Fall without football
Fresh off an 11-2 finish, the Gophers were scheduled to play their season opener Thursday night at TCF Bank Stadium against Florida Atlantic. The coronavirus pandemic changed everything. Here's where things stand:
The since-dashed, revised plan: After canceling nonconference games, the Big Ten on Aug. 5 released a 10-game schedule that would have had the Gophers starting at Michigan State this Saturday, followed by trophy games against Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin.
Now what? It's murky. The Big Ten postponed fall sports indefinitely Aug. 11. Most signs point to an early January start, although Thanksgiving week is a possibility, and President Donald Trump has urged Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren to play "immediately."
Meanwhile: Besides the Big Ten and Pac-12, all the other Power Five conferences and various other leagues still plan to play this fall. Scheduled upcoming games include: Central Arkansas at Alabama-Birmingham (Thursday), SMU at Texas (Saturday), Clemson at Wake Forest (Sept. 12), Miami at Louisville (Sept. 19) and Mississippi State at LSU (Sept. 26).
