College Football

Big Ten Eyeing January Football

Published Aug. 21, 2020 6:49 p.m. ET

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The Big Ten is already making preparations for a spring football season, with an emerging proposal featuring a January start in domed stadiums coming to light.

The conference schedule would feature eight matchups beginning the first week of January and ending roughly the first week of March, depending on how many bye weeks are factored in.

The Big Ten Championship would likely happen in the first or second week of March, in order to leave ample time between the end of the season and the 2021 NFL Draft.

Multiple cities are being discussed for game sites, including Indianapolis, Detroit, Minneapolis and St. Louis, due to the enclosed stadiums in those cities.

Testing protocols and additional health and safety measures will be included in the spring football plan, and the proposal would need to be approved by school administrators, as well as Big Ten presidents and chancellors.

The news comes in the wake of a group of Big Ten parents gathering outside the conference's headquarters on Friday, searching for information about the league's Aug. 11 decision to postpone the fall football season.

Parents have been outspoken across the midwest since the announcement, citing concern for their children's athletic futures.

The Big Ten was the first Power 5 conference to postpone the fall sports season, followed by the Pac-12.

The ACC, SEC and Big 12 are still on track for a fall start, but with a modified schedule and later start date.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields was one of the first Big Ten athletes to voice his opposition, creating an online petition to try to reverse the league's decision.

He had a teammate in Buckeye cornerback Shaun Wade's father, Randy, who organized a peaceful protest in Chicago.

In response, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren released a statement on Tuesday, further elaborating on the league's final decision.

"While several factors contributed to the decision to postpone the 2020-21 fall sports season, at the core of our decision was the knowledge that there was too much medical uncertainty and too many unknown health risks regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact on our student-athletes."

However, whether fall sport athletes play their season in the fall or spring, the NCAA said Friday that those athletes will be granted another year of eligibility.

The NCAA Division I board of directors approved a blanket waiver allowing fall sport athletes an additional year of eligibility with an additional year to complete it.

Some details in the vote include that schools cannot cancel or reduce scholarships if an athlete opts of out the season due to coronavirus concerns, but the waiver will not guarantee the same financial aid package for an additional year.

The release also included additional information, including the NCAA's stance that it will work toward holding fall-sport championships in the spring, if deemed safe by health officials.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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