With just weeks remaining before the traditional kickoff to the college season, the split among the sport's biggest powers have left many college athletes at a crossroads.
Freddie Joyner has more.
Mixed messages leave college players at a crossroads
Just weeks before the kickoff to the college football season, there is still a fierce debate whether there should be a season at all.
While two of the Power 5 conferences - the Big Ten and Pac-12 - pulled the plug on all fall sports last week, including college football...the Big 12 have elected to play, while the ACC and SEC have not yet made a formal decision.
The debate is whether to allow student-athletes to do what they train all year for despite the health concerns.
The mixed messaging among universities has also left many college football players conflicted about a way forward.
Hunter Reynolds is a defensive back for the University of Michigan, a Big 10 team who will not be playing this fall: "I mean, it's obviously a disappointing feeling, just knowing that all the hard work we've been putting in since the end of last season, you know, we won't be able to show it off this fall.” For some players a move to the spring means an end to their college football careers: “...some guys, they're gonna be off preparing for the draft, some guys, this is their last fall of eligibility, so they're moving on to the working world." Some players who want to get back out on the field have taken matters into their own hands... Ohio State University quarterback Justin Fields set up a petition on Sunday to reinstate the 2020 Big Ten football season, garnering more than 170,000 signatures in less than a day.
Much more than just the health and safety of players is at stake though.
College football is big business, and universities that forgo the season collectively stand to lose billions of dollars in revenue at a time when many are experiencing declining enrollment because of the outbreak.