Big Ten Football News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/big-ten-football/ Minnesota sports, but different Wed, 03 Aug 2022 16:26:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Big Ten Football News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/big-ten-football/ 32 32 Big 12 Trying to Woo Gophers Away from Big Ten https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/big-12-conference-trying-to-woo-minnesota-gophers-away-from-big-ten/ Sun, 31 Jul 2022 16:42:17 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39943 The world of college athletics is changing right before our eyes and the shifts in landscape will continue for the foreseeable future. Schools have already jumped conferences, something we’re sure to see more of. Texas and Oklahoma will become SEC rivals in 2025. USC and UCLA will vacate their PAC-12 membership in 2024 and move into the Big Ten.

So, what shoe drops next? Some expect Oregon and/or Washington to join the PAC-12 exodus. Others wonder what will happen with the ACC rivals and college basketball immortality schools in North Carolina (UNC, Duke).

Big 12 Wants Gophers…

But one move that nobody anticipated, before Charley Walters wrote his bi-weekly Sunday column in the Pioneer Press this weekend, was the Big 12 conference trying to woo the Minnesota Gophers away from the Big Ten. Yet… here we are.

The Big 12 Conference is said to be quietly seeking the Gophers, but Minnesota can’t afford the revenue loss of a new Big Ten Network deal, which, with the expansion of USC and UCLA in two years, could be worth nearly $100 million a year. – Charley Walters (Pioneer Press)

The Big 12 is reeling and can’t even guarantee its future in whatever new college sports landscape is ahead of us. So they’re effort to counterpunch, after losing Texas and Oklahoma, shouldn’t be surprising. But, for all of those same reasons, a move to the Big 12 would make ABSOLUTELY zero sense for the University of Minnesota.

No Chance.

As Scooter (Walters) points out, the Big Ten is on the verge of inking a $1+ billion TV contract. The Gophers would turn their back on $100 million per season, in TV revenue alone, if they jumped conferences. It’s been a long time since the University of Minnesota considered themselves a Big Ten powerhouse.

But the University of Minnesota’s status as a founding member of the Big Ten back in 1896 guarantees them all of the same financial benefits as conference powers like Michigan (1896), Wisconsin (1896) and Ohio State (1912). Something that newer schools like Maryland, Nebraska and Rutgers cannot say. Why would the University of Minnesota jump off of the Big Ten gravy train to become the newest member of a lesser conference?

So they have a better opportunity at in-conference athletic success? Given the uncertain state of the Big 12, even that is far from a guarantee. Not to mention how much it would hurt recruiting. We’re talking about a conference that may not exist in a couple of years. Come on…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Wed, 03 Aug 2022 11:26:51 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Tanner Morgan Helps to Derail Latest CFB Unionization Effort https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/tanner-morgan-helps-to-derail-latest-cfb-unionization-effort-big-ten/ Tue, 26 Jul 2022 16:27:12 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=39892 The Big Ten is on the verge of signing a new television contract. The new deal is expected to run in the billions of dollars. It will smash all previous college football broadcast rights deals before it. And for good reason, there’s a new drive amongst players to collect their fair share of the inordinate amount of money flowing into their game in 2022 and beyond.

The most likely route to college football players profiting from television dollars is to unionize. That is how major professional athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL negotiate revenue splits and salary caps between teams and players in various sports leagues, so precedent is there. The roadmap has already been laid.

Latest Unionization Effort Derailed

There have been multiple attempts at forming a CFB players union. All have been unsuccessful, so far. The latest effort, however, made it further down the track than others. Penn State University quarterback, Sean Clifford, had even agreed to join. Clifford went in front of a camera, and on record, supporting the “College Football Players Association”.

It only took hours for the backpedaling to begin. First, More Perfect Union added a clarification tweet stating, “College Football Players Association leadership clarifies that they aren’t organizing as a union but rather an association to represent players’ interests”.

Then, a few hours later, Clifford tweeted out his own statement, completely distancing himself from the CFBPA, instead expressing a commitment to Penn State and the Big Ten going forward. Clearly, someone had a sit down with Sean shortly after the video above surfaced.

It’s not surprising that the Big Ten and Penn State are pushing back against unionization attempts. Of course, they’d like to have full control of the billions of dollars flowing into college football. If they have to set 40%-50% of revenue dollars aside to pay players, there’s going to be less to disseminate to other sports and channels where that money has flowed historically.

CFBPA Blames Tanner Morgan

Everything mentioned above happened on July 22. Waters calmed over the next few days. Until another stone was thrown on Tuesday morning. This time, from the College Football Players Association, itself.

The statement was brash. It pointed fingers at who was to blame for Sean Clifford’s sudden defection from the CFBPA. Those accused included Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, and most notably for Minnesota Gophers fans, Tanner Morgan, who was singled out as a huge roadblock to unionization efforts.

Sean told me that in addition to Kevin Warren he had been intensely lobbied by another star player and friend to give up on the CFBPA. Sean told me that Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan told him he would never support the CFBPA Big Ten campaign and this clearly weighed on Sean. – CFBPA Statement (via Ross Delenger – SI)

One other detail. The leader of the CFBPA is Jason Stahl, a former University of Minnesota professor who was, essentially, run off campus after his unsuccessful attempt to do the same thing to PJ Fleck. You can read more about that situation HERE. In other words, Jason Stahl and Tanner Morgan are very familiar with one another.

Players need help getting fair share

I’m assuming Stahl typed the letter above, himself. Such assumptions feel like a pretty safe bet, after you read the final paragraph. But before you do, let me reiterate the importance of a college football players association or, at the least, some sort of 3rd party that can help players negotiate with the Big Ten, as a whole.

If Sean Clifford, Tanner Morgan or any other college football player really believes that the Big Ten and the University of Minnesota is going to put player interests above or at the same level as their own, then they’re naive, oblivious, stupid or some of all three.

I’m not a fan of Jason Stahl. He created a lot of the hurdles he now faces, in making the CFBPA viable. Stahl tried to run PJ Fleck off the the University of Minnesota campus. His actions back then, put him in a terrible spot with Big Ten coaches and conference leaders, now.

Stahl vs Fleck (New Episode)

Morgan represented another type of star player I was concerned about — those who hold their head coach as an idol who can do no wrong despite all evidence to the contrary. Morgan had long occupied this role at Minnesota. Despite player after player after player coming forward to describe the environment of player mistreatment and manipulation at Minnesota under head coach P.J. Fleck, Morgan defends his coach every time. Just a few weeks ago, yet another former player of Coach Fleck, Val Martin, came forward to highlight the the environment within Minnesota football. He described his personal experience and posted testimonies from other players. Morgan, as always, publicly defended Fleck. – CFBPA Statement

Hopefully, Tanner Morgan has a problem with Jason Stahl and not with the idea of unionization. Major college football players deserve their piece of the massive CFB revenue pie. And they won’t get it without some help.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Tue, 26 Jul 2022 12:11:35 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Minnesota Should Feel Really Good About Their Chances in the Big Ten West https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/minnesota-should-feel-really-good-about-their-chances-in-the-big-ten-west/ Sun, 05 Sep 2021 01:11:44 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36120 The Minnesota Gophers dropped their season opener to the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday night. There were a lot of positives to take out of such a tough loss, however. PJ Fleck made gutty decisions that paid off, Tanner Morgan made a plethora of tough throws, especially as the game wore on, and Mohamed Ibrahim went off behind an offensive line that held its own vs a top-5 defensive unit, nationally.

Yes, the defense needs to tighten up, but this is an Ohio State offense with playmakers that anyone else in the Big Ten can only dream of.

Feel Good Weekend

After the game, Buckeyes Head Coach Ryan Day credited PJ Fleck and Minnesota for their complimentary football and called the Gophers “a really good team.” However, the reason Minnesota should feel optimistic isn’t thanks to the outcome from Thursday night or Coach Day applauding their effort. They should feel good after watching the rest of the Big Ten West flounder this weekend.

An uninspiring performance from Northwestern led to a 38-21 shellacking vs Michigan State. Wisconsin spit the bit vs Penn State, turning it over four times in their loss. And Scott Frost was only up 17-10 at half vs Fordham, before pulling away and winning big in the 2nd half. Iowa looked good vs Indiana so I’m going to hope that was more of a fluke while the rest of the games were closer to reality. This is my blog, not yours.

No matter, Minnesota should feel really good about where they are compared to the rest of the division.

No Mo, No Problem

Mohamed Ibrahim left the Ohio State game in a boot which is never a good sign. He ended his night rushing for 163 yards and 2 TD’s. With the way Minnesota’s offensive line is built, I could average 2.5 yards per carry (Mo averaged 5.5). We saw Trey Potts run for 34 yards on 10 carries Thursday but he and Cam Wiley won’t be the only backs we see in Ibrahim’s absence. Minnesota’s running back room is one of their strongest, thanks to repeated success on the recruiting trail.

If Mo is indeed out for an extended period of time, I see the Gophers taking a 2019 San Francisco 49ers approach to their run game. A three-headed monster at running back complimented by a quarterback that isn’t asked to do too much but won’t make a lot of mistakes, either.

Tanner Garoppolo

Like Jimmy Garoppolo, Tanner Morgan doesn’t need to throw for 300 yards a game. He needs to take care of the ball, deliver accurate throws and understand when to take shots down the field. One of Trey Potts, Cam Wiley or Bryce Williams should be ready to step up and be Raheem Moster. The others will settle in as Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida.

This style of spreading the wealth and wearing down teams could end up being better than giving Ibrahim the ball 30 times, especially when looking at Minnesota’s future backfield. If Mo is indeed out, these backs are about to get a wealth of experience that only playing can give.

The Road Ahead

The month of October will be a crucial one for this Minnesota Gopher team. They’ll head to West Lafayette to face off vs Purdue. Then, they’ll come home for two against Nebraska and Maryland before visiting Northwestern to finish the month. Those are four games the Gophers should win.

If they can steamroll through the rest of September’s non-conference and win those October Big Ten matchups mentioned above, they’ll set themselves up for a November that will decide the Big Ten West. Iowa and Wisconsin will both be on the schedule and revenge will be on the minds of Minnesota faithful.

The Big Ten West is as open as it’s ever been. This year will fall in the disappointment category if the Gophers aren’t battling for a spot for the Big Ten Championship, come late November.

Stephen Strom | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sat, 04 Sep 2021 20:11:46 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football B1G’s 21-Day COVID Protocol Meant Nobody to Kick or Punt for Minnesota vs Michigan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/b1gs-21-day-covid-protocol-meant-nobody-to-kick-or-punt-for-minnesota-vs-michigan/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/b1gs-21-day-covid-protocol-meant-nobody-to-kick-or-punt-for-minnesota-vs-michigan/#respond Sun, 25 Oct 2020 16:02:37 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=30778

How did we get here? How did we get to a point where the Big Ten conference is so stubborn in its drive to link Myocarditis to COVID-19 in athletes, that the Minnesota Gophers football team lost both their kicker and punter before Saturday night’s loss to Michigan, because of it?

As sports leagues started returning to play throughout the coronavirus pandemic, fans and players got quickly acquainted to a standard 7-14 day quarantine period for any athlete who tested COVID-positive. That wasn’t enough for the Big Ten, though. No, the Big Ten needed a reason to be more woke than everyone else.

Enter Myocarditis

They found that reason, with Myocarditis… and the media jumped on it. First, they cancelled the fall football season because of Myocarditis claims (that have since been all but disproved). When they finally backtracked on their terrible decision to cancel football, subsequently announcing an 8-game conference-only fall season, it came with a 21-day mandatory sit-out period for any player who tested positive.

The league wanted more time for cardiac testing, they said.

Reminder, the Big Ten is THE ONLY major sports governing body that is requiring this ridiculous 21-day dismissal for any positive test. By requiring the additional time, they are telling every other major college and professional sports league, that the Big Ten is smarter than they are (and obviously more woke).

Fleck (Kind of) Tried to Warn Us

Fleck was warning media about these COVID-related absences all week but he didn’t tell us who would be out, or for how long. We didn’t know if it was due to personal opt-out decisions or if Gophers would be missing because of positive tests. It turned out to be both.

Minnesota lost the right side of their offensive line (Daniel Faalele/Curtis Dunlap) and a starting linebacker (Braelen Oliver) to what we think are opt-outs (PJ won’t confirm). But as gametime neared… the outlook vs Michigan worsened.

First, it was reported that Minnesota’s new Australian punter, Mark Crawford, was in street clothes during pregame warmups. Then, after warming up and reportedly kicking 40-yard bombs before the game… kicker, Michael Lantz, didn’t play either.

Why? Because COVID-19 protocol.

Since both guys were on the field before the game, we can only assume they were both healthy but held out because of positive tests older than 14 days, but younger than 21. If they had tested positive in the last two weeks, they’d still be quarantining, under Big Ten protocols.

While Fleck wouldn’t completely confirm this information in his postgame presser, he pretty much confirmed it… And, Chris Fowler mentioned it once on the ESPN telecast too. Here are both.

I’m not here blaming Big Ten COVID-19 protocols for why Minnesota lost to Michigan last night. The Wolverines completely dominated every facet of Saturday’s game and they deserved to win. The Gophers deserved to lose. I’ll have more written later tonight on what the Gophers need to fix. But, PJ Fleck and the Gopher coaching staff had to change the way they schemed this game, because they didn’t have any fucking kickers.

Are we in Europe? Do we play football with our feet now in the United States? How do we allow a situation, in American football, where a game might be decided (before it starts) because two healthy kickers aren’t allowed on the field? Put in a “ghost” defender for them on kick and punt returns, if you have to…

We wouldn’t want them to exert any physical energy that might won’t force hearts to shut down from a disease that might isn’t dangerous to this age-group..

Different Game with a Kicker and Punter

The fake punt at our own 30-yard line doesn’t happen if Mark Crawford is available and that’s something Fleck admitted to in his postgame press conference. Two Michigan touchdowns took a total of 37 yards, because of the aforementioned failed fake punt + a squib kick the Wolverines returned all the way to the Minnesota 8-yard line. The Gophers tried punting twice in the first half and those punts combined for 49 yards (18, 31). In total, Michigan started FOUR 1st half possessions inside Minnesota territory.

All of that can be blamed on not having competent kickers and punters.

Again, Michigan beats Minnesota last night, even without COVID protocol taking away everyone on their team whose job is to kick a football. The Wolverines didn’t need the extra help. They’re a much better team than I thought they were and that sentiment runs across the entire offense and defense.

Without Daniel Faalele and Curtis Dunlap to anchor the right side, the Gopher OL didn’t stand a chance vs Aiden Hutchinson and Kwity Paye. On defense, Minnesota was completely undermatched vs a Michigan running game that’s about to take the Big Ten by storm. Lead by QB Joe Milton, the Wolverines ran for 253 yards last night and made a new Minnesota defense look like a DII squad.

COVID Bullshit Needs Go Away

But that’s all part of the game. You win some and you lose some. Sometimes you play well and other times you play like shit. Even in 2020, we’ve become used to additional rules, restrictions and abnormalities consuming our life.

But I just can’t take the unnecessary COVID bullshit anymore. I’m all for saving lives but that’s not what the virus is being used for now. It’s no longer about a pandemic. Instead, we’ve been pulled into a woke pissing contest that has the most progressive of golden splatter landing on our Minnesota boots.

Governor Walz is allowing people to fill up the Mall of America but continues his ban on fans in stadiums. Nobody can answer as to why… but then again, no media will write stories to bring attention to it either so why would he.

Now, the Big Ten is forcing the Minnesota to bench healthy players because they want to be the wokest conference in the land. Let’s just stop.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/b1gs-21-day-covid-protocol-meant-nobody-to-kick-or-punt-for-minnesota-vs-michigan/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:03 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football BREAKING: Big Ten Football is Returning October 24 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/big-ten-football-is-returning-october-24/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/big-ten-football-is-returning-october-24/#respond Wed, 16 Sep 2020 13:19:31 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29593

It’s been one month and five days, since the Big Ten announced they were canceling the fall football season. In that time, we’ve laughed (at the B1G) together, we’ve cried together and we’ve watched other power-five football teams kickoff their season, together. Today though, September 16 2020, we celebrate together. Multiple reports have the conference set to announce October 24 as the official return of B1G football, this afternoon.

Again, today is a good day so we aren’t going to focus on the fact that we never should have gotten to this point, in the first place. On October 24, Minnesota Gophers fans across the country will be able to turn on their televisions and watch the maroon and gold look to build on last year’s historic season. This was the latest the conference could start football and still be eligible for the National Championship. That means 8 weeks of games and no byes, most likely.

There are a lot of question marks to address on the Minnesota football roster, though. We could see more arise before kickoff one month and two days from now. BUT WHO CARES!

I just can’t wait to see PJ Fleck lead his team through that tunnel. The schedule is yet to be released, but it is rumored to be finished. It’s just a matter of time before the schedule is leaked or gets officially announced. We’ll be here for you when it does.

Until then, we’ll just party. Fall football in October is better than no fall football at all. The Gopher Football twitter account actually teased people yesterday morning (among others), before any announcement was made or any of the big checkmarks jumped on the report.

The Big Ten has now confirmed the return to play as well.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/big-ten-football-is-returning-october-24/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:16 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Nebraska President Leaks Return of Big Ten Football on Hot Mic https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/nebraska-president-ted-carter-leaks-return-of-big-ten-football-on-hot-mic/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/nebraska-president-ted-carter-leaks-return-of-big-ten-football-on-hot-mic/#respond Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:49:49 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29598

When are people going to learn to shut their mouths when they have microphones in front of or attached to them? Hopefully never. The latest person to fall victim to a “hot mic” is Nebraska President, Ted Carter. He was just letting a buddy in on a little secret, but fortunately for us, someone was recording the conversation through a podium microphone right next to him.

The guy with the mic was Bob Hinson, director of the National Strategic Research Institute. I don’t know what he was about to speak on, but I’m thankful for it. You can see the original report and video HERE from KETV (ABC – Omaha)

Momentum for fall football seems to be building around the big ten and now it just seems to be a matter of time before a more official leak or announcement is made. Paul Finebaum and others have mentioned how an October 17 return is paramount to competing for a college football championship.

This morning, the official Minnesota Gophers Football twitter account released a poll asking who knew when the last time the Gophers started a football season in October was….

That seems like weird timing. I think it’s time to get out the champagne. It looks like we might have a fall football season to look forward to in Big Ten country by the end of the day.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/nebraska-president-ted-carter-leaks-return-of-big-ten-football-on-hot-mic/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:16 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Multiple Reports: Big Ten is Voting on Fall Football as Early as Sunday https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/multiple-reports-big-ten-is-voting-on-fall-football-as-early-as-sunday/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/multiple-reports-big-ten-is-voting-on-fall-football-as-early-as-sunday/#respond Sat, 12 Sep 2020 22:30:54 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29532

Most have doubted it could happen while others have asserted that it would… but now it looks official. The Big Ten is about to vote on the return of fall football. That vote will happen either Sunday or Monday. Possible start dates range from October 10 to November.

Credit: Sir Yacht

More established outlets and reporters are tweeting and writing about it today, but I want to also give credit to Sir Yacht. Like him or not, he’s been talking about this vote for a lot longer than everyone else. He may not have been perfect with all of his dates but he had (and gave) hope when others didn’t. If nothing else, he kept the conversation alive.

He’s been calling for an October 10 start date for weeks and now he says this scheduled vote is already done. If the vote to play passes unanimously tomorrow (or close to it) and the Big Ten schedules the first game on the 10th, then I’ll be even more convinced of his legitimacy.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who broke the news. When the sun goes down tomorrow, it’s very possible that we will have fall football back in the Big Ten and back in Minnesota! It isn’t the first time I’ve written an end line that sounds like this… but tonight is another good night to pray for some big time (good) news tomorrow.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/multiple-reports-big-ten-is-voting-on-fall-football-as-early-as-sunday/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:17 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Report: Michigan President Stands in Way of Big Ten Football This Fall https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/report-michigan-president-stands-in-way-of-big-ten-football-this-fall/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/report-michigan-president-stands-in-way-of-big-ten-football-this-fall/#respond Sat, 05 Sep 2020 03:14:16 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29346

College football players will suit up and play games across the country tomorrow, but not any in the Big Ten. The fall football restart vote that was reportedly going to happen today, never came to fruition. Instead, it was a mysteriously quiet day inside of Big Ten headquarters.

There still seems to be a quiet optimism floating around fan bases and reporting outlets, though. Sure, the chancellor vote never took place, but Friday hardly seems like a strict deadline to get things rolling. On top of that, we are starting to see more information leak about what is happening behind the scenes.

Michigan Doesn’t Want to Play Football?

One of the more interesting developments just dropped out of Sports Illustrated’s Michigan Wolverines outlet, “Wolverine Digest”. They are reporting that the Big Ten’s biggest obstacle to playing games this fall, is University of Michigan President, Mark Schlissel.

A Little Birdie tells me University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel is one of the biggest remaining obstacles to the return of Big Ten football this fall. To the point he’s threatening to have Michigan sit out even if the Big Ten votes to go in October, denying the Big Ten its signature game.

Steve Deace – Wolverine Digest (SI)

No!!!! Not the Ohio State v Michigan football game…. anything but that!

Fuck the Michigan, if that’s how their Pres wants to politically play with the hearts of players and fans. According to SI, while President Schlissel is an immunologist and should be someone that other Big Ten presidents can rely on during this time… his decision making doesn’t seem to be driven by how dangerous the virus is.

As an immunologist, Schlissel should be one of the most uniquely qualified presidents/chancellors to opine on playing this season, but he has offered no public specifics about his apparent concerns as the sport ramps up across the Big Ten footprint at the high school and pro level. Neither did he visit the football program one time this summer to see for himself how the players were being kept safe and honoring protocols, but he does appear willing to use the power of the Michigan football brand as leverage to suit his desires here.

Steve Deace – Wolverine Digest (SI)

Michigan Football Protest on Saturday

This news drops just before Saturday, when Michigan football parents have a planned a protest outside of Michigan stadium. How big does the protest get? Michigan (the state) already ok’d a fall sports restart. How pissed off are fans and parents, that they still don’t have their Wolverines?

Coach Jim Harbaugh has been open about his desire to play ASAP, too. Could Jim, himself, show up to these protests? Or, are we looking at 10 parents yelling into a bullhorn? We’ll see how much pressure tomorrow brings.

Wolverine Digest also mentions September 12 as a big day for the Big Ten. That’s the deadline the conference has been given to turnover documents, in a lawsuit filed by Nebraska players.

This situation has gotten so sad, that some believe the PAC-12 could announce a return before the Big Ten. There is a new sense of life out west, after they found a partner to supply rapid saliva tests. Imagine the Corona Bros on the west coast, prepping for football before we are here in the midwest? Yikes.

Now What?

I still think we get October Big Ten football games. Of course, that depends on how this weekend goes. If other conferences play this weekend and they live to tell about it, pressure will only build within the B1G.

Every Big Ten football fan is sick of this stupid fall season rollercoaster… but there is still a light shining. That means the fat lady hasn’t sung yet. Honestly, I feel better about a fall season tonight, than I have since it got canceled.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/report-michigan-president-stands-in-way-of-big-ten-football-this-fall/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:17 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football A Big Ten Re-Vote For October Football is Apparently Happening Friday… https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/a-big-ten-re-vote-for-october-football-is-apparently-happening-friday/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/a-big-ten-re-vote-for-october-football-is-apparently-happening-friday/#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2020 03:05:40 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29323

There is so much happening in the world of college football right now. Teams from all over the country are getting read to play this weekend. Meanwhile, the Big Ten… well, nobody knows exactly. After following this for days, I BELIEVE the University Presidents and Chancellors are re-voting tomorrow, on whether or not start the 2020 season on October 10.

This meeting was first reported by Dan Patrick on Tuesday.

There are other outlets who are reporting that this meeting will go down tomorrow. The lesser-known Sir Yacht has been touting a meeting like this all week. Yacht says the Big Ten already knows it will reverse its decision, rendering tomorrow’s vote just a finality.

If the Big Ten indeed announces a season tomorrow, I will be giving Yacht credit because he was talking about this before ANYONE else and took a beating for it online. Are you still concerned about these sources? Remember, Clay Travis is the person who brought the White House and Kevin Warren together on a call, earlier this week. I’m not sure you’ll find someone more plugged into the situation than that.

It’s not just this report from Outkick.com earlier today. There are other developments that point to Friday actually resulting in this vote… and the vote resulting in October Big Ten fall football.

Michigan Reinstates Fall High School Sports

In a shocking move today, the state of Michigan reversed its original course on fall sports this year, announcing football and all others will now resume in mid-September. Michigan has two Big Ten Universities that voted not to play a 2020 football season. Do they flip now?

The original Big Ten vote was reported to be 3-11. If the two Michigan schools flip, the vote would be 5-9. If we assume these Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are now willing to use common sense, the University of Indiana should be an obvious flip, too. Notre Dame is in the same state and already playing a fall season with the ACC, and will even allow fans.

Outkick’s Clay Travis pontificates on the schools that could flip their votes on Friday, in his latest Twitter video.

How Many Dominos Fall?

With Michigan’s high schoolers now playing, who knows what other midwestern states will do at the high school level. Could we see others announce the return of fall sports, too? Did Michigan start a trend today?

If fall seasons start being called back into play at the high school level, do the reversals make it all the way to Minnesota? We are in election season and Walz has been getting a lot of pushback, since cancelling everything.

It’s easy to see how quickly these dominos could start falling. I can’t imagine the Big Ten wants everyone around them playing sports in the fall, while they sit out. Again, all signs point to this vote happening. If common sense and the importance of hundreds of millions of dollars rule the day, I can’t see Big Ten football not returning in October.

Cold Water via The Athletic

However, plugged in reporter Nicole Auerbach (The Athletic) is continuously pouring cold water on all of these conversations… In fact, The Athletic as an outlet, has been poo-pooing these Big Ten October return rumors. So, who is receiving the good leaks and who is receiving the bullshit? Friday should tell the story.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/a-big-ten-re-vote-for-october-football-is-apparently-happening-friday/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:17 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football NDSU Has Scheduled Football for This Fall Too. WTF is the Big Ten Doing? https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/ndsu-has-scheduled-football-for-this-fall-too-wtf-is-the-big-ten-doing/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/ndsu-has-scheduled-football-for-this-fall-too-wtf-is-the-big-ten-doing/#respond Wed, 26 Aug 2020 02:35:56 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=29099

Look what I just ran across. Let’s ignore how bad of a Minnesota sports “reporter” I am, being this news actually dropped last night. We have bigger fish to fry. Just in case you’re later to the party than me, North Dakota State University will now play one football game this fall.

The game will be held in front of a limited amount of Fargo Dome fans, on October 3. The showcase game will give their team and fans something to look forward to, plus their Redshirt Sophomore QB (with NFL aspirations) will get a 2020 game to show scouts he’s still progressing.

Even Smaller Schools Get to Play

I thought smaller schools, like North Dakota State, didn’t have the money or resources to prevent the spread of coronavirus through a football? At least, that’s what we were told. So, why are many smaller schools still playing? NDSU isn’t the only one. Many are still planning full conference seasons.

“Group of Five” conferences like, American Athletic, Conference USA and the Sun Belt are all still playing football this Fall. THEIR SEASONS ARE ACTUALLY SCHEDULED TO START BEFORE THE POWER-5 SCHOOLS.

That’s right, Central Arkansas vs UAB and South Alabama vs Southern Mississippi will kickoff simultaneously on September 3 at 7PM, marking the start of the 2020 college football season. That’s just NINE days from today. There won’t be any Power 5 games played that first week, but who cares… it’s football. The Monday night finale will feature BYU vs Navy.

On September 10, ACC affiliate, Miami (FL) Hurricanes are scheduled to take to their home stadium in front of 13,000 fans, to play against UAB. It will be UAB’s second game of the 2020 season.

Is This a Sick Joke?

Meanwhile, players and fans of Big Ten and PAC-12 teams will be watching from home, muttering common sense expletives under their breaths. We have been more “responsible” in the midwest and out on the West Coast.

I thought that mattered (lol). We wore more masks and even had it mandated before it was a necessity. We’ve social distanced and canceled schools, while the South has left things much more open and only used mandates and cancellations after outbreaks had already taken place.

Yet, here we are. They get football and we don’t. And now, just to deliver a People’s Elbow while the good state of Minnesota and most of midwest football is down, NDSU Football announces they will get one game to play this fall too. Sure, it’s just one game… but that’s better than zero games.

None of this makes any fucking sense… Power-5 conferences from the South have less restrictions regarding the spread of COVID and their cases and deaths are higher than the midwest.

Warren’s Job or a COVID Outbreak

At this point, it’s clear college football will happen as long as a big breakout doesn’t occur on any of these teams, before or during their seasons. If ACC, SEC and Big-12 seasons are played and finished, while Big Ten and PAC-12 seasons are not, the fallout for new Big Ten Commissioner, Kevin Warren, could be catastrophic.

Universities that aren’t playing football, have forecasted losses in the $100 million range for just 2020 alone. If football is played, especially if fans are allowed in the stands, those millions get recouped in fast order. The Star Tribune has reported a possible loss of $300+ million for the school, in total, $75 million of that due to athletics. Nearly all revenue pulled in through athletics, comes from football.

If Southern Universities allow students and athletes to attend campus and bring some of that revenue back, while Big Ten schools wither away from every corner… what does that do to the future of these programs from a competitive advantage standpoint, both in the classroom and on the field?

Are we to the point where the Big Ten and PAC-12 are hoping for COVID-19 breakouts among the teams that are playing football in the south? Otherwise, they stand to look foolish in positions where that isn’t allowed. I guess it depends on how much Kevin Warren likes his new gig…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/ndsu-has-scheduled-football-for-this-fall-too-wtf-is-the-big-ten-doing/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:24:20 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football