By Woodrow Carroll
The college football season takes on a stronger pulse with each passing, or running, day. How do we know? For starters, take note of the top 25 poll rankings seen in media outlets. The multi-page spreads in newspapers around the Midwest discuss the Big Ten Conference’s return to football. Discussions started Sunday.
College football, to some degree, already has been with us for three weeks, mostly in southern states and often among schools not deemed heavy hitters by college football cognoscenti.
Looking for positive pigskin signs? Media outlets are posting conference standings. We all know the oddsmakers will be, and are, letting us know about wagering.
The possible, likely?, return of Big Ten football will be well scrutinized and it should be. The Southeastern Conference (SEC), which long has been the biggest mover and shaker on the collegiate football scene, will make its debut September 26. The SEC may to play a 10-game, strictly conference, schedule.
In keeping with community regulations there will be a plethora of restrictions for those attending SEC games. There will be guidelines in parking, tickets, concessions, and so on. If the Big Ten does start up in October, or November, how the SEC has proceeded will be carefully scrutinized.
Perhaps it is time to ask questions. Questions that may not have ready answers.
If the Big Ten Conference resumes football, where does that leave the Pac-12? The SEC, ACC, and Big 12 are, or, soon will be up and running. If the Big Ten joins in the hunt, where goeth Pac-12 football?
Question! The Pac-12 has more teams in the shadow of the National Football League than any other major conferences. The NFL opened last weekend. Yet, the Pac-12 has shown little life in restarting football. In fairness to the Pac-12, the hesitancy might well pay dividends in the long run if collegiate football comes crashing down, thanks to COVID-19 and the Pac-12’s ultra-cautious approach proves best.
Fans of Big Ten football, and, more specifically, Illinois or Northwestern, there is a gridiron glimmer that seems to grow brighter with each day. With that in mind, we could hear from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the Big Ten’s backyard. If the Big Ten restarts football, what happens with the MAC schools, including Northern Illinois?
Worth considering is the Big Ten’s projected conference-only schedule. The big loser might be the MAC. When Northern Illinois University takes on a Big Ten foe it is David against a Big Ten Goliath. Northern Illinois has come away victorious on occasion. Northern Illinois played at Nebraska September 14, 2019, and lost, 44-8. The crowd was 89,593, twice what Northern Illinois pulled in for five home games in DeKalb. The paycheck the Huskies received for making the trip to Lincoln, Neb., allowed the Northern Illinois exchequer to be winner.