No Penn State Football? Big Ten Reportedly Cancels 2020 Season

PENNSYLVANIA — Coronavirus concerns have led the Big Ten athletic conference to cancel the 2020 season, according to reports, meaning that there could be no Penn State football until 2021.

During his radio show on Monday, Dan Patrick reported that the Big Ten's presidents voted 12-2 to cancel the upcoming football season. The lone dissenting voices came from Nebraska and Iowa, Patrick reported. The Big Ten has not made a formal public announcement but is expected to do so on Tuesday, multiple sources stated.

The news is an abrupt shift for the Big Ten, as the conference just announced its 2020 schedule last week. As one of the largest and most visible collegiate athletic conferences in the nation, the move could serve as a bellwether for other conferences around the country which have not yet made a final decision on fall 2020 athletics.

While it would be a highly unusual circumstance, rumors have persisted that schools which want to compete in 2020 could join other conferences which are going ahead with the fall season, such as The Big 12. Penn State has not publicly addressed this issue.

The Big Ten reportedly voted 12-2 to cancel the season. Nebraska and Iowa were the two dissenting votes, according to Dan Patrick.

Other conferences have already begun pulling the plug on fall athletics. The Ivy League and Mid-American Conference canceled football earlier this year, shifting the focus to more prominent football-focused colleges, like those in the Big Ten. The SEC has decided to go ahead with the season, while the Big 12 and the ACC are two major conferences still undecided.

The notion of a fall season has sharply split collegiate athletic officials with fans and players, especially at Penn State, many of whom want to play.

The Penn State Football Parents Association released a letter on Sunday evening in support of the season.

"Our sons are regularly tested and contact tracing protocols have been developed to ensure player safety as well as parent confidence," wrote Dianne Freiermuth, the Association president. "The players want to play this season. While risk can never be eliminated, Penn State has minimized this risk and the season can be played in a safe manner."

"We are ready to play and we want to play," Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth wrote on Twitter Sunday evening.

The school had just announced last week that no fans would be permitted at any Penn State athletic competitions, including football, to begin the 2020 season.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Chris Mosby