May 07, 2020

College Football news amid outbreak

Posted May 07, 2020 1:14 PM

UNDATED (AP) β€” It is less than four months before the scheduled kickoff of the college football season. Not one of the 14 schools in the Big Ten Conference can say for sure they will have students back on campus this fall. That is a crucial step for sports. The most resolute about having students back has been Purdue President Mitch Daniels. He says he expects students will be back on campus β€œin typical numbers.” No other school has gone even that far. 

UNDATED (AP) β€” There are 130 major college football teams spread across 41 states. The goal is to have all those teams start the upcoming season at the same time around Labor Day weekend or later if needed. The hope is to also play the same number of games. With each passing day it is becoming apparent the pandemic is going to make that difficult to achieve. There is a chance some schools will go ahead while others wait, throwing uncertainty and inconsistency into the fall college sports season.

UNDATED (AP) β€” The NCAA approved a waiver that will allow schools to spend below the minimum level on athletic scholarships required to compete in Division I. The Division I Council approved two other blanket waivers that had been requested by several conferences in recent weeks in response to coronavirus pandemic. Basketball and football players will be allowed to participate in summer athletic activities without being enrolled in school. Also, schools that are in the process of moving to D-I can be counted toward the minimum required Division I opponents.