Barry Alvarez
FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren addresses the media in Indianapolis. The Big Ten’s plan to play football this fall includes trying to save lives in the future. The conference announced Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, it would have a football season this fall. The Big Ten is setting up a cardiac registry to study the effects COVID-19 has on student-athletes' hearts. Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said it will help all students, surrounding communities, and the entire nation. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Big Ten teams start sprint toward unusual football season

By Michael Marot Sep. 17, 2020 03:01 AM EDT

The Husker Hounds sports apparel store in Omaha, Neb., shows on television screens Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, a Big Ten virtual news conference to discuss the reopening of the football season. President Donald Trump was quick to spike the ball in celebration when the Big Ten announced the return of fall football at colleges clustered in some of the Midwest battleground states critical to his reelection effort. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
With Big Ten reversal, Trump aims to score in battlegrounds

By Aamer Madhani Sep. 17, 2020 12:18 AM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 9, 2019, file photo, Minnesota football players hold up the Governor's Victory Bell after winning 31-26 against Penn State during an NCAA college football game in Minneapolis. Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all. Less than five weeks after pushing football and other fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the pandemic, the conference changed course Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, and said it plans to begin its season the weekend of Oct. 23-24. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs, File)
Column: College football whiffs in tackling the coronavirus

By Paul Newberry Sep. 16, 2020 06:57 PM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2019, file photo, Rutgers NCAA college football head coach Greg Schiano speaks at an introductory news conference in Piscataway, N.J. Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all. Less than five weeks after pushing football and other fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the pandemic, the conference changed course Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, and said it plans to begin its season the weekend of Oct. 23-24. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Reverse: Big Ten will try to play fall football after all

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 16, 2020 09:28 AM EDT

Real Salt Lake fans wearing masks wait for the team's MLS soccer match against Los Angeles FC on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020, in Sandy, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The Latest: 2 South Carolina football players test positive

By The Associated Press Sep. 10, 2020 05:50 PM EDT

John Stanton, owner of the Seattle Mariners, wears a mask he he sits next to cutout photos of fans in the stands while watching the team's baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The Latest: Wisconsin football, hockey taking 2-week break

By The Associated Press Sep. 09, 2020 04:42 PM EDT

FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019, file photo, Georgia Tech wide receiver Ahmarean Brown runs for yardage during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Miami, in Miami Gardens, Fla. The Yellow Jackets will need big years from their receivers if they are to improve upon last season's unit, which finished 124th in scoring and fourth-worst among FBS schools in total offense.(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Column: Still time for college football to avoid a real mess

By Paul Newberry Aug. 14, 2020 04:58 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2019, file photo, Oregon offensive lineman Penei Sewell (58) looks on as Oregon plays Auburn in an NCAA college football game in Arlington, Texas. After the Power Five conference commissioners met Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020, to discuss mounting concern about whether a college football season can be played in a pandemic, players took to social media to urge leaders to let them play. to discuss mounting concern about whether a college football season can be played in a pandemic, players took to social media to urge leaders to let them play. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins, File)
College football in the spring: When? How much? Who plays?

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 12, 2020 03:26 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2019, file photo, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (1) runs with the ball against Wisconsin during the first half of the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, in Indianapolis. The Big Ten won't play football this fall because of concerns about COVID-19, becoming the first of college sports' power conferences to yield to the pandemic. The move announced Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, comes six day after the conference that includes historic programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska and Penn State had released a revised conference-only schedule that it hoped would help it navigate a fall season with potential COVID-19 disruptions. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Big Ten, Pac-12 pull plug on fall football amid pandemic

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 11, 2020 03:20 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2019, file photo, the Big Ten logo is displayed on the field before an NCAA college football game between Iowa and Miami of Ohio in Iowa City, Iowa. The Big Ten released its 10-game conference-only football schedule beginning as early as Labor Day weekend but cautioned there is no certainty games will be played. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Big Ten football season set to begin on Labor Day weekend

By Eric Olson Aug. 05, 2020 10:14 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 6, 2020, file photo, Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada runs to first base with a hit in the first inning of the team's spring training baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz. Moncada rejoined the White Sox after missing the start of their summer camp because he contracted the coronavirus. Moncada revealed on a video conference call with reporters Thursday, July 16, that he tested positive for COVID-19. He said he didn't experience any major symptoms but it was a difficult time for him and a little scary. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
The Latest: Meadows tests positive, Moncada back from virus

By The Associated Press Jul. 16, 2020 12:26 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2018, file photo, Texas players sing "The Eyes of Texas" after an NCAA college football game against Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. A group of University of Texas football players and athletes across several sports on Friday, June 12, 2020, urged the school to rename several campus buildings, change the traditional school song and donate a percentage of athletic department revenue to organizations supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. (AP Photo/Brad Tollefson, File)
NCAA encourages day off from college sports on election day

By Ralph D. Russo Jun. 12, 2020 05:11 PM EDT

View of the Eiffel Tower from the deserted Concorde square during nationwide confinement measures to counter the Covid-19, in Paris, Friday, May 8, 2020. France continues to be under an extended stay-at-home order until May 11 in an attempt to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The Latest: Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez asked to take pay cut

By The Associated Press May. 09, 2020 12:13 PM EDT

Colleges thrown for big losses in sports budget crunch

By Dave Campbell May. 08, 2020 08:51 PM EDT
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — With the end of this virus-disrupted school year drawing nearer, a predictably bleak financial outlook for major college sports has emerged...

FILE - In this Nov. 20, 1993, file photo, Iowa football coach Hayden Fry is carried off the field after his team defeated Minnesota in an NCAA college football game, giving him his 200th career victory in Iowa City, Iowa. Fry, the Texan who revived Iowa football and became a Hawkeye State institution, died Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, after a long battle with cancer. He was 90. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Hayden Fry, Texan who turned around Iowa, dies at 90

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 17, 2019 09:34 PM EST

Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert (10) and teammate La'Mar Winston Jr. (32) celebrate after Oregon defeated Utah 37-15 in an NCAA college football game for the Pac-12 Conference championship in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, Dec. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
No. 7 Oregon, No. 11 Wisconsin to clash in 106th Rose Bowl

By Greg Beacham Dec. 08, 2019 03:35 PM EST

FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2018, file photo, Minnesota players celebrate with the Paul Bunyan Axe trophy after beating Wisconsin 37-15 in an NCAA college football game, in Madison, Wis. More than Paul Bunyan’s Axe is on the line in college football’s most-played rivalry. The winner of Saturday’s game between No. 9 Minnesota and No. 13 Wisconsin wins a division title, and plays No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)
Sorry, Ohio St-Michigan, Wisconsin-Minnesota is biggest game

By Eric Olson Nov. 27, 2019 12:12 PM EST

Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm looks on during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Northwestern, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, in Evanston, Ill. Purdue won 24-22. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Big Ten Spotlight: West Division coaches in long-term deals

By Keith Jenkins Nov. 21, 2019 01:55 PM EST

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez (2) falls to his knees after failing to pick up a first down against Purdue during the second half of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 2, 2019. Purdue defeated Nebraska 31-27. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Huskers brace for No. 15 Badgers’ Taylor-led rushing attack

By Eric Olson Nov. 15, 2019 03:00 AM EST

FILE - This is a Nov. 4, 2015, file photo showing College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock speaking during a press conference, in Rosemont, Ill. When talking about possible College Football Playoff expansion, the word momentum gets tossed around a lot as those who cover and follow the sport search for insight from experts and hints about what is next from power brokers. The postseason system is not quite halfway through a 12-year contract with ESPN that runs through 2026. The fifth College Football Playoff national champion will be crowned Monday night when No. 1 Alabama faces No. 2 Clemson at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Expansion seems inevitable. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
A bigger college football playoff faces series of obstacles

By Ralph D. Russo Jan. 02, 2019 04:23 PM EST