The Big Ten will open its 2020 college football season this weekend, and there's no question that there will be a different feel to the field.
The conference canceled the season on Aug. 11, then reversed the decision on Sept. 29. Off the field, there are strict protocols in place to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on the season, and that's the big question with an eight-game regular season in place. Will those safe-guards work?
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On the field, Ohio State remains the top storyline. Can anybody stop the Buckeyes in their quest to win a fourth straight conference championship? Ohio State has another loaded team, led by returning Heisman Trophy finalist Justin Fields, and the rest of the field is struggling to keep up.
Sporting News takes a closer look at what to expect from the Big Ten on and off the field this season.
Big Ten COVID-19 prototcols
The Big Council of Presidents and Chancellors adopted a series of COVID-19 testing protocols as part of the return to play. The conference requires student-athletes, trainers, coaches and any other individuals on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing.
The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition after a positive COVID-19 test is 21 days. The Big Ten also will monitor each school's positivity rate on a seven-day rolling average to determine whether practice or game play can continue for that team.
Big Ten coaches who test positive must self-isolate for 10 days. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm confirmed Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19, and offensive coordinator Brian Brohm will coach in the opener against Iowa.
No fans
The Big Ten also will not allow fans to attend games. Schools are permitted to allow players' and coaches' families for both home and road teams to attend the games.
How much of a difference is that? Ohio Stadium, for example, seats 104,944 fans. According to Dayton247.com, the maximum number of guests that can be in attendance for Saturday's game against Nebraska would be 656 for the Buckeyes and 400 for the Huskers.
Noise control
The Big Ten will provide schools with “murmur” audio tracks, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. Those tracks can be used during game play. The volume will stay at 70 decibels and be increased to a maximum of 90 decibels during celebration moments.
To put that in perspective, a “Whiteout” at Penn State's Beaver Stadium can regular clear more than 100 decibels during game play and is a tremendous home-field advantage for the Nittany Lions.
How loud was the Penn State student section at the Whiteout? Check out the decibel meter
Players opting out (and back in)
Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons — an SN Preseason All-American — was among a handful of players who opted out when it looked like the Big Ten would not play a fall season. Michigan receiver Nico Collins and defensive back Ambry Thomas also opted out.
Some players, however, opted back in this season. That list included Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman, Purdue receiver Rondale Moore and Ohio State standouts Wyatt Davis and Shaun Wade.
That is what fans can expect in terms of COVID-19 testing and game-day experience. Now, what about the season?
Eight-game schedule
Each Big Ten team will play an eight-game, conference-only schedule in consecutive weeks beginning Friday with Illinois at Wisconsin. The final week of the regular season is Dec. 12.
The Big Ten is playing fewer games than the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. The Pac-12 is playing a six-game, conference-only schedule starting Nov. 7.
It remains to be seen how COVID-19 cancellations will impact the Big Ten schedule knowing there is no wiggle room for bye weeks. That could create an imbalance in the number of games played by each team and affect the conference championship race.
Ohio State and everyone else?
Davis and Wade were among the key players who decided to opt back in to the season, and the reason is simple. Ohio State has a team capable of winning a national championship. Davis laid out the thought process behind playing in the 2020 season.
"There is a pandemic still going on," Davis, an All-American, told Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy. "Honestly, it's holding everybody accountable. It's very hard to ask guys not to maybe go and see their girlfriend, go out to eat, go to a party in college when everyone else around you is doing that. But, ultimately, it's about what we want. And what we want is to play football.”
Second-year coach Ryan Day has a loaded team led by Fields, who passed for 3,273 yards with 41 TDs and three interceptions in his first year as a starter. The Buckeyes averaged 46.9 points per game last season and beat every Big Ten opponent by double digits.
B1G contenders?
The rest of the Big Ten is still playing catchup with Ohio State, and one stat brings that to light more than most. Since Urban Meyer took over as the Buckeyes coach in 2012, Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin have combined for a 1-22 record against the Buckeyes.
The Nittany Lions notched the lone victory in 2016 en route to a Big Ten championship.
Penn State plays Ohio State on Oct. 31, but the Nittany Lions won't have Parsons or running back Journey Brown, who could miss the 2020 season with an undisclosed injury. There will not be “Whiteout” for the matchup with the Buckeyes either. Penn State has been the best challenge on the field for Ohio State under James Franklin the past three seasons, but that's a lot to overcome.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh enters his sixth season, and the Wolverines are still looking for that signature victory against Ohio State. The curiosity around Michigan surrounds quarterback Joe Milton, who replaces two-year starter Shea Patterson. The Wolverines do have the Nittany Lions and Badgers at home, but the referendum will be a trip to Ohio State on Dec. 12. Michigan has not won at The Shoe since 2000.
Wisconsin won the Big Ten West last season, but quarterback Jack Coan is out with an injury and Jonathan Taylor is gone after back-to-back 2,000-yard seasons. The Badgers will still be the favorite in their division, but they need to prove it against the Big Ten East powers.
Minnesota and Indiana are intriguing sleepers, too. The Gophers won 11 games last season, return starting quarterback Tanner Morgan and can make a statement on Saturday with a prime-time victory against Michigan. Indiana led the Hoosiers to an 8-5 season in 2019, but Indiana was 0-4 against ranked teams.
Other Big Ten storylines
Mel Tucker makes his debut as Michigan State's head coach. The Spartans were 7-6 the past two seasons and have a .500 record in Big Ten play in that stretch.
Nebraska is trying to break through with Scott Frost, and the Huskers were among the most vocal fan bases in getting the Big Ten to return to play. The reward was a brutal schedule with crossover games against Ohio State and Penn State. Nebraska is 9-15 under Frost the past two seasons.
Iowa is coming off a 10-win season, but longtime coach Kirk Ferentz enters his 22nd season after an offseason in which the program parted ways with strength coach Chris Doyle amid allegations of racial mistreatment.
Illinois is looking to build on a 6-7 season under Lovie Smith. Mike Locksley enters his second season at Maryland coming off a strong showing on the recruiting trail. Northwestern is looking to bounce back from a 3-9 season with Indiana transfer Peyton Ramsey at quarterback. Greg Schiano returned to Rutgers for his second stint as head coach, and Purdue has one of the most exciting players in the conference in Moore.
The conference also initiated a fun experiment for the final weekend of the season.
Championship weekend
The Big Ten will play its conference championship in Indianapolis on Dec. 19, but that's not all the conference has to offer that weekend. Each team from the Big Ten East will play an opponent in the Big Ten West based on their division standing for the eight-game regular season.
That's a fun scheduling wrinkle for a season that looked like it was never going to happen.
