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The Big Ten officially announced on Tuesday that a number of fall sports, including football, have been canceled due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the pandemic.
Over the weekend there were multiple reports that the conference was going to do exactly what it did, cancel the college football season on Tuesday, and as those initial reports were starting to leak, Ohio State players and even coaches were tweeting about leaving the Big Ten in order to play football this fall.
Buckeyes junior linebacker Teradja Mitchell sent out a tweet asking if OSU could join the SEC, who hasn’t yet made a decision on football this fall. The Buckeyes’ wide receiver coach even quote tweeted Mitchell saying he’s in on the idea.
I’m in!! Dial it up. https://t.co/8dySKqv5yY
— Brian Hartline (@brianhartline) August 10, 2020
The rumors were beginning to swirl that Ohio State and other Power 5 schools could break away from their respective conferences and join efforts with other teams around the nation in order to play football this fall.
You can count the Buckeyes out on that idea, however, as Ohio State AD Gene Smith reportedly told The Dispatch that it was only focused on preparing for holding a season in the spring.
“I told them I’m going to wake up tomorrow with a passion to see if we can figure out a way for them to compete in spring and play the game they love,” Smith said.
The PAC 12 followed in the Big Ten’s footsteps on Wednesday officially canceling its college football season this fall as well.
As it stands now, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 have yet to make any sort of official announcement about whether or not it will play football in the coming months.