And after all that, the resolution for the Big Ten's football season could come from a Big Ten president simply... blurting it out?
In a small-talk moment before a Tuesday morning press conference to discuss matters entirely unrelated to football, a hot mic moment captured by KETV in Lincoln caught Nebraska system president Ted Carter telling National Strategic Research Institute director Bob Hinson:
"We're getting ready to announce the Huskers and Big Ten football tonight."
The entire exchange lasts 12 seconds. You can view it here.
Now, this is a long, long, l-o-n-g way from official confirmation that the Big Ten will announce the return of football tonight... but why would he say that if the Big Ten wasn't announcing the return of football tonight?
Meanwhile, while Nebraska's chief executive said this, Wisconsin chancellor told Congress this:
This is life in the Big Ten in 2020, ladies and gentlemen. While we wait, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Update: After the press conference, Carter said his words were taken out of context. "All I said was there's work going on," he said. "I remain cautiously optimistic like everybody else we'll get to discovering when it's safe to play."