ADVERTISEMENT

If there is not a season....

Chriselli

All-Big Ten
Nov 27, 2001
3,884
2,869
113
So, things are not trending in the right direction for there to be a football season in 2020-21. If that is the case, how does it affect Indiana in particular. Consider:

1. Indiana could go through another recruiting cycle based on an 8-4 season. It also further distances any season with less than a 5-7 record for recruits. It makes things based more on our coaching staff, facilities, and 2019 season than it does our fan support or any regression that could have occurred in 2020 - although I think this team was going to be very good.

2. Indiana has a small senior class. Regardless of how things shake out regarding what the NCAA will do eligibility-wise, Indiana should come out of this positively. If players are not allowed to retain this year, Indiana will have more experienced players than other teams who lose more seniors and stack large recruiting classes on large recruiting classes. Granted, with 20 months off, a lot of development/regression could have occurred, but we would seem to be well-positioned.

3. What will the NCAA/B1G/IU do about eligibility? In the Spring, the NCAA granted an added year of eligibility for seniors. Wisconsin announced that they were not going to provide scholarships to those athletes. It should be noted that those were schollies for non-revenue generating sports. Might things be different for the starting quarterback? Would IU pony up the cash to keep our seniors? Would we actively recruit who would now be grad transfers from other cash-strapped schools - ie Group of Five schools?

4. What will happen with transfers? Why wouldn't every player in the nation take advantage of a free season to transfer? Would the NCAA make those players sit out two seasons? Again, this is purely speculation, but I would guess that player movement will further accelerate to an all-time high.

5. Will we lose players to the NFL? I would think Stevie Scott would have to go pro. I read something about the STEEP decline of RB's at age 27. Even if he would go undrafted (I'm not sure his draft position would increase at all with another season - he's All B1G - the NFL knows who he is), I think his odds are as good as they ever will be to land a contract. I don't think Penix would declare because it's so much more important that he be drafted highly for compensation purposes.

6. Will the 2020 schedule become the 2021 schedule? Will everything just be pushed back a year? This has major ramifications for OOC games, championship game locations, bowl tie-ins, etc.

I'm sure there a ton of other ramifications, but these just sprang to mind immediately.
 
It involves so much money, I think they will delay a decision as long as possible.
If they can't play this fall, then they will do everything in their power to play in the spring. Way too much money involved for them to just push it aside. IU will lose about 150 million (projected) in revenue. Sports will be cut, salaries will be cut, etc down the line if that happens. It's absolutely a worst case scenario if they don't play at all, and there are posters (not you) that don't grasp that. Would IU survive? Yes, but many, many schools sports programs won't. Cancelling for a year, or two, as some have suggested, would wipe out a projected 55% of college sports programs across the board. Many mid major and below schools depend upon football to carry their other programs. With that revenue gone or in jeopardy, so are they. A decision to not play in the fall needs to be made as late as possible. Many people that I trust have said the Big Ten will play in the fall and many have told me they will play in the spring, but they are going to play if at all possible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: red hornet
ADVERTISEMENT