Big Ten football is back in full force, and that means IU players are gearing up to take on one of the most difficult schedules they’ve ever had to face.
On Sept. 16, 2020, the Big Ten conference announced its intent to resume the season on the weekend of Oct. 24. According to a CNBC article, the initial postponement of the season put more than $700 million at risk. Data provided by the research firm Kantar to CNBC revealed that football is one of the largest money makers for college athletic programs, bringing in about $3 billion over the last two years, so the Big Ten’s decision resulted in backlash.
After the return-to-play announcement, players like IU Kicker Jack Cardillo did not hesitate to express their elation.
“I’ve gone through it all, I’ve been here for four years now, with the guys that I’m on the team with now,” said Cardillo. “And we want to take the field with the guys we got right now. So once that announcement came out, it was full excitement — full ready to go.”
Despite the delay in resuming the season, the IU football squad never stopped grinding. Voluntary workouts resumed in July and then continued into the start of the school year as they trained while abiding by COVID-19 rules.
“One thing that Coach Allen always tells us is that ‘we don’t blink’,” said Cardillo. “And so, regardless of what gets thrown at us, you know, we still keep going. And I know me and my teammates we kept, you know, finding ways to get creative.”
IU Kicker Jack Cardillo talks about the affects of COVID-19 on the team and the protocols they were encouraged to abide by.
The difference now — the athletes have something to play for. IU’s Senior Associate Athletic Director, Jeremy Gray, expressed his opinion on the significance of having a fall season for both the athletes and the entire athletic department as a whole.
“To practice and perpetuity without hope of competition — that becomes a grind,” said Gray. “And it has a totally different feel when you know that there’s going to be game day. And so, it’s really changed the pep in the step collectively of everyone in the athletic department.”
Ultimately, the return of football brings a bit of normalcy back to campus — something both the players, and the rest of the Bloomington community, are craving.
IU hosted Penn State for their first game of the delayed season on Oct. 24. Their 36-35 overtime win propelled Indiana’s entrance in both the Associated Press (AP) at No. 17 and the Amway Coaches Poll at No. 19, according to USA Today Sports on Oct. 25.
In their first game, IU allowed each player four tickets to give to friends and family, and select media members were admitted. No other fans were permitted into Memorial Stadium.
“Having actual football games on campus, even if the fans are not there, that’ll just be a little bit closer to what was normal prior to March 10, 2020, and that’s a very good thing,” said Gray.
The newly ranked Hoosiers head to Piscataway, New Jersey on Saturday, Oct. 31 to face Rutgers.
Jeremy Gray speaks of IU Athletic’s goals for player engagement during the 2020 fall season.
