College Football, 2020

[Valmy]

Worth a read, if you are a Big Ten fan, and especially if you are not: https://mooncrew.substack.com/p/14-big-ten-universities-ranked-by

I certainly do not disagree at all with #1. Fuck Big Red.

[grumbler]

PJ Fleck is a certified football genius.

Is that wrong? Am I wrong to think that?

He's a great manager and motivator, but himself isn't that great at Xs and Os.  Last year's 11-2 campaign was great, but tempered by the opposition (they lost to 2 of the 3 teams they faced who had winning records).  I'd rate him a solid B coach, who shouldn't allow himself to be lured to a place with high expectations.

[alfred russel]

Oh, and Big Ten/Pac 12 football restarted when there was a COVID test that could be administered daily and produce results (even if skewed towards false positives) immediately (follow-on tests would confirm, but the first test could detect players before they became infectious).  The moronic belief that somehow they were shamed into doing so by the fact that moronic conferences started to play (and fall ill, and cancel games) is moronic.

When the two conferences announced the delay until the spring, that was because that's when such tests were expected to be available.  When the tests appeared to be coming along faster than expected, the conferences changed the timeline.   In all cases, it was the medical types who controlled both conference's decision-making.  That's not true for the SEC or Big Twelve, whose presidents and ADs made all the decisions.

I'm frankly proud that the B10 and P12 didn't chase the money (and that they follow the medical advice to DQ players for 21 days, to make sure that there are no heart issue, rather than the 14 days of other conferences who don't give a shit about long-term COVID effects on the players).  Major college football has money to burn, and there's no better thing to burn it on than student safety.

And the other conferences didn't rely on medical advice? Come on--you can get whatever advice you want depending on who you pay to give it to you. But you can be proud--the Big 10 is starting its season as the disease spread reaches its very worst levels to date in most of the country.

[Eddie Teach]

Yeah, it's a reversal. The covid situation hasn't changed.

[grumbler]

And the other conferences didn't rely on medical advice?

The question mark implies that not even you believe your assertion.  So why make it?

Come on--you can get whatever advice you want depending on who you pay to give it to you. But you can be proud--the Big 10 is starting its season as the disease spread reaches its very worst levels to date in most of the country.

The point that I was making, and that you illustrate so well, is that the SEC, Big East, etc looked for the medical advice that would allow them to do what they were going to do anyway. 

The Big ten and Pac Twelve, on the other hand, actually cared about their students, and so laid out the conditions under which they would resume sports;  testing that could be affordably done daily, and with results delivered same-day, so that they could catch and isolate players before they became contagious.  The medical team (it was the same team for both conferences) then informed the presidents as soon as the conditions could be met.  The difference between deciding "who you pay to" "get whatever advice you want" and deciding what conditions must exist to allow play is stark, and it's the difference between those that care about money and those that care about college athletes.

The fact that covid rates are increasing in the US is utterly non-influenced by the Big Ten and Pac Ten resuming play.  The rate is also increasing in places outside the footprint of the two conferences. 

[alfred russel]

The Big 10 should rename themselves the Conference of Followers or the Conference of Cowards.

From their own website on August 11:

https://bigten.org/news/2020/8/11/general-big-ten-statement-on-2020-21-fall-season.aspx

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season, including all regular-season contests and Big Ten Championships and Tournaments, due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic....

"The mental and physical health and welfare of our student-athletes has been at the center of every decision we have made regarding the ability to proceed forward," said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren. "As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall.

The commissioner, when asked about pushback, commented:

"While several factors contributed to the decision to postpone the 2020-21 fall sports season, at the core of our decision was the knowledge that there was too much medical uncertainty and too many unknown health risks regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact on our student-athletes," Warren wrote.

Warren noted that the vote among the leaders of the Big Ten institutions was "overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports."

He added that the decision will not be "revisited."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2020/08/19/big-ten-commissioner-were-not-revisiting-playing-football-fall/5612935002/

Note that there was never a statement along the lines of: "we are postponing until we can figure out a way to test daily"--they decided to not play in the fall and announced that decision would not be revisited. And here they are, playing in the fall, using a test that was approved for use in May.

And they are now starting the season right in the teeth of the worst part of the pandemic in terms of case numbers (to date).

[grumbler]

   So, they are cowards because they reconsidered their decisions in the light of new information?

You are a funny guy, AR.  Keep it up.  Pretend that we are laughing with you.

[Berkut]

I really like the idea that "starting in the middle of worst part" is somehow worse than starting even before that, and just continuing right on through.

It's Trumpian level double speak. If starting to play football right now is bad, then surely *continuing* to play football right now MUST be worse....right?

[Valmy]

Especially so if you are playing like Texas.

[Eddie Teach]

If starting to play football right now is bad, then surely *continuing* to play football right now MUST be worse....right?

Newton's first law suggests otherwise.

[alfred russel]

I really like the idea that "starting in the middle of worst part" is somehow worse than starting even before that, and just continuing right on through.

It's Trumpian level double speak. If starting to play football right now is bad, then surely *continuing* to play football right now MUST be worse....right?

You can see why that logic is wrong right now. The Big 10 is canceling games that won't be played for covid related reasons (such as Michigan and Wisconsin), while other conferences that started earlier and have more flexible calendars are rescheduling them.

Also, it seems that college football players are getting well out of proportion to the general public, so with college football being a mass infection event it would probably be better to get going when things were under control.

[alfred russel]

  So, they are cowards because they reconsidered their decisions in the light of new information?

You are a funny guy, AR.  Keep it up.  Pretend that we are laughing with you.

The new information being that the parents of players, the players themselves, and the coaches were furious, and there was political pressure, and public pressure, and things seemed to be going okay in other conferences?

They caved in to the pressure. But good for them to back off a dumb decision.

[grumbler]

The new information being that the parents of players, the players themselves, and the coaches were furious, and there was political pressure, and public pressure, and things seemed to be going okay in other conferences?

They caved in to the pressure. But good for them to back off a dumb decision.

No, that's not at all what happened, but do go on believing that. You are funnier by far than the truth. 

[Valmy]

Hey grumbler the Big 10 has enraged those Big Red fuckers into insensible froth over canceling their Chattanooga game. Good work.

[PDH]

Hey grumbler the Big 10 has enraged those Big Red fuckers into insensible froth over canceling their Chattanooga game. Good work.

The big "N" on the helmet stands for knowledge.