Ryan Day: Ohio State Should Explore 'Every Option' If Big Ten Cancels CFB Season

Joseph Zucker @@JosephZuckerFeatured ColumnistAugust 10, 2020

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day during the first half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game against Clemson, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri).

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day wouldn't rule out the idea of the Buckeyes leaving the Big Ten for the 2020 season should the conference cancel or postpone the 2020 fall college football season.

Day said Monday on College Football Live that "we need to look at every option" when asked about temporarily joining another Power Five conference:

Tom VanHaaren @TomVH
Ryan Day says his players feel safer at the football facility than being elsewhere. That the players have said they want to play, so he feels it’s his job to advocate for them. Says “We can not cancel the season right now.” “We owe it to these kids” to exhaust every option.

Albert Breer @AlbertBreer
Ohio State coach Ryan Day was just asked on ESPN about playing in another conference if the Big Ten shuts down: "We need to look at every option. And if that's the only option, we need to explore it and see if that's something we can do." 👀

The Big Ten has already adopted a conference-only scheduling format. The Detroit Free Press' Orion Sang, David Jesse, Chris Solari and Chris Thomas reported the conference will cancel a fall football season altogether.

Cleveland.com's Nathan Baird reported Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson would vote against canceling the season if the matter is brought to a vote Monday.

Nebraska head coach Scott Frost said Monday in a press conference the school is "committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks," alluding to a possible move away from the Big Ten.

Husker Sports @HuskerSports
"Our University is committed to playing no matter what, no matter what that looks like and how that looks. We want to play no matter who it is or where it is." #Huskers HC Scott Frost on opponents for 2020. https://t.co/kTPN9znv0v

During his radio show on Monday, Dan Patrick echoed the Free Press report and added that the Pac-12 is planning to announce a cancellation. The ACC and Big 12 remain undecided:

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Dan Patrick Show @dpshow
DP was told an hour ago that the Big 10 and Pac 12 will cancel their football seasons tomorrow... The ACC and the Big 12 are on the fence.. And the SEC is trying to get teams to join them for a season. Watch live: https://t.co/sMaeXQkLfl https://t.co/oSUNGMTEqw

Finding a new conference is one obvious hurdle in front of Ohio State, Nebraska and any other school that might consider realigning for 2020 in order to play football. If one or more Power Five conference wipes out the season, the holdouts might have a difficult time justifying continuing to play without significantly damaging the NCAA's position that college athletes are amateurs.

Michael McCann @McCannSportsLaw
I agree, @bySLPrice. Playing college football this fall will open up schools, conferences, coaches & NCAA to lawsuits should players get sick. Also, if players are required to spend more time on athletics or relocate to a bubble, they'll gain stronger argument they are employees. https://t.co/WicKoCstNd

Setting up a bubble to house a limited number of programs is the most straightforward solution since multiple leagues in the United States have shown the approach can significantly curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

Some would argue the stratified landscape is already ripe for Power Five conferences to separate themselves from the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The pandemic might hasten what already feels inevitable, thus potentially altering college football in ways that would have ripple effects for years to come.