Lot's of commentators heaped praise on the Big 10/Pac 12 and dumped on the ACC/Big 12/SEC back in August. Time to eat some crow.
Everything about how we deal with this pandemic is and has been fluid. I'm selfishly glad they changed course, but I have no idea if it's the right decision.
Yes they are just as greedy as the others - the greed just won out in the end. That doesn't change the objective answer.
Have y'all seen the details of the B1G announcement? No chance they get in a full 8 game season.
- Players have to sit out 21 days after a positive test (other conferences are at 10-14)
- >5% team positive rate equals full shutdown - no practice or competition - that's like 7 players
At a minimum, no chance the season gets completer before the BCS playoff. The other conferences have bye weeks built-in to make up games. IIRC, the Big 10 only has one bye week built in. Also, would seem like the number of cases will increase as the weather gets cold and people spend more time inside. The Big 10 will be trying to play games in the heart of the flu season.
Not just greed. It's that life has to move forward. People criticized the PGA when they restarted first, then the NBA and NHL, then MLB (particularly after the Marlins and Cardinals had outbreaks), NFL and now college football. Rather than just shutdown without an end, we now know that if people act responsibly and are disciplined taking care of themselves and protecting others, we can move forward with life. That's a really important lesson. Those that follow protocols, take reasonable precautions and think about others can do more than just stay locked up at home, waiting for a cure that may or may not come.