Big Ten reportedly set to announce the cancelation of fall football season

August 10, 2020
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

The Big Ten is reportedly set to cancel the fall football season and rest of college football may not be far behind.

The Detroit Free Press, citing multiple sources, said the conference had voted to cancel the 2020 football season.

Dan Patrick, host of The Dan Patrick Show, told listeners Monday morning that the Big Ten and Pac-12 would be announcing the decision to cancel on Tuesday. Patrick said 12 of the 14 Big Ten presidents voted against having a fall football season with Iowa and Nebraska the lone votes for continuing.

It’s a development that Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez feared when speaking with Yahoo! Sports earlier in the week. Though he declined to say whether he believed there would be a football season this fall, he was clearly worried about it.

“I’m afraid,” Alvarez told the website. “There’s so many questions that are unanswered. I see things change every day. We have so much invested. I have a grandson playing. I’m invested in every student-athlete on our campus. I want them to be safe.

“I owe everything I have to college football. I’m the most positive person in the world. My wife said to me today, ‘All of a sudden you are a glass half empty.’ I don’t like to be like that.”

Alvarez and the university have made it clear how big of an impact the cancelation of the season would have on Wisconsin’s budget. If the season was played without fans, it would result in a $60 to $70 million loss in revenue. If it’s not played at all, the loss could hit $100 million.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren reportedly favors moving the season to the spring. The impact of what a move like that would mean for UW’s bottom line is unclear.

Meanwhile, players across the country are trying to change the minds of those calling the shots. Many of the top players, including Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, have taken to social media to plead with administrators not to cancel the season.

A number of current Badgers have also gotten behind the movement with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay, while at least one, wide receiver Emmett Perry, called for players to take the virus more seriously if they truly want a season.

The Badgers are scheduled to open fall camp on Monday.