BIG TEN FOOTBALL IS BACK

[lou v]

The Big Ten Conference Adopts Stringent Medical Protocols; Football Season to Resume October 23-24, 2020​

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.

The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.

“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers, Head Team Physician, The Ohio State University and co-chair of the Return to Competition Task Force medical subcommittee.

“The data we are going to collect from testing and the cardiac registry will provide major contributions for all 14 Big Ten institutions as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.”

Each institution will designate a Chief Infection Officer (CInO) who will oversee the collection and reporting of data for the Big Ten Conference. Team test positivity rate and population positivity rate thresholds will be used to determine recommendations for continuing practice and competition.

All COVID-19 positive student-athletes will have to undergo comprehensive cardiac testing to include labs and biomarkers, ECG, Echocardiogram and a Cardiac MRI. Following cardiac evaluation, student-athletes must receive clearance from a cardiologist designated by the university for the primary purpose of cardiac clearance for COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.

In addition to the medical protocols approved, the 14 Big Ten institutions will establish a cardiac registry in an effort to examine the effects on COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The registry and associated data will attempt to answer many of the unknowns regarding the cardiac manifestations in COVID-19 positive elite athletes.

“From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students. The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference,” said Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President, and Chair of the Return to Competition Task Force Steering Committee. “We appreciate the conference’s dedication to developing the necessary safety procedures for our students and the communities that embrace them.”

“Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes. Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators.”

The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer (CInO) to make decisions about the continuation of practice and competition, as determined by team positivity rate and population positivity rate, based on a seven-day rolling average:

• Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):
  • Green 0-2%
  • Orange 2-5%
  • Red >5%
• Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk):
  • Green 0-3.5%
  • Orange 3.5-7.5%
  • Red >7.5%

Decisions to alter or halt practice and competition will be based on the following scenarios:

• Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition.
• Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition).
• Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved.

The daily testing will begin by September 30, 2020.

Eventually all Big Ten sports will require testing protocols before they can resume competition. Updates regarding fall sports other than football, as well as winter sports that begin in the fall including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and wrestling, will be announced shortly.

 

[boonman1]

Will not watch a minute of it !

 

[chicagocatfan24]

Will not watch a minute of it !

That'll show em!

 

[its_the_sauce]

Let's hope for fans.

 

[ricko654321]

The Big Ten Conference Adopts Stringent Medical Protocols; Football Season to Resume October 23-24, 2020​

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.

The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game. Student-athletes who test positive for the coronavirus through point of contact (POC) daily testing would require a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test to confirm the result of the POC test.

“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers, Head Team Physician, The Ohio State University and co-chair of the Return to Competition Task Force medical subcommittee.

“The data we are going to collect from testing and the cardiac registry will provide major contributions for all 14 Big Ten institutions as they study COVID-19 and attempt to mitigate the spread of the disease among wider communities.”

Each institution will designate a Chief Infection Officer (CInO) who will oversee the collection and reporting of data for the Big Ten Conference. Team test positivity rate and population positivity rate thresholds will be used to determine recommendations for continuing practice and competition.

All COVID-19 positive student-athletes will have to undergo comprehensive cardiac testing to include labs and biomarkers, ECG, Echocardiogram and a Cardiac MRI. Following cardiac evaluation, student-athletes must receive clearance from a cardiologist designated by the university for the primary purpose of cardiac clearance for COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.

In addition to the medical protocols approved, the 14 Big Ten institutions will establish a cardiac registry in an effort to examine the effects on COVID-19 positive student-athletes. The registry and associated data will attempt to answer many of the unknowns regarding the cardiac manifestations in COVID-19 positive elite athletes.

“From the onset of the pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and the safety of our students. The new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force were pivotal in the decision to move forward with sports in the conference,” said Morton Schapiro, Chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors and Northwestern University President, and Chair of the Return to Competition Task Force Steering Committee. “We appreciate the conference’s dedication to developing the necessary safety procedures for our students and the communities that embrace them.”

“Our focus with the Task Force over the last six weeks was to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes. Our goal has always been to return to competition so all student-athletes can realize their dream of competing in the sports they love,” said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. “We are incredibly grateful for the collaborative work that our Return to Competition Task Force have accomplished to ensure the health, safety and wellness of student-athletes, coaches and administrators.”

The Big Ten Conference will use data provided by each Chief Infection Officer (CInO) to make decisions about the continuation of practice and competition, as determined by team positivity rate and population positivity rate, based on a seven-day rolling average:

• Team positivity rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests administered):
  • Green 0-2%
  • Orange 2-5%
  • Red >5%
• Population positivity rate (number of positive individuals divided by total population at risk):
  • Green 0-3.5%
  • Orange 3.5-7.5%
  • Red >7.5%

Decisions to alter or halt practice and competition will be based on the following scenarios:

• Green/Green and Green/Orange: Team continues with normal practice and competition.
• Orange/Orange and Orange/Red: Team must proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedule, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition).
• Red/Red: Team must stop regular practice and competition for a minimum of seven days and reassess metrics until improved.

The daily testing will begin by September 30, 2020.

Eventually all Big Ten sports will require testing protocols before they can resume competition. Updates regarding fall sports other than football, as well as winter sports that begin in the fall including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and wrestling, will be announced shortly.

Thanks Lou. Good statement. Going to actively share all the data with their research institutions in order so spinning it as an opportunity to study testing and transmission patterns. Also have clear predefined guidelines for testing of the players and the university as to when they can play or not play.

And perhaps more importantly, share all the info on the heart impact - everyone who tests positive to get both an ECG and a cardiac MRI - which my doctor friend tells me is the “least enjoyable of all MRIs” cause it’s more claustrophobic - but is a test rarely performed so will be good data on potential COVID myocarditis.

Good work B1G for trying to make it not just about football.

Seems like this would probably be an 8 game conference only schedule from Oct 24 to Dec 12, minus any postponements Or cancellations which are probably inevitable to happen? I guess they will follow up with details. Maybe try to squeeze in a CCG on Dec 19 before the CFP.

 

[villox]

Thanks Lou. Good statement. Going to actively share all the data with their research institutions in order so spinning it as an opportunity to study testing and transmission patterns. Also have clear predefined guidelines for testing of the players and the university as to when they can play or not play.

And perhaps more importantly, share all the info on the heart impact - everyone who tests positive to get both an ECG and a cardiac MRI - which my doctor friend tells me is the “least enjoyable of all MRIs” cause it’s more claustrophobic - but is a test rarely performed so will be good data on potential COVID myocarditis.

Good work B1G for trying to make it not just about football.

Seems like this would probably be an 8 game conference only schedule from Oct 24 to Dec 12, minus any postponements Or cancellations which are probably inevitable to happen? I guess they will follow up with details. Maybe try to squeeze in a CCG on Dec 19 before the CFP.

Two thoughts:

- The daily rapid testing of players is great, I've for awhile felt daily rapid testing is the key to getting our lives back to normal even more than a vaccine
- There should be daily rapid testing of all students, not just football players.

I will upgrade my position on the resumption of football to "cautiously optimistic" and may order some wings from Blondies to watch the first game.

 

[villox]

By the way - 5% positivity rate on a team is incredibly low. No way every team will be able to do that.

 

[CatFanEd]

Will not watch a minute of it !

Of course you mean in the stands?

 

[Sheffielder]

I have very mixed feelings on how this has all gone.

Whether people like it or not, the Big Ten is a "thought leader" in the landscape of college athletics. I don't believe they took the decision they made in August lightly - it's not like the Big Ten community didn't have a ton at stake in terms of money, prestige, etc. They simply acted prudently in the genuine interest not only of the athletes and personnel, but the campus communities as well (anyone see the 20,000 idiots at the FSU game on Saturday, with masks around their necks while they shouted obscenities at their team - a clear example of why Florida is America's petri dish right now). It's frustrating to see people characterize the original decision as "arrogant" in that B1G expected other conferences to fall in line, but didn't.

I also don't love the "see, they're doing it, why can't we?" mentality that we *might* be following. I get it - people saw football being played this weekend and the outrage (embarrassment?) of no B1G/Pac-12 intensified - which totally ignores all the games that were postponed due to cootie outbreaks at over a dozen other campuses/football programs.

"Rapid testing" is all fine and good, but does it matter when athletes work/play/live on top of each other? If a player contracts COVID on a Monday and they don't know it until Wednesday morning, the damage is done - they've already been to at least two practices, sitting in a film room, then going home to their four football roommates/teammates, and their girlfriends/SOs.

I also see the other side of this - we should all want to balance prudent health decisions with a desire to return to normal as much as possible - and I agree with sentiments that the absence of football increases other risks for players (being at home with no testing, lack of structure)...I just remain frustrated that this debate feels like it has been steered by idiotic, one-sided, extremists.

 

[7th Cir. Cat]

That'll show em!

All anyone can ever do is control their own actions and act in accordance with their own moral compass. Sometimes doing what you think is right has nothing to do with how it will affect the ultimate outcome. If you live in a deeply blue or red state don't you think you should still vote for the candidate you think best regardless of whether he has a chance of winning your state? I'll be watching, but I respect and won't mock those who choose not to.

 

[TheC]

This is great news!! Not necessarily because of football, but because they will be doing daily antigen tests!

This is huge news. I have been arguing for a while (not my idea, of course) that organizations - heck, the whole country - needs to be doing this. If people abide by it and stay home if they are positive, then we can crush this virus and life can resume to normal. I am so proud to see the BIG leading the way in putting this approach to the test.

I have never been opposed to opening certain things up. I am just opposed to doing it stupidly. Opening things up blindly, as many have done in this country and many more have advocated for, is incredibly stupid. Opening up cautiously, in stages, with a real plan to screen, track and trace, is wise and what we need to do to find the balance between keeping people virus-free, while living out our lives.

 

[ricko654321]

Two thoughts:

- The daily rapid testing of players is great, I've for awhile felt daily rapid testing is the key to getting our lives back to normal even more than a vaccine
- There should be daily rapid testing of all students, not just football players.

I will upgrade my position on the resumption of football to "cautiously optimistic" and may order some wings from Blondies to watch the first game.

Yeah, even with the daily rapid testing I suspect there will be some spots of positive tests (hopefully not outbreaks) just due to the incubation period, or possible testing inaccuracies. So the 5% threshold may be breached a few times which is fine - then shut things down for a week until it is safe to continue.

In an ideal world yes daily rapid testing for all students... I don't think we have that capacity yet but would be nice.

PS I watched the NFL outside at Blondies this past Sunday. They had 8 TVs set up in the windows, you just sit at tables outside in the street and order wings and CLs. No volume outside. Not perfect, but pretty decent effort considering the circumstances. Wings were slightly vinegar-y compared to normal I thought, but we had some tenders later and those were delicious. And waffle fries of course.

 

[TheC]

Yeah, even with the daily rapid testing I suspect there will be some spots of positive tests (hopefully not outbreaks) just due to the incubation period, or possible testing inaccuracies. So the 5% threshold may be breached a few times which is fine - then shut things down for a week until it is safe to continue.

In an ideal world yes daily rapid testing for all students... I don't think we have that capacity yet but would be nice.

PS I watched the NFL outside at Blondies this past Sunday. They had 8 TVs set up in the windows, you just sit at tables outside in the street and order wings and CLs. No volume outside. Not perfect, but pretty decent effort considering the circumstances. Wings were slightly vinegar-y compared to normal I thought, but we had some tenders later and those were delicious. And waffle fries of course.

I do miss going into NYC. I had been driving down there multiple times a year to take my kids to the jazz program at Lincoln Center. I got to spend my Sundays in the city while i waited for them. Hopefully those days will return. (Though I'll have to find new kids as mine are just about out of the house.)

 

[boonman1]

Of course you mean in the stands?

No on TV !

 

[ricko654321]

This is great news!! Not necessarily because of football, but because they will be doing daily antigen tests!

This is huge news. I have been arguing for a while (not my idea, of course) that organizations - heck, the whole country - needs to be doing this. If people abide by it and stay home if they are positive, then we can crush this virus and life can resume to normal. I am so proud to see the BIG leading the way in putting this approach to the test.

I have never been opposed to opening certain things up. I am just opposed to doing it stupidly. Opening things up blindly, as many have done in this country and many more have advocated for, is incredibly stupid. Opening up cautiously, in stages, with a real plan to screen, track and trace, is wise and what we need to do to find the balance between keeping people virus-free, while living out our lives.

It came out that the Pac 12 had a daily rapid testing deal set up 1-2 weeks ago, and I think it was strongly rumored / borderline assumed that the B1G had one as a pre-condition for opening back up. Agree that it is a big development though. I wonder how much capacity they have for it. IE can they open it up to the marching bands and cheerleaders too? CFB isn't quite the same without bands, though I would of course understand if we don't have them this year.

And then obviously full student population would be ideal but that's like 2 orders of magnitude more so seems unlikely.

 

[TheC]

It came out that the Pac 12 had a daily rapid testing deal set up 1-2 weeks ago, and I think it was strongly rumored / borderline assumed that the B1G had one as a pre-condition for opening back up. Agree that it is a big development though. I wonder how much capacity they have for it. IE can they open it up to the marching bands and cheerleaders too? CFB isn't quite the same without bands, though I would of course understand if we don't have them this year.

And then obviously full student population would be ideal but that's like 2 orders of magnitude more so seems unlikely.

Part of the problem is that only one rapid test - the Abbot BinnoxNOW test - has received EUA. That doesn't include the first generation of antigen tests that required expensive equipment such as from Becton Dickinson. I think those will have limited usefulness.

I thought I read somewhere that the BinnoxNOW test is the test the BIG will use. However, there are a lot of companies that also have these rapid, antigen tests - many of which are even simpler and cheaper to produce and use. If we can get approval for these tests as well, then things could start to take off.

 

[villox]

I have very mixed feelings on how this has all gone.

Whether people like it or not, the Big Ten is a "thought leader" in the landscape of college athletics. I don't believe they took the decision they made in August lightly - it's not like the Big Ten community didn't have a ton at stake in terms of money, prestige, etc. They simply acted prudently in the genuine interest not only of the athletes and personnel, but the campus communities as well (anyone see the 20,000 idiots at the FSU game on Saturday, with masks around their necks while they shouted obscenities at their team - a clear example of why Florida is America's petri dish right now). It's frustrating to see people characterize the original decision as "arrogant" in that B1G expected other conferences to fall in line, but didn't.

I also don't love the "see, they're doing it, why can't we?" mentality that we *might* be following. I get it - people saw football being played this weekend and the outrage (embarrassment?) of no B1G/Pac-12 intensified - which totally ignores all the games that were postponed due to cootie outbreaks at over a dozen other campuses/football programs.

"Rapid testing" is all fine and good, but does it matter when athletes work/play/live on top of each other? If a player contracts COVID on a Monday and they don't know it until Wednesday morning, the damage is done - they've already been to at least two practices, sitting in a film room, then going home to their four football roommates/teammates, and their girlfriends/SOs.

I also see the other side of this - we should all want to balance prudent health decisions with a desire to return to normal as much as possible - and I agree with sentiments that the absence of football increases other risks for players (being at home with no testing, lack of structure)...I just remain frustrated that this debate feels like it has been steered by idiotic, one-sided, extremists.

The rapid testing is a “contagiousness” test and takes 15 minutes. If a player catches it Monday morning and goes to practice two days it should be fine. If on Wednesday morning they test positive for being contagious they sit out.

 

[NJCat]

9 game season, 8 regular season plus 1 post-season conference game: East versus West by order of finish.

 

[TheC]

The rapid testing is a “contagiousness” test and takes 15 minutes. If a player catches it Monday morning and goes to practice two days it should be fine. If on Wednesday morning they test positive for being contagious they sit out.

That's right. But further, I would add that we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. These tests won't be fool-proof and they won't stop every case, but they will make a huge dent in turning this around.

 

[CatFanEd]

No on TV !

If you are really a truly genuine fan you might stay away one game to make yourself feel like you did something, but most certainly after that you will be glued to the TV cheering for the Cats when you realize that nobody else gives a shit if you watch the game or not.

 

[epicbret]

BartScott.gif

 

[FrancisSearle75]

As a fan of the non-revenue sports, I'm thrilled that B10 College Football is back. Don't want to see any more sports cut.

 

[mkilla]

Big Ten is a joke. The minute it was culturally acceptable to play they played. Science was used as a ruse.

That said, GO NU! Kill them on the field.

 

[hdhntr1]

Two thoughts:

- The daily rapid testing of players is great, I've for awhile felt daily rapid testing is the key to getting our lives back to normal even more than a vaccine
- There should be daily rapid testing of all students, not just football players.

I will upgrade my position on the resumption of football to "cautiously optimistic" and may order some wings from Blondies to watch the first game.

The rapid tests hve been in short supply. Rush fur example is not currently providing them for their employees and tests prior to proceedures are not rapid tests as they are in short supply. I know the test I had prior to my surgery was not a rapid one. If they are using them for the athletes, not sure where they would get enough for all the students as they only produce about 70k per day of the abbot test. It may be higher now but not enough t0 do that. Even testing FB players and staff in BIG would take about 2000-3000 tests per day (about 5% of tests produced. But if you added the students that would far exceed what is produced. Even doing it only once per week for the BIG schools would exceed what is currently produced. 14 big schools average undergrad about 35k so just testing once per week is 70k a day. I saw that the US goverment has contracted to buy around 100 mill over the next year and that would be about 300K per day but I do not know at what point that level of production is reached








i had a standard test prior to mine

 

[villox]

Kill them on the field.

This year that might not just be a metaphor!

 

[TheC]

Big Ten is a joke. The minute it was culturally acceptable to play they played. Science was used as a ruse.

That said, GO NU! Kill them on the field.

Ok... um..... I really don't think you've been paying close attention.

At least read the article in the OP. Two big changes that happened very recently and quickly. First, approval for a rapid antigen test and second, a way to MRI the heart to check for virus-associated cardiac phenotypes in positive athletes.

 

[TheC]

The rapid tests hve been in short supply. Rush fur example is not currently providing them for their employees and tests prior to proceedures are not rapid tests as they are in short supply. I know the test I had prior to my surgery was not a rapid one. If they are using them for the athletes, not sure where they would get enough for all the students as they only produce about 70k per day of the abbot test. It may be higher now but not enough t0 do that. Even testing FB players and staff in BIG would take about 2000-3000 tests per day (about 5% of tests produced. But if you added the students that would far exceed what is produced. Even doing it only once per week for the BIG schools would exceed what is currently produced. 14 big schools average undergrad about 35k so just testing once per week is 70k a day. I saw that the US goverment has contracted to buy around 100 mill over the next year and that would be about 300K per day but I do not know at what point that level of production is reached








i had a standard test prior to mine

Good points. We need to start by getting a whole wave of other rapid antigen tests approved so we can increase the numbers exponentially. The Abbot test, though great, is still overly complicated. There are other technologies out there that work well that could be made even cheaper and faster. Then we need to use the power of the federal government to make these things like crazy! It is the way out until we have a safe, effective vaccine.

 

[MRCat95]

I wonder when/if the PAC 12 will move. I suspect the PAC 12 will be important to the Big 10 this year if any bowl games are played given they'd likely be on a similar schedule.

 

[mkilla]

Ok... um..... I really don't think you've been paying close attention.

At least read the article in the OP. Two big changes that happened very recently and quickly. First, approval for a rapid antigen test and second, a way to MRI the heart to check for virus-associated cardiac phenotypes in positive athletes.

I actually have been paying attention. COVID-19 still kills people. The risk to student athletes was always nil and is still currently nil. The suits at B1G are cons, frauds. It was a public relations tactic.

 

[chicagocatfan24]

All anyone can ever do is control their own actions and act in accordance with their own moral compass. Sometimes doing what you think is right has nothing to do with how it will affect the ultimate outcome. If you live in a deeply blue or red state don't you think you should still vote for the candidate you think best regardless of whether he has a chance of winning your state? I'll be watching, but I respect and won't mock those who choose not to.

I agree, but screaming into the empty void that is an internet message board is exactly that... screaming into an empty void that is an internet message board. I don't care if anyone does or doesn't watch.

 

[TheC]

I actually have been paying attention. COVID-19 still kills people. The risk to student athletes was always nil and is still currently nil. The suits at B1G are cons, frauds. It was a public relations tactic.

Ok, good talk.

 

[Sheffielder]

Good points. We need to start by getting a whole wave of other rapid antigen tests approved so we can increase the numbers exponentially. The Abbot test, though great, is still overly complicated. There are other technologies out there that work well that could be made even cheaper and faster. Then we need to use the power of the federal government to make these things like crazy! It is the way out until we have a safe, effective vaccine.

This is sort of my point and my concern - devil is in the details. What I'd honestly like to know is if the conference has considered this or if they were more concerned about providing a good press release that assures the public it's ok to want our football back without reckless disregard for public health. Would the conference halt all activities if these tests ran out (of course not!)

All I ask and hope of our fellow Northwestern fans is that we seek prudence, good sense, and reasonable concern for public health in all decision making - this will serve both sides (to play or not to play) of the argument equally well.

 

[TheC]

This is sort of my point and my concern - devil is in the details. What I'd honestly like to know is if the conference has considered this or if they were more concerned about providing a good press release that assures the public it's ok to want our football back without reckless disregard for public health. Would the conference halt all activities if these tests ran out (of course not!)

All I ask and hope of our fellow Northwestern fans is that we seek prudence, good sense, and reasonable concern for public health in all decision making - this will serve both sides (to play or not to play) of the argument equally well.

I don't know for certain, but I'd like to think they already have a commitment from Abbot for a certain number of tests. My guess is that the availability of tests is only going to improve going forward. Wait- maybe availability is the wrong word. The numbers of tests will increase, but the demand will increase as well, so I would think the BIG has a contract.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

That's right. But further, I would add that we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. These tests won't be fool-proof and they won't stop every case, but they will make a huge dent in turning this around.

That’s right. There undoubtably will be cases. There now is a clear outline of what happens when there is a positive test(s). I suspect there will be some cancellations as well. So, this is a known probable outcome going in. I don’t think we should consider the decision a failure when we get that first cancellation. Far from perfect, but at least well thought out now.

 

[ricko654321]

I wonder when/if the PAC 12 will move. I suspect the PAC 12 will be important to the Big 10 this year if any bowl games are played given they'd likely be on a similar schedule.

PAC 12 is constrained by rules in Cali and Oregon, which encompass 6 of their 12 schools. They also have access to rapid daily testing, but as of now half their schools can’t even practice without pads, let alone play, by the state rules. Have only been able to lift, and only outdoors. Word is the ADs seem to say they want a 6 week ramp up period so it seems Oct 24 is not realistic for PAC 12 right now.

USC players just sent in a letter appealing to Cali Gov for an exemption to the rules - which the Rams and Chargers have gotten so it’s possible. The letter said “as California goes, so goes the pac 12”, which is probably true. The Gov does have a couple other things on his mind though, ya know those rampant wildfires.

So I don’t think they will start at same time as B1G, but I would guess they’ll try to do something in the fall and not be totally left out. They and the SEC are usually our preferred bowl partners, and agree we would probably like to match up against them in some games, to the extent that happens this year at all.

 

[docrugby1]

I do miss going into NYC. I had been driving down there multiple times a year to take my kids to the jazz program at Lincoln Center. I got to spend my Sundays in the city while i waited for them. Hopefully those days will return. (Though I'll have to find new kids as mine are just about out of the house.)

Try adoption-it prolongs your youth and tests your patience

 

[villox]

 

[TheC]

Try adoption-it prolongs your youth and tests your patience

That's really fantastic and very admirable. We did respite care for several years. Now, I couldn't even imagine starting over with kids again.

 

[Seattle_Cat]

9 game season, 8 regular season plus 1 post-season conference game: East versus West by order of finish.

View embedded media

I clicked the video and got Schumer pitching the DEMS.

 

[villox]

I’ve changed my mind again. Why is football able to get testing but not the rest of the campus? Disappointed in Phillips on this answer: