Axe Week

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I still haven't recovered from last night's game to think about the game this week.
 






One week to figure out how to watch the game in Mexico
 







I guess I would be curious to know if laws/rules require payTV streaming providers to block the streams going to IP addresses outside the country? I guess you could always try a VPN, mind you be careful to follow the local laws/rules of the country you're in with that regard.
 



Thank goodness I'm working so I don't have to watch this disaster.
 

Seems like the groundwork is being laid to cancel this game. See Megan’s article in the strib.
 

Stopping virus spread key to U playing
If that goal is not met, the games ahead could be in jeopardy.

GOPHERS INSIDER MEGAN RYAN
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Megan Ryan’[email protected] @theothermegryan
The Gophers’ upcoming Saturday opponent entered the weekend with the highest-scoring offense and stingiest defense in the Big Ten Conference. And for a precarious Gophers team, that’s a formidable challenge in reclaiming the Axe.
But the Gophers might not even have to encounter Wisconsin, the reigning Big Ten West champion, at all this season if they can’t control their COVID-19 spread.

When the Gophers faced Purdue on Friday, scraping by with a 34-31 win, they did so without more than 20 players from a combination of injuries and positive COVID-19 tests. The game still went on at TCF Bank Stadium, though Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said it was a “close” call.
The Gophers athletics department only releases testing updates at the end of the month and does not specify between players and staff or by sport. Fleck has declined to name specific players who have tested positive but has intimated as much, including for several early season absences among the kickers and punters.
A team spokesman did not return a request for comment on additional football personnel updates and how that might affect Saturday’s trip to Camp Randall. The most recent athletics department update for testing through October accounted for 160 positives from 9,846 tests since June. Both men’s and women’s basketball teams also recently had to shut down practices with COVID-19 issues.
The Gophers have named coaches who have tested positive in-season, including defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who missed the Illinois game, and offensive line coach Brian Callahan, who tested positive last week and sat out the Purdue game. Two other unnamed staffers also tested positive last week, per a team release.
As far as players, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste tested positive ahead of the Iowa game a week ago. Others are unknown. Per Big Ten policy, players who test positive sit out 21 days for isolation, cardiac testing and general recovery. Coaches take 10 days.
“That’s very hard for those players to get that phone call. It’s really hard,” Fleck said, adding players aren’t always being irresponsible if they contract it. “They put so much into this, and next thing you know, you’re out 21 days. … There’s not many games, so it can be devastating.”
Fleck said he was hopeful some players would soon return after sitting out their three games. It’s unclear who might be on that precipice, though, considering the Gophers do not share when exactly anyone tests positive. Rossi said he tested positive Nov. 1.
The Big Ten’s protocols specify exact situations for when games and practices cannot go on as scheduled. Each team takes a seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate from total tests administered and team positivity rate.
The Gophers, who test 170 football players and staff every day, would need 60 positive tests of 1,190 total administered in a week, plus 13 positive players and/or staff members to be unable to play.
They could, though, cancel the Wisconsin game even without reaching that threshold, as Wisconsin actually did earlier this season. If a team nears those numbers — as in anything above 24 positive tests in a week and six positive players/staff for the Gophers — they have to “proceed with caution and enhance COVID-19 prevention (alter practice and meeting schedules, consider viability of continuing with scheduled competition)” per the Big Ten’s release.
The Badgers had six players and six coaches test positive, including head coach Paul Chryst and starting quarterback Graham Mertz, ahead of their second game against Nebraska and canceled. They again sat out the Purdue game when the outbreak grew to 27 total cases the next week and only just returned the past two weeks.
But Wisconsin can’t afford to miss any more games, as teams need to play at least six in the eight-week regular season to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game. The only way the team could qualify with fewer is if the entire conference’s average number of games played dipped below
six. Then teams would need just two fewer games than whatever that average is.
Some teams have canceled games with days’ notice, but the Clemson-Florida State game Saturday went kaput just hours before kickoff. COVID-19 has postponed or canceled more than 80 games across college football this season. Other conferences that started seasons earlier and have schedule flexibility are trying to reschedule. But the Big Ten started later after initially canceling the season and doesn’t have any room if it wants its teams to still be eligible for the College Football Playoff.
Fleck said he’s continuing to work with his administration as well as the Big Ten, Minnesota Department of Health and CDC to stop the spread on his team, including continuing to wear masks, wash hands, social distance, only gather for football practice and forgo a social life.
After the Purdue game Fleck said he had only 61 of 85 scholarship players available , and the coach admitted this has been one of the hardest years on the job, one that has challenged his patience and nerves with all the twists and turns.
“But that’s 2020,” Fleck said, adding he has learned to be a better person from this experience. “And hopefully we can continue to keep those [positive COVID-19] numbers really low.”
 

Very informative, well-written article. Excellent work, Megan.
 

I hope this game is not cancelled.

I'm interested in seeing how the Gopher coaching staff responds to this tumultuous situation. If they can somehow make this game a competitive contest, I for one will be very impressed.
 

We won't get any testing numbers out of the school. We'll either hear nothing, and the game will be on, or suddenly an announcement will be forthcoming that the game is going to be cancelled.
 

WI has lost almost all of their WRs to the virus or injuries and the lone TE who can catch pass was injured against NW.
The three week lay off finally caught up with them as demonstrated by the 4-5 TOs they had in the first half alone.
WI's defense is very good. WI's passing offense is crippled.
Stack the defense close to the line of scrimmage like NW did and MN has a fighter's chance.
WI's pass rush is as good or better than last year.
 




Crazy stat since the B1G went to East and West divisions. Wisconsin is 3-4 against Northwestern and 28-3 against the rest of the division. They’ve lost 6 of last 7 in Evanston.
 




WriterGoph said:
Unfortunately most legit streaming TV channels dont work once you are out of the US. Had the same issue with YouTube TV last year in Cabo
Click to expand...

Ok....then you'll have to go with unlegit options. Like I said....check buffstreamz. I don't know what their NCAA selection looks like since I don't use it for anything other than NFL.
 

stocker08 said:
Ok....then you'll have to go with unlegit options. Like I said....check buffstreamz. I don't know what their NCAA selection looks like since I don't use it for anything other than NFL.
Click to expand...

Yep. Bilasport.net and sportsurge are solid too
 


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