Fitzgerald says Big Ten coaches haven't discussed spring season
Just one week ago, the Big Ten Conference became the first domino to fall among Power Five teams. Last Thursday, the conference decided that it would go to an only-conference schedule for the 2020 football season. It was the first significant blow that the coronavirus has landed on college football.
The decision was quickly followed by the Pac-12 making the same call and then worries about the future of the college football season. With conferences eliminating games already, there is fair concern about the season’s future. But it might not be all that negative just yet.
Pat Fitzgerald, head coach of Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference, was on Big Noon Kickoff on Thursday night and asked about the possibility of the Big Ten moving play into the spring instead of the fall. When it comes to the head coaches in the league at least, it doesn’t sound like that is on the table just yet.
“We have not had that conversation in the Big Ten, at least with the coaches and when we’ve had private meetings, we have not had that conversation,” Fitzgerald said. “Our focus first was the six-week window to return to play. We’re about to embark on that here for us that are opening up Game 1 on the 24th. We just started our eight hours of summer access this past Monday. We’re able to be out at workouts for a couple of hours a day, which is great.
“The next step would be training camp. If we can get through those stages, then what’s going to be the next stage will be playing this season. Until we get to that point, we probably have to be starting and discussing the ‘what ifs.’ What if the season gets shortened? What if the season gets paused? Do we need to move it to the spring? All of those discussions will unfold.”
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