On Saturday, the Big Ten announced that other teams to play in the first week include Iowa at Purdue, Illinois at Indiana, Michigan at Minnesota, Penn State at Indiana, and Maryland at Northwestern.
Each of the teams will be able to play eight games in eight weeks, to avoid any interruption of the game that may arise from the coronavirus pandemic before the competition that will kick off on Dec. 19. Another event that will feature on that day is a cross-division game for each school that will feature seeded teams matched with each other.
The Big Ten will end the season before the College Football Playoff that will take place on Dec. 20 Selection Day.
After the initial postponement on Aug. 11, the conference is set to reinstate the season, according to a Thursday announcement.
The postponement had earlier elicited protests, petitions, complaints from parents, and even a lawsuit from eight Nebraska players demanding an end to the suspension of the game. The Conference is hereby glad to announce that it has reconsidered its decision and well-prepared to resume for the season.
One of the factors that propelled the decision to resume is the availability of medical tools for cardiac screening and antigen testing for all 14 Big Ten teams to ensure the safety of all players throughout the duration of the tournament.
Kevin Warren, Big Ten Commissioner told ESPN’s College GameDay in his Saturday interview that, “The key thing in our focus has been and will always be to make sure that the health and safety of our student-athletes are put at the top of our list.”
The Buckeyes may be having an easy ride in the championship game after their Week 2 encounter with Penn State. While Ohio State faces Rutgers, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, and end their tournament against Michigan, the closest rival.
Cade McNamara or Joe Milton will be the new quarterback for the Wolverines who are facing a difficult task in winning this season.
In Week 1, the Wolverines will play their first game at Minnesota, then against Michigan State, their rival in Week 2, and face Wisconsin, Penn State, and Ohio State in week 4, week 6, and the final week respectively.
Jim Harbaugh has been finding it difficult to beat the Buckeyes since he took over as Michigan’s head coach.
Minnesota and Wisconsin will probably be the teams contending for the spot in the conference championship game in the West division. In week 6, both teams will face each other, a crucial game that will decide the team that will represent the division in the final game.
The Cornhuskers’ schedules are the toughest of all Big Ten teams, playing first against Buckeyes, then Wisconsin, Northwestern, and Penn State in that order.
Source: espn.com
