Big Ten to play conference-only games this fall

The Big Ten announced Thursday that they will only be participating in conference games for fall sports because of COVID-19.

“We are facing uncertain and unprecedented times, and the health, safety and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, game officials, and others associated with our sports programs and campuses remain our number one priority,” the Big Ten said in a statement.

“By limiting competition to other Big Ten institutions, the Conference will have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time based on the most current evolving medical advice and the fluid nature of the pandemic.”

The Big Ten is the biggest conference to make a decision on fall sports so far, and by only playing conference games it is eliminating some matches that were on the teams’ schedules.

Football is the key sport affected by this change. Other sports affected include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

Schools in the conference include: University of Michigan, Northwestern University, Wisconsin University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Penn State University, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of Minnesota, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Nebraska, Rutgers University, and University of Maryland.