The Big Ten Conference finally got one right.
The league’s refusal to budge even for common sense proposals had further deteriorated trust in the leadership’s decision making. The league budged Wednesday, making a change to rules established upon the return of football for this fall.
Previously teams had to play six of the eight scheduled games to be eligible for the Big Ten Championship game. Ohio State has only played five, and with Michigan canceling this week, the Buckeyes were going to fall short of that threshold. So the Big Ten Administrators Council jumped into action.
The Council, which includes the Directors of Athletics and Senior Women Administrators from all 14 member institutions, voted to eliminate the minimum game requirement. According to the release, the decision was based on a “competitive analysis which determined that Ohio State would have advanced to the Big Ten Football Championship Game based on its undefeated record and head-to-head victory over Indiana regardless of a win or loss against Michigan.”
The decision was made in collaboration with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, the ultimate authority in the league.
The release closes by saying the “conference continues to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes and remains flexible and united with its 14 member institutions and partners during these unprecedented times.”
The championship game of Ohio State-Northwestern is the only known Champions Week game. It appears host sites will be used for the other games. It is still unclear how opponents will be matched, and whether or not every team will be available. Indiana, Purdue, and Michigan are all out this week due to COVID-19 positives within their programs.