After an offseason riddled with cancelations and bad news, college football was played this week. Here’s a roundup of the key stories around the nation.
The offseason is finally (somewhat) over. There was college football played this week, but the status of the season is far from secure. If you want to look back at the up-and-down news cycle, you can check out the late-July edition of this update here, the early August edition here or the mid-August update here. Here’s the latest.
Central Arkansas beats Austin Peay
The opening game of the 2020 season was bizarre, perhaps fittingly. Austin Peay was without multiple starters because of COVID-19 protocols. Their top receiver did not make the trip. Neither did their longsnapper, which led to their quarterback attempting a half dozen pooch punts. With less than two minutes to play, Central Arkansas drove the length of the field, scored, and put together one last defensive stand to secure the win.
Big 12, SEC and C-USA agree on testing protocols
Three of the five FBS conferences plaything this fall have agreed to test their athletes three times during game weeks. The first two tests of the week will be the PCR test. The third test, done Friday’s before a Saturday game, will be an antigen test with quicker results.
LSU temporarily loses offensive line to COVID-19 positives
According to The Advocate, “all but four LSU offensive lineman are in quarantine”. That’s a sobering note during the offseason, and one that could prove even more costly once the season begins. How would LSU play a game on Saturday with four healthy offensive linemen? Just one of the many concerns of playing college football in a pandemic.
Nebraska players sue Big Ten
Of the Big Ten’s member programs, Nebraska was one of the most outspoken critics of the conference’s decision to forgo a fall football seaosn. Now some of its players have taken that criticism one step further. This week a group of eight players filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten Conference seeking a reversal of that decision. The Big Ten was quickly dismissive, saying the lawsuit had “no merit.”
Troy postpones first game
Revised conference schedules were created with flexibility. Games were going to be impacted by the virus, building in the ability to push games back and reschedule was a must. Those changes are already happening. Troy delayed it’s Sept. 5 opener against ULM to Dec. 5 after ULM announced they would be unable to play because of positive tests among members of their football program.
