Big Ten policy on COVID-19 to be announced just before season

The Big Ten policy on COVID-19 hasn’t been officially announced yet, but it already is different than the 2020 season. The Big Ten has chosen to “decentralize” the decisions about policy-making. This means that each individual school is putting together their own protocols and methods of keeping athletes safe.

Kevein Warren: B1G presidents/chancellors agreed to have decentralized apporach to COVID-19 issues, so each school will be handling things on its own. Once things are finalized in August, there will be league policies on what will happen (forfeit, etc.) if there's Covid outbreak.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) July 22, 2021

The 2020 Big Ten policy on COVID-19

This is in stark contrast to last season’s decision. In 2020, the Big Ten set clear guidelines similar to the rest of the nation in regards to resuming college football. As positivity rates increased, programs reduced activity. If these rates increased to 5% positive testing and 7.5% total infections, they were to suspend all football activities.

If a school was in the red guidelines for COVID-19, they could not play other teams. This resulted in the game being ruled “No Contest”. This year, schools around the nation debated further punishments for programs that are ineligible for play. The ultimate punishment would be forfeitures, and this is a point of contention in each debate. Now, the difference is the ready availability of a vaccine that wasn’t present for the last season.

B1G football fans will have to wait until next month to learn the details of how the league will handle any games that can't be played because of COVID. Last season they were declared no-contests. This year?

— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961) July 22, 2021

Decentralizing the official policy

By choosing to allow schools to decide their own methods they give everybody a chance to create a viable solution for their own program. This follows a growing national narrative about letting individuals make their own decisions about vaccination. Those skeptical of the vaccine do not wish to have anyone mandate their usage.

Those in favor of vaccinating all athletes point to existing rules about other vaccinations. As a member of an organization, they can set rules for health and safety at their discretion. Their proposals hinge on vaccination rates among a school being over a threshold deemed safe.

The immediate concerns this raises in regards to Big Ten football is a simple one. If each school cannot decide on a uniform solution, the conference leadership will have to step in and make decisions, similar to 2020. This decision is an important thing to get right, as it is very risky to not have an official policy so close to the season opener. If they try to enforce a policy on short notice, it could cause issues.

Warren asked about COVID protocols. Says Big Ten has "decentralized" to the schools, who are finalizing plans. Early August is when Big Ten will finalize overall policies.

"We will have that done prior to our first game 37 days from today."

So they are not finalized right now.

— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) July 22, 2021

Forfeitures or postponements

Whichever route the Big Ten official policy on COVID-19 goes, their will be punishments for failing to adhere. For starters it seems unlikely at this time that they will demand rigorous health policies since the schools choose their own plan. Second, what they do agree on will likely carry punishment of forfeiture. They were okay with the games not happening last season. This year, the season begins in full and the ultimate goal is playing every game.

If a school is standing in the way of this, the question of punishment could shift to more severe options. Schedules are too packed already to allow for postponing games. If a game cannot be safely played, it won’t get made up. This creates major problems for schools looking for national attention that need every game to show they’re worth a playoff spot or bowl game.

Ultimately, the Big Ten promises to be ready by the time the season starts. Fans will just have to hope their team is ready to go. These are difficult times for program leadership, and flexibility will go a long way. The season will be a difficult one as the country tries to open again.