Big Ten Fall Sports Won't Start Until At Least Sept. 5

The conference announced Wednesday its plans for all fall sports, but schedules still aren't set.

The Big Ten released its updated college football schedule Wednesday, opting for a 10-game conference slate.

The other fall sports — men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball — won't start until at least Sept. 5, the conference announced.

Those sports will also see a conference-only schedule much like football, but those schedules will be released at a later date, according to a release from the conference.

The Iowa men's and women's cross country teams were originally scheduled to compete in their first meet on Sept. 4 in Iowa City. Iowa's other fall sports (field hockey, women's soccer, women's volleyball) have not yet been released.

Even with Sept. 5 being the start-date goal for those sports, there's plenty of room for things to shift, so nothing is certain at this point.

"While the Conference remains hopeful for a September 2020 start in all fall sports, including football, issuing a schedule does not guarantee that competition will occur," the Big Ten said in its statement. "While our strategy is to continue planning for all fall sports, if the virus continues to spread among our students despite our many preventative measures, including testing and quarantine protocols, we are also prepared to delay or cancel competition pursuant to local and state public health orders or the recommendations of our medical experts."

The Big Ten acknowledged that while it remains hopeful for a fall season, there's still plenty or work to be done on college campuses in order to keep the virus under control.

"As Commissioner Kevin Warren has consistently stated, our country is navigating unprecedented times and throughout all decisions, the health and safety of our students, student-athletes, and everyone associated with our Big Ten university communities remains our primary focus as we work with our institutions to provide a healthy and productive learning environment that includes intercollegiate athletic competition," the release states.

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