Big Ten Football Returns with Fall Season
September 16, 2020 | Football
News
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Big Ten Conference announced today that the Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) voted unanimously to resume the 2020 football season starting the weekend of October 23-24.
"As a member of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C), I fully support the resumption of the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020," University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones said. "The decision was unanimous and was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process. It involves groundbreaking steps to protect the health and safety of student-athletes, and it will base any future decisions to continue practice and competition on test positivity rate and population positivity rate data."
"Today's announcement brings many emotions," UI Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. "I am grateful to my colleagues across the Big Ten Conference, including Commissioner Warren, the Big Ten staff, the other 13 athletic directors, our coaches, and our medical professionals, all of whom have worked tirelessly for many months to play Big Ten sports as safely as possible in the midst of our world's current health challenges. These efforts have only intensified in these last weeks, and I have been more impressed than ever with the collaboration, resourcefulness, and determination needed to arrive at today's decision.
"I want to thank the presidents and chancellors of our 14 member institutions for their unyielding concern for our staff, student-athletes, and fans; for their trust and confidence in the work and guidance of our various practitioners, especially our medical experts; and for their strength and leadership in making hard decisions in difficult circumstances. More than anything, I want to thank our student-athletes. From Day 1, they have done everything we have asked of them. Their competitiveness, work ethic, flexibility, patience, inquisitiveness, sacrifice, and commitment have been an inspiration for me and for all. I have never been so proud to be associated with the University of Illinois and the Big Ten Conference, and I am excited to continue the tough, gritty progress needed to see our teams compete at the highest level this year in the safest, healthiest environment we can create."
The unique eight+one schedule for the 2020 season will be announced by the Conference in the coming days. Each conference team will be scheduled to play six games within their division and two cross-divisional contests starting Oct. 23 and ending the weekend of Dec. 12. A ninth game will be scheduled the following week matching corresponding seeds from each division with the Big Ten Championship Game scheduled for Dec. 19 in Indianapolis.
"The return of Big Ten football is great news for our team and all our Fighting Illini football fans," Head Coach Lovie Smith said. "We feel that the University of Illinois has the strongest testing system and protocol of anyone in the nation and that we can compete while keeping our players safe. Our team has put in some incredible work over the last several months and after meeting with them earlier today, I know they are extremely excited to start preparing for the 2020 season."
A conference mandate will not allow public sales of tickets for the 2020 season. Tickets will only be distributed to families of the football student-athletes and staffs who are playing and working the games.
Illinois Premium Seating and season-ticket holders will have their prior ticket payments automatically rolled over into a credit to be applied toward the 2021 season tickets. These same patrons may also choose to have their prior ticket payments used as a donation to the I Fund or have the ability to receive a full refund. The Illinois Ticket Office and Premium Seating Office will soon be sending further communication to these groups. All season ticket holders will have the opportunity to renew their season ticket locations for the 2021 season in the spring of 2021.
