Griz, Cats and Viks opt out of Big Sky spring play

[JALMOND]

Montana, Montana State and Portland State will play a modified non-conference schedule starting in April and will not participate in conference play nor in the post season this spring.

https://msubobcats.com/news/2021/1/15/montana-schools-to-play-modified-spring-football-season.aspx

[Daytripper]

I think this is a mistake.

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Smart move! I think others will follow!

[JALMOND]

406sports release with comment from all three schools.

https://406mtsports.com/college/big-sky-conference/montana-state-university/montana-montana-state-opt-out-of-big-sky-spring-football-season-due-to-covid-19/article_085e41cd-779e-50bb-8411-6d0afe345bc6.html

[Libertine]

It sounds like these three teams are essentially scrimmaging against each other to wrap up spring ball which, ordinarily, they wouldn't be able to do so kudos to them for figuring out that loophole.

[Professor Chaos]

The excuse that they can't safely practice early enough and that it would have a detrimental effect on the fall 2021 season is valid and fine but why wait until 1/15 to make that decision over 2 months after the Big Sky released it's spring schedule?

I get the feeling more schools will follow and there's a real danger that the playoffs will be cancelled with not enough schools willing to participate. It would've been nice to know that earlier so conferences/schools that still do want to play in the spring wouldn't have to cram their season in to get done by the weekend of 4/17 to accommodate for the playoffs.

[OhioHen]

Remains to be seen if the announcements this week (Dayton and now the 3 Big Sky teams) are simply one-offs or the start of a series of dominoes falling.

Have to agree with the statement that if opting out is based on the weather in February, that decision could certainly have been made in advance of the league developing and announcing a schedule.

[Libertine]

I get the sense that there has been a philosophical divide all along among university and athletic staffs and one side is just now becoming convinced.

[JALMOND]

The excuse that they can't safely practice early enough and that it would have a detrimental effect on the fall 2021 season is valid and fine but why wait until 1/15 to make that decision over 2 months after the Big Sky released it's spring schedule?



I can't speak for the Montana schools but we were prepared to try to give it a go at first. Back when the schedules came out, we thought we would be further along with this whole COVID thing. Yet here we are and while we do have vaccines available, no state is putting college football athletes at the head of the line. Also with the news today about the situation in Arizona and us having to go to NAU in early March didn't sound good. Looking at our situation with the men's basketball team in that we are playing our first conference games since December 20, even though we had no COVID cases at our school, made us wonder how realistic is it that we would even get to play six games. When we heard about what the Montana schools were planning, we decided to join them. It just makes more sense in the big picture. This season is pretty much a lost season anyway.

[dewey]

Smart move! I think others will follow!

Agreed. I highly doubt there is a spring season. Those are 2 pretty big dominoes that fell.

Dewey

[Professor Chaos]

I can't speak for the Montana schools but we were prepared to try to give it a go at first. Back when the schedules came out, we thought we would be further along with this whole COVID thing. Yet here we are and while we do have vaccines available, no state is putting college football athletes at the head of the line. Also with the news today about the situation in Arizona and us having to go to NAU in early March didn't sound good. Looking at our situation with the men's basketball team in that we are playing our first conference games since December 20, even though we had no COVID cases at our school, made us wonder how realistic is it that we would even get to play six games. When we heard about what the Montana schools were planning, we decided to join them. It just makes more sense in the big picture. This season is pretty much a lost season anyway.
Yet numerous schools got in seasons in the fall, some working with FCS athletic budgets, without any major health issues amongst players or coaches. Where there's a will to play amidst this pandemic there's a way and that's been proven in the sports world repeatedly since last summer.

[JALMOND]

Yet numerous schools got in seasons in the fall, some working with FCS athletic budgets, without any major health issues amongst players or coaches. Where there's a will to play amidst this pandemic there's a way and that's been proven in the sports world repeatedly since last summer.

How many actually got through the season as it was laid out in the beginning? Ohio State needed a late exemption to play in the Big10 championship game. Washington cancelled their last game with Oregon and qualified for the Pac-12 championship game because of that. NDSU got in one game before they bagged it. Same with SIU. Many of us signed up to play in the spring thinking we would finally have a grip on this pandemic, yet we still don't. Do you really think the FCS schools will be able to play the spring season as it is currently outlined? I doubt it. Teams will need to be flexible and it is a good bet some won't know who they are playing until that week. Under this plan we are looking at maintaining some normalcy by sticking to an normal spring schedule, but playing a couple games in April at the end, and shooting for a fresh start in August. Hopefully by then, we will have a better grasp of this pandemic.

[Professor Chaos]

How many actually got through the season as it was laid out in the beginning? Ohio State needed a late exemption to play in the Big10 championship game. Washington cancelled their last game with Oregon and qualified for the Pac-12 championship game because of that. NDSU got in one game before they bagged it. Same with SIU. Many of us signed up to play in the spring thinking we would finally have a grip on this pandemic, yet we still don't. Do you really think the FCS schools will be able to play the spring season as it is currently outlined? I doubt it. Teams will need to be flexible and it is a good bet some won't know who they are playing until that week. Under this plan we are looking at maintaining some normalcy by sticking to an normal spring schedule, but playing a couple games in April at the end, and shooting for a fresh start in August. Hopefully by then, we will have a better grasp of this pandemic.
If your expectation is to get through a season as originally scheduled I doubt even fall '21 will hit that criteria. Schools and conferences need to have the foresight to have a buffer for uncertainty built into the schedule. The Big Ten and Pac-12 couldn't do that because they balked on a fall season altogether and by the time they decided to give it a go they had no extra weeks to make up games.

I thought that a spring FCS season was certainly doable but the FCS needed the collective will to make it happen... I have less and less confidence every day it seems that it does. At this point I'm guessing some schools will get as many as 8 games in this spring but not enough will be willing to play the minimum 4 games to have enough to do the playoff.

[Bisonoline]

If your expectation is to get through a season as originally scheduled I doubt even fall '21 will hit that criteria. Schools and conferences need to have the foresight to have a buffer for uncertainty built into the schedule. The Big Ten and Pac-12 couldn't do that because they balked on a fall season altogether and by the time they decided to give it a go they had no extra weeks to make up games.

I thought that a spring FCS season was certainly doable but the FCS needed the collective will to make it happen... I have less and less confidence every day it seems that it does. At this point I'm guessing some schools will get as many as 8 games in this spring but not enough will be willing to play the minimum 4 games to have enough to do the playoff.

What would be the point??????

[JALMOND]

What would be the point??????
[/B]

Exactly why Montana, Montana State and Portland State are doing this. We are banking on the idea that most, if not all, of the team will take advantage of the extra season allowed by the NCAA and will return for fall 2021. Use the spring like you would any other year, yet you have an opportunity to schedule a couple games where it is not just against the same squad you see every day, and get ready for fall. As compared to rush through a spring season, trying to get your conditioning to a game level, play a 6-game schedule trying to maybe get 4 in (if you're lucky) and play in a playoff situation where you don't know what will happen if COVID is rampant there (NDSU's three playoff opponents all came down with COVID and the Bison automatically move to the championship to play someone who had to play 3 playoff games to get there).

[JayJ79]

I get the feeling more schools will follow and there's a real danger that the playoffs will be cancelled with not enough schools willing to participate.
could just let the conferences/schools that do choose to play spring schedules (and want to do the playoffs) qualify for the playoffs. possibly reducing the size of the bracket if need be

[100%GRIZ]

could just let the conferences/schools that do choose to play spring schedules (and want to do the playoffs) qualify for the playoffs. possibly reducing the size of the bracket if need be
or just skip a year and be done with it!

[Bisonoline]

or just skip a year and be done with it!

They have to keep everyone working. What better way than to create the illusion that a season is in the works to keep donations etc coming in. Then if it doesnt work out then we move the goalposts to getting ready for next season.

[lucchesicourt]

There's a good bet this will carry on into fall season. Viruses are essentially non living entities that carry DNA or RNA into a living individual and take over the cell mechanics to produce more

virus particles. Sure, we may have a vaccine now, but these viruses also tend to mutate so in the future the current vaccine may not work. I see people will continue to get infected, and their own

immune systems will need to defeat the illness. Viruses are very difficult to defeat. If it was easy to defeat these guys, the common cold would no longer exist.

[JayJ79]

or just skip a year and be done with it!
why not leave it up to the individual conferences or schools to decide?
And if there are schools/conferences that want to hold a season and participate in the playoffs, then have the playoffs for those schools.

[jacksfan29!]

Difficult for immune systems to defeat a virus when you harm the system by forcing those not at risk to hide from it.

[100%GRIZ]

why not leave it up to the individual conferences or schools to decide?
And if there are schools/conferences that want to hold a season and participate in the playoffs, then have the playoffs for those schools.
My point exactly!

[100%GRIZ]

Vigen da MAN at MSU from WY and roots at NDSU

[Schism55]

https://twitter.com/SamHerderFCS/status/1366844254920855556

[JALMOND]

https://twitter.com/SamHerderFCS/status/1366844254920855556

https://goviks.com/news/2021/3/2/viking-football-will-play-this-spring-at-montana-on-april-17.aspx

Portland State release.