Benjamin St-Juste #25 and Mariano Sori-Marin #55 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers tackle Jonathan Taylor #23 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the second quarter of the game at TCF Bank Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The football coaches in the Big Ten Conference want to have a football season, and they want to start it sooner rather than later if it can be done safely.
According to multiple reports, the Big Ten is exploring the possibility of starting a 2020 football season around Thanksgiving, featuring eight games, that would end early in 2021. The most likely scenario is an eight-game season that would start in early January, and the consensus among Big Ten coaches is they don’t want whatever comes of the 2020 season to impact 2021.
Discussions and dialogue have been ongoing since Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren announced earlier this month the league was postponing the fall sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Six days before that Aug. 11 announcement, the league released a 10-game, Big Ten-only schedule that had the University of Minnesota heading to Michigan State to open its season.
The decision to postpone the season led to backlash from certain programs. Parents of Big Ten players sent a letter to Warren, demanding he further explain the reasons for postponing the season. A group also protested in the parking lot outside Big Ten offices.
Eight players from the Nebraska football program also filed a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn that decision.
The biggest frustration over the decision came over the communication in how it was made. There was confusion over several days whether Big Ten presidents actually held a formal vote over the fate of the season.
On Aug. 11, Minnesota President Joan Gabel said she wouldn’t call the decision a fomal vote. Rather, "a deliberative process where we came to a decision together." She went so far as to call it an agonizing decision, even if it was the right one.
"I absolutely support the decision that we came to. Absolutely safety first, so we’re making our decisions based on the information that informs whether or not we are prepared to put those athletes on the field. That’s where we are today," Gabel said.
Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck has been consistent and steadfast in his support of Gabel, and Athletic Director Mark Coyle. Fleck has said repeatedly every decision made in regards to football is done with the health and safety of the student-athletes being the top priority.
Coyle said back in May that Minnesota’s athletic department stands to lose up to $75 million in revenue without a fall football season. The Pac-12 postponed its fall sports season the same day the Big Ten announced its decision.
Meanwhile, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 are all moving forward and intend to start their seasons in early September despite COVID-19 concerns.
There’s not a school that wants to have a football season more than Minnesota. The Gophers are coming off an 11-2 season, their best in 115 years, which ended with a 31-24 win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. The Gophers got off to their first 9-0 start since 1905, and won seven Big Ten games for the first time in program history.
The Gophers were ranked as high as No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and finished 2019 ranked No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll. Minnesota was ranked No. 19 in the first AP preseason poll.
Whenever Minnesota does take the field next for a game, it will be without star receiver Rashod Bateman. The reigning Big Ten Receiver of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten pick opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns with an asthma condition, and is preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft, where he could be a top-10 pick. He was also recently named to the AP Preseason All-America Second Team.