Big Ten Will Resume Football On October 24; Swimming Update ‘Shortly’

Citing new medical protocols, the Big Ten Conference has voted unanimously to resume the college football season starting with the weekend of October 23-24.

Just over a month ago, the conference voted to cancel the fall football season, postponing competition to the spring of 2021. That was based on the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a number of top college conferences to postpone fall sports.

That vote, taken by the presidents and chancellors of the 14 Big Ten programs, was an 11-3 vote in favor of postponement. But today’s announcement from the conference says the 14 presidents voted unanimously to resume the football season on the weekend of October 23-24.

“The Big Ten will require student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals that are on the field for all practices and games to undergo daily antigen testing,” the press release says. “Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game.”

The conference has produced color-coded thresholds that will govern if and when practices or games will be halted due to positive case spikes:

Team Positivity Rate (number of positive tests divided by total number of tests)

  • Green: 0-2%
  • Orange: 2-5%
  • Red: >5%

Population Positivity Rate (positive individuals divided by total population)

  • Green: 0-3.5%
  • Orange: 3.5-7.5%
  • Red: >7.5%

Those rates will be based on a seven-day rolling average, with the following protocols based on the color grades:

  • Green/Green or Green/Orange: practice & competition continues as scheduled
  • Orange/Orange or Orange/Red: Team should alter practice & meeting schedule and consider rescheduling competition
  • Red/Red: 7-day pause on practice & competition to reassess

The decision only applies to football. But the Big Ten release does say that there will be updates on other fall sports and on fall competition for winter sports (including swimming & diving) “shortly.”

The SEC recently announced that swimming & diving could officially start its season on October 1, with limits that will mostly restrict the season to regionalized dual meets.

Update: a source tells SwimSwam that the University of Iowa emailed staff to confirm that even though football is returning, the program cuts (including swimming & diving) set for the end of this school year will not be reversed.

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Paul
3 years ago

What am I to do with 18 IOWA Swimming and Diving T-shirts, “I” Letterman’s jacket, “I” Blanket, “I” Career Letterman’s Ring and a lifetime of IOWA Swimming memories? 1) Hold ’em close and go with fond remembrances 2) Donate clothing to shelters and needful folks 3) BURN them in a ceremonial video…Swimmers, coaches and fans…Support the Fight for IOWA Swim and Diving …ACT NOW or you may be next!

10U DAD
Reply to  Paul
3 years ago

Number 3. And please post the video of the ceremony!

Admin
Reply to  Paul
3 years ago

If you do #3 and send us the video, we will make a donation to the charity of your choice to offset the potential loss to people who might be able to wear them.

Nurse who swims
3 years ago

Other than the newly devised testing protocol, what has changed regarding the virus, its treatment, or its risks since the original vote to postpone and the current vote to proceed?

Thezwimmer
Reply to  Nurse who swims
3 years ago

The ACC and other conferences who elected to continue this season have proven they can play football. Big 10 realized how foolish they were and are trying to rectify the situation so they can make a quick buck

Corn Pop
Reply to  Nurse who swims
3 years ago

Both sides could be right but 6.5 weeks out from an election it becomes a power play . The scenes of B***n campaigning to 5 ppl on chairs in chalk circles is not polling well?

Amos
3 years ago

Any truth to the rumor that Ohio State swimming shut down due to covid?

AJC
3 years ago

Kind of unrelated, but I’m curious: will SwimSwam be previewing and ranking the top 12-15 programs for both men and women again this year? I remember those articles being fun to read last year.

Admin
Reply to  AJC
3 years ago

If it appears there will be a season, we will. We’re trying to figure out what is and isn’t going to happen.

NC Fan
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

And what swimmers are actually swimming now and if they plan to be swimming for a certain team whenever a season starts. Better get Coleman to start scouring instagram posts to see who is where.

DrSwimPhil
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

There will be. Question is “when” for NCAAs, not “if”.

@JakeShell
3 years ago

Thank you, B1G. Time to exit the fear zone. Life must go on.

Old Swimmer
3 years ago

Will Iowa get its swim teams back and will Minnesota get the sports that were canceled back? I sure hope so

RUN-DMC
3 years ago

Not many games will be played. All it takes is a few false positives and the game is cancelled.

Do they have a test that distinguishes between someone who had Covid-19 and recovered vs. someone who has an active infection? I don’t think so.

Admin
Reply to  RUN-DMC
3 years ago

The infection test and the antibodies test are two different tests. If there is a single test that picks up both active infection and antibodies, I’m not familiar with it.

Xman
Reply to  Braden Keith
3 years ago

I asked my provider about the antibody test and he explained that all it shows is if there are antibodies for a coronavirus but not specifically Covid-19.

SwimFan49
Reply to  Xman
3 years ago

And the anti-body tests that are available may only tell you if you have had the virus. To my knowledge, it is not a reflection of whether or the extent to which you have immunity. Further, the antibody test doesn’t measure the ability of your T-cells to provide immunity. Short story – it ain’t all that useful.

DMH
3 years ago

The only thing that will save Iowa swimming and diving, tennis and gymnastics is a student athletic walk out. You can’t have an athletic department/programs without athletes! If the IOWA student athletes see the cuts of these programs for what they are… A direct attack on college athletics, having nothing to do with finances or COVID-19… They will understand that the next program that could be cut without explanation, without concern and with no accounting… Could very well be theirs! Athletes at Iowa… RISE UP and walk out!! Show the entire university system who really holds the power! Save your a fellow athletes from the unjust and cruel administration.

Last edited 3 years ago by DMH
meeeee
Reply to  DMH
3 years ago

asked to do that at Eastern Michigan and they refused. No support from other athletes. Not even the coach spoke up and he certainly could now that he is retired.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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