might even say "risk")
August 19th, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
"I understand that several seven- and eight-figure donors at Michigan are very unhappy with the Big Ten’s decision and are putting pressure on their president to change his mind. And they may be threatening to withhold their money."
Nothing says "I support the University of Michigan with all my heart, and my wallet too" like threatening to yank that wallet back in the midst of a historic natural disaster that's creating catastrophic financial hardship for the institution you claim to love.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:53 AM ^
To be honest, President Schlissel is more likely to call off on-campus learning before he re-starts athletics. Look at UNC and ND ... in the first two weeks student parties shutdown both campuses. "Welcome Week" at U-M is a huge party and will spread Covid just like those schools. MSU did not even try and U-M may do the same thing. Stay tuned.
August 19th, 2020 at 10:59 AM ^
Schedule with 6 teams: it ain't happening. (I'd be THRILLED to be wrong, and jump to admit it.)
Medicine: why I come to MGoBlog.
August 19th, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
There’s no reason there shouldn’t be football when there are students back in Ann Arbor going to bars / partying / going to class / living life. It should either be all or nothing — playing football is not more inherently dangerous (for COVID) than any of those other activities, all of which exist simply by school existing.
August 19th, 2020 at 11:02 AM ^
I'm far from convinced even the "core four" of PSU, OSU, Iowa and Nebraska are fully aboard. Each of them likely has considerable reservations.
Net: I doubt this happens.
August 19th, 2020 at 11:14 AM ^
If the B1G has super secret information about how dangerous Covid is they should feel morally obligated to share it with the SEC, ACC, BIG12, NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, MLS, WNBA and UFC.
August 19th, 2020 at 1:19 PM ^
Only one study that came out in July by JAMA on COVID resulting in patients who recover from COVID can develop myocarditis. This is the reason the B1G cancelled their season. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic said more thorough research needs to be done to find out the true rate of myocarditis after recovering for COVID.
August 19th, 2020 at 1:19 PM ^
Only one study that came out in July by JAMA on COVID resulting in patients who recover from COVID can develop myocarditis. This is the reason the B1G cancelled their season. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic said more thorough research needs to be done to find out the true rate of myocarditis after recovering for COVID.
August 19th, 2020 at 11:15 AM ^
I wish it was at least eight teams so we didn't have to play each school twice in one season, but this seems like a pretty solid plan.
I'd fully support Michigan joining this and my discontent with Mark Schlissel grows stronger by the day.
August 19th, 2020 at 11:27 AM ^
I dont think I want to get brutally butt pounded by OSU twice in a month tho
August 19th, 2020 at 11:36 AM ^
We can argue the science all day long and we can all agree to disagree. To me it comes down to the fact that University of Michigan is a university and not a football or sports factory or professional team. Schlissel is doing what is in the best interest of the university. We have a pandemic that has a great deal of unknowns. One of the main unknowns is long lasting effects of having COVID-19. All of these players and families that are pushing to play, I guarantee you would be the first to sue the pants off the university if there kid gets COVID and has major issues in the near or long term. I do not see how a university president can in good conscious subject a university to that kind of liability.
August 19th, 2020 at 12:03 PM ^
Yet somehow the 10,000 students moving into residence halls are an acceptable risk.
August 19th, 2020 at 12:37 PM ^
It’s half of that and as much as it sucks Michigans primary goal is to provide a education not be a athletic institution
August 19th, 2020 at 12:45 PM ^
Nailed it.
August 19th, 2020 at 1:13 PM ^
So if UM goes completely remote (unlike the mostly-remote they are pushing now), will that make you feel better? It's highly likely that they'll go the way of ND and MSU and go full remote, at which point I'm sure we'll move on to yet another reason why colleges are being hypocrites about this disease because they won't let people play football.
August 19th, 2020 at 1:47 PM ^
This AND for conferences and schools to be walking away from tens of millions, hundreds of millions in revenue must make this REALLY bad. You think they want to do this?
August 19th, 2020 at 10:06 PM ^
Please! Michigan is a football factory! We are not Harvard!