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/2021/1/1...ll-season.aspx
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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/2021/1/1...ll-season.aspx
I think this is a mistake.
Smart move! I think others will follow!
406sports release with comment from all three schools.
https://406mtsports.com/college/big-...afe345bc6.html
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.