By Bobby Narang
The Northern Illinois University football team will have a longer wait than expected to start the season.
The Mid-American Conference August 8 became the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference to postpone the 2020 football season.
Two days later, the Mountain West Conference followed in the MAC’s footsteps by pushing back its season.
The possible postponement, or eventual canceling, of the season hit the Huskies’ program hard. The Huskies, under second-year coach and former star running back, Thomas Hammock, was in the middle of their second day of Fall practice when the news hit.
“We’ve been transparent,” Hammock said in University release. “There wasn’t shock, we’ve given them scenarios and alternatives and talked openly about those. We had a couple of team meetings early in the week where I spoke to them and (athletic director) Sean [Frazier] spoke to them about these are some of the scenarios that may come about over the next couple of days.”
The Huskies were aiming to make waves this season after a disappointing 2019 season in which they finished 5-7 overall and 4-4 in the West Division, the program’s second losing season since 2008. The Huskies were projected to finish near the bottom of the West in numerous preseason college football magazines. Even so, the Huskies returned redshirt senior quarterback Ross Bowers and a strong group of linebackers. The MAC canceled all Fall competition, which affects roughly 2,500 athletes in football, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and field hockey.
“The decision is grounded in the core values of the Conference that prioritize student-athlete well-being, an area the MAC has traditionally taken a leadership role,” MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a statement. “Clearly, we are charting a conservative path, and it is one that has been recommended by our medical advisory group.”
The Big Ten Conference and other power five conferences reportedly are mulling over the possibility of pushing back the season. The Big Ten released a statement Saturday about its future.
“Each new phase of activity provides new intelligence and experience and allows us to evaluate the implementation of our Conference and institutional medical protocols in real-time,” the Conference statement said. “In order to make the right health and safety decisions for our student-athletes, we believe it is best to continue in the appropriate phase of activity referenced above while we digest and share information from each campus to ensure we are moving forward cautiously.
“We understand there are many questions regarding how this impacts schedules, as well as the feasibility of proceeding forward with the season at all. As we have consistently stated, we will continue to evaluate daily, while relying on our medical experts, to make the best decisions possible for the health, safety, and wellness of our student-athletes.”