Big Ten football will be played, but there will be no fans in the stands.
When the Big Ten kicks off its season the weekend of Oct. 24, it will do it from empty stadiums as the conference has decided not to sell tickets to the public for the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though fans will not be permitted, Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said the conference will work to accommodate players' families.
Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith expressed his support for the Big Ten's decision to play without fans in the stands this fall.
“Let's mitigate the risk," Smith said. "Let's make sure we get the games played in a safe way.”
Ohio State has long been planning for reduced capacity or no fans at all.
Back in June, Smith said Ohio State had begun exploring models that included a greatly reduced capacity as well as no fans in the stands. In late July, Ohio State informed season-ticket holders that Ohio Stadium's capacity would be reduced to "no more than 20 percent."
The full Big Ten schedule has not yet been released, teams will play an "8+1" schedule, featuring eight regular-games followed by a ninth cross-divisional game for every team to be played the same weekend as the Big Ten Championship game.
