10
Thursday, July 16, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Michigan releases plan for ticketing at fall sporting events
Michigan answered one of the
many questions surrounding this
year’s uncertain situation for fall
sports on Wednesday, releasing its
plan for football tickets.
This fall, there will be no season
tickets and no tickets open to the
general public. Instead, individual
game tickets will be sold to a mix of
season ticket holders and students
as capacity permits — a number
still undecided.
“We have been working closely
with a wide variety of leaders
to ensure a safe and healthy
environment
for
our
student-
athletes, coaches, fans and support
staff associated with a game at
Michigan
Stadium,”
athletic
director Warde Manuel said in
a statement. “We will follow the
direction that all of these agencies
and experts continue to provide
during this challenging time.”
While all season-ticket holders
who purchased a deal will have
their seating location reserved
for the 2021 season regardless,
the University is offering three
different plans to for what to do
with
the
money
season-ticket
holders have already given.
They will have the option to
convert their payment into a tax-
deductible
gift
to
Michigan’s
athletic department, an option that
will alleviate the pressure brought
on by COVID-19 slightly.
Season-ticket holders could also
add their purchase towards paying
for 2021 season tickets, making
those year’s tickets cheaper. Or,
they could request a refund.
“Once a final decision on the
football
season
is
made,
the
athletic ticket office will follow
up with additional details on how
to request the option for PSC and
season tickets,” the statement
reads. “Season ticket holders do
not need to take any action at this
time.”
Impacts of a conference-only schedule
In a decision that created more
questions than it answered, the Big
Ten Conference ruled in favor of a
conference-only schedule for all fall
sports on Thursday. And while Big
Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren’s
audible keeps the hope of fall sports
alive — for the time being — it will
cause significant changes in the way
student-athletes and coaches prepare
for the upcoming season.
The Michigan football team is no
different.
The idea of a 10-game Big Ten
slate has floated around since the
conference’s
announcement
on
Thursday afternoon, but there’s no
formal word yet regarding what to
expect or when to expect it. Some Big
Ten teams, including the Wolverines,
have even pulled their original 2020
schedule off their official websites.
For now, let’s operate under the
working assumption that a nine or
10-game Big Ten schedule is in store
for this fall. From position battles to
a sense of urgency, The Daily breaks
down how Michigan is impacted most
by the Big Ten’s decision to impose a
conference-only schedule:
How
does
this
affect
the
Wolverines’ quarterback battle?
Between senior Dylan McCaffrey
and junior Joe Milton, the winner of
Michigan’s quarterback competition
may not have a particularly long leash.
Given the abbreviated season and
lack of postseason expansion, the
Wolverines won’t be able to afford
many unnecessary hiccups if they
want to pursue a conference title, let
alone a College Football Playoff berth.
The circumstances of this season’s
title race will be far from normal,
meaning a potential bump or two
in the road could be enough to force
coach Jim Harbaugh’s hand into a
quarterback change.
But if the conference-only schedule
delays the season by multiple weeks,
the Wolverines will have ample time
to allow the battle to play out.
At this point, that’s Harbaugh’s sole
focus.
“I’m very excited about the
quarterbacks that are on the roster
right now,” Harbaugh said during
a
teleconference
with
reporters
Wednesday. “… I see the drive that they
have, which is very high. And they’ve
been tremendous leaders, especially
Dylan and Joe and (sophomore) Cade
(McNamara) through the virtual
meetings, the virtual workouts. Doing
the right things, it’s very important to
them.”
Whether or not a clear signal-caller
emerges, however, remains to be seen.
Michigan can’t afford to ease
into the season
Even before news of a conference-
only football schedule emerged,
easing into the season wasn’t much of
an option for the Wolverines.
With a Week 1 trip to perennial
Pac-12
contender
Washington
previously on the docket, the coaching
staff already had little time to replace
a host of starters from last season’s
team, including 13 who signed NFL
contracts this offseason. But now,
without a trip to Seattle and home
games against Arkansas State and Ball
State, Michigan will have even less
time to incorporate its new faces. That
includes playmakers such as incoming
freshmen wideouts A.J. Henning and
Roman Wilson, who each ran verified
sub-4.50 40-yard dash times in high
school.
Non-conference games would’ve
provided an ideal opportunity to add
a valuable dimension of explosive
speed on offensive and special
teams — something second-year
offensive coordinator Josh Gattis
has mentioned time and time again.
For now, however, all that’s left is a
message that hinges on preparation
and uncertainty.
“The thing (the staff) suggested
and I think they really bought into
was, ‘The providence will favor
the prepared,’ ” Harbaugh said. “…
Better to be prepared and not have
the opportunity than to have the
opportunity and not be prepared.”
It’s anything but an ideal year
to break in four new starting
offensive linemen
There’s never a good time to replace
four starting offensive linemen, but in
a normal season, playing a trio of non-
conference games would’ve helped get
the new faces up to speed.
Even more importantly, it would’ve
helped offensive line coach Ed
Warinner and the rest of the staff
determine who those starters will be.
Returning right tackle Jalen Mayfield
appears set to headline the unit,
while fellow junior Ryan Hayes is the
likeliest candidate for the other tackle
spot. The other three starting roles
are up for grabs, with senior Chuck
Filiaga, senior Andrew Stueber and
sophomore Karsen Barnhart duking it
out for the two guard spots and fifth-
year senior Andrew Vastardis and
sophomore Zach Carpenter battling
for the starting center nod.
While replacing four NFL-bound
starters is no small task, it appears
Michigan is off to a solid start.
“Overall, I would say (the offensive
line) looks good,” Harbaugh said.
“It looks good right now. Both from
a strength standpoint, really good
length there and the athleticism
is really good in that group. …
Individually, they’ve definitely done a
great job of understanding the system
— installs have been probably installed
three times, if not four. Mentally very
sharp, and guys are knowing what
they’re doing.”
Beyond Mayfield, though, the
Wolverines won’t have many answers
until they’re thrown into the fire.
Big Ten to move to fully
in-conference schedule
Just
one
day
after
Jim
Harbaugh
said
he
would
“want the responsibility of
keeping our players safe and
educating them” by having a
football season, the Big Ten is
planning to play a conference-
only schedule, if the season
happens at all, per a source. The
Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach first
reported the news.
“My
thoughts
would
be,
it’s a different conversation if
there’s no students on campus,”
Harbaugh said Wednesday. “If
students are on campus, then
my personal belief as a parent
of a daughter who would also
be on campus that this is a safe
place.”
As first reported by ESPN,
the ruling will extend to all
fall sports, affecting men’s
and women’s soccer, men’s and
women’s cross country, field
hockey, and volleyball.
“If the Conference is able to
participate in fall sports based
on medical advice, it will move
to Conference-only schedules
in those sports,” the conference
said in an official statement.
“Details for these sports will be
released at a later date.
“... This decision was made
following
many
thoughtful
conversations
over
several
months between the Big Ten
Council
of
Presidents
and
Chancellors,
Directors
of
Athletics, Conference Office
staff,
and
medical
experts
including the Big Ten Task
Force for Emerging Infectious
Diseases and the Big Ten Sports
Medicine Committee.”
For
the
football
team,
the
ruling
will
cause
the
cancelation of its scheduled
games
at
Washington,
vs.
Ball State and vs. Arkansas
State. While the Ball State and
Arkansas State games were one-
time matchups, the Wolverines
are currently scheduled to play
Washington in Ann Arbor in
2021 as part of a home-and-
home series.
As for the rest of Michigan’s
schedule, it is unclear whether
the Big Ten will add additional
conference games to replace
the three lost games — if
the current plans hold up as
coronavirus
cases
escalate
across the country.
Ethan
Sears
contributed
reporting to this story.
DANIEL DASH
Daily Sports Writer
KENT SCHWARTZ
Summer Managing Sports Editor
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Michigan sports attendance will be further restricted following changes to ticket policy.
THEO MACKIE
Managing Sports Editor