Buckeyes want answers and to get things going

The Power Five will see its first football game later this evening as Miami (Fla.) kicks off its season while the Big Ten sits on the sidelines, at least in terms of playing games.

Ryan Day’s Buckeyes have been busy practicing and just waiting for some sort of good news that would take them out of timeout and get ready for meaningful games. As of yet, that has not happened as the conference remains in limbo after deciding to postpone the season after being the first league to move to a league-only schedule.

Day released a statement on Thursday expressing his hope to get something going and frustration in the timing of this entire situation.

While I understand the Big Ten Conference’s decision to postpone the football season because of health and safety considerations, the communication of information from the Big Ten following the decision has been disappointing and often unclear," Day said to start off the statement.

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren has done very few media appearances since the Big Ten decided to delay the season, leaving the public in the dark. But it is not only the public that has been left wondering what is going on as players, coaches and families all have been left largely in the dark as well.

The league has been quick to talk about the potential of a season "at a later date" and some have wondered if that means "spring", "winter" or even "fall" as various scenarios have been rumored, but that has been about as far as things have gone.

For the Buckeyes, a hope to return for "fall football" would be the best and really the only way that one of the nation's top teams would be able to compete on an equal stage with the other top teams in college football.

"We still have an opportunity to give our young men what they have worked so hard for: a chance to safely compete for a national championship this fall," Day added. "I couldn't possibly be prouder of how this team, our medical personnel, athletic director and president have stayed together and managed through this extremely difficult time with so many unanswered questions."

The Big Ten has formed a medical subcommittee on the medical aspects surrounding a return to play in the day and age of Coronavirus. Other conferences have found a way to play football with two weeks of competition already occurring but this would be the first week of action from the Big 12 and ACC, two of the three Power Five leagues that are set to play in the fall.

"These young men and their parents have asked so many questions that I do not have an answer to, but the one that hurts the most is “Why can these other teams and players play and we can’t?” Duke is playing Notre Dame, and Clemson is playing Wake Forest this weekend," Day concluded. "Our players want to know: why can't they play?"

The Buckeyes were voted as the nation’s No. 2 team in both the AP Poll as well as the coaches poll. With Ohio State not playing a “fall season” at this point, they will not be in the future polls but the hope is with an aligned season, if that is possible, that the Buckeyes could be one of the last teams standing and make their way back to the College Football Playoff.

For now, it just seems as if the Big Ten is intent on not providing much in the way of answers as legal minds, including Ohio’s Attorney General, are ready to see this move to the courts.

The Big Ten is already in the court system after more than half-a-dozen players for Nebraska filed suit in state court.

As always, we will stay on top of this story with all of the latest details.