Odds Favor Big Ten Football to Be Played During 2021 Spring Sports Season
- Oddsmakers are listing yes as the -190 favorite as to whether football will be played as part of the Big Ten spring sports schedule in 2021
- Is spring college football a realistic venture, or just the conference trying to save face?
- See the odds on whether the Big Ten goes ahead with spring football below
Spring football is not a new concept for the Big Ten. Spring football games that count in the standings are, however.
On Tuesday, Big Ten conference presidents and chancellors announced that the entire fall sports schedule, including the lucrative football season, were canceled. This decision was made due to uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Big Ten leaders indicated that their hope and intention is to play the football season in the spring of 2021. Is that a realistic possibility?
The oddsmakers think it most certainly is. Currently, bettors can get -190 odds favoring that Big Ten football will be played this spring.
Odds on When Big Ten Football Season Takes Place
| Outcome | Odds |
|---|---|
| Before or During Spring Sports Season 2021 | -190 |
| After Spring Sports Season 2021 | +145 |
Odds taken August 12th
Naysayers who are certain that the idea won’t fly can wager the next Big Ten football won’t be played until after the spring 2021 season at a betting line of +145.
Spring Forward Fallout
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren admitted that he didn’t expect their decision to be applauded by all of the Big Ten member schools, and he was correct in that assumption.
Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Scott Frost was among the most vocal critics. He expressed his disappointment in the Big Ten decision, insisting that they would look at “any and all options” to play football this fall.
Later, in a joint statement with school leaders, Frost toned down his rhetoric. While noting that they continue to be ready to play, their intention was to put safety first.
Warren pointed out that if Nebraska did opt to play fall football, the school could no longer be a member of the Big Ten.
.@finebaum went OFF on Nebraska wanting to play football outside of the Big Ten this season.
"I haven't seen Nebraska anywhere near the National Championship game in about 20 years. I haven't seen them come close. … They're lucky to be in the Big Ten." pic.twitter.com/BGK6CNQ2lg
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 12, 2020
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith called it a sad day. However, Smith added that the Buckeyes would not look into other options to play Fall football.
However, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day contradicted Smith. He suggested they are seeing what opportunities were out there.
Reasons Behind the Big Ten Decision
The Big Ten is one of the most widely-spread conferences in college football. There are 14 schools across 11 states.
This factor certainly played a role in their decision. American response to the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic varies from state to state.
In some areas, it might be considered safe to play. For other states, it isn’t even close to being safe.
Detroit Free Press' @shawnwindsor believes that recent studies on the heart condition myocarditis are what changed the Big Ten's thinking in the last week.
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) August 11, 2020
“Trends have not improved, they’ve become worse,” Warren told ESPN. “It’s just a level of not only concerns, but unknown risks are large. When you’re dealing with the health of human beings, it’s serious.”
An ESPN report noted that five Big Ten athletes have been diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that can be caused by viral infections like COVID-19. It can lead to cardiac arrest.
Could Spring Football Work?
There are already scenarios floating about how the Big Ten spring football season could play out. Expectations are that the season would consist of between 6-8 games. Play would likely get underway in February or March.
Is it feasible to play a spring season and follow it up with another in the fall of 2021?
Will the elite 1-2% of Big Ten stars, the players who are headed toward a future in pro football, even bother to participate? Based on a tweet by Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, that seems unlikely.
Take away that talent and suddenly Big Ten games look just like MAC games.
Smh..
— Justin Fields (@justnfields) August 11, 2020
In recent years, top NFL Draft prospects have chosen to opt out of bowl games that held no bearing on the national championship for fear of suffering a serious injury that might impact their draft status. Are those same players going to be willing to take part in a football season that figures to bump right up against the April date for the NFL Draft?
While it’s still early, the NFL has offered no indication that they’d be willing to delay its draft date.
Spring Football Could Be Your Call
Imagine if the same American leaders demanding that college football be played showed similar support to cautions such as social distancing, wearing a mask and not opening the economy up too soon. America would’ve flattened the COVID-19 curve long ago.
To our student-athletes:
We respect you.
We will always fight for you.
We will be back.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/0EEyI2eDM2— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 11, 2020
College football season could go ahead as scheduled. The chances of spring college football being played might rely on the willingness of more Americans to take the dangers of COVID-19 seriously.
Good luck with that.
Pick: After Spring Sports Season 2021 (+145).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
