Big Ten changes course, will play fall football after all
The Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all.
Less than five weeks after pushing fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the pandemic, the conference changed course Wednesday and said it plans to open its football season the weekend of Oct. 23-24.
All 14 teams will play eight regular-season games in eight weeks, plus have an opportunity to play a ninth game on Dec. 19 when the conference championship game is in Indianapolis — if all goes well. That should give the Big Ten an opportunity to compete for the national championship.
The Big Ten said its Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously Tuesday night to restart sports. The vote last month was 11-3 to postpone, with Ohio State, Iowa and Nebraska voting against.
NBA
LEBRON JAMES MAKES ALL NBA TEA, FOR RECORD 16TH TIME LeBron James now stands alone in All-NBA recognition history, getting there unanimously.
James was named an All-NBA player for a record 16th time, breaking the mark he shared with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. He was a firstteam pick on all 100 ballots, joining Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only unanimous first-team selections this season.
Joining them on the first team: Houston guard James Harden, Lakers forward Anthony Davis and Dallas guard Luka Doncic, who got the nod in just his second season in the NBA — becoming the first player to do that since Duncan in 1998-99.
NFL
PEYTON MANNING, CHARLES
WOODSON 2021 HALL OF FAME CANDITATES >> Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson are among 14 first-year eligible candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Joining the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and the star cornerback/safety on the ballot are receivers Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker and Roddy White; running back Steven Jackson; tight end Heath Miller; offensive linemen D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Logan Mankins; defensive linemen Jared Allen, Justin Tuck and Kevin Williams; linebacker Jerod Mayo; and defensive back Charles Tillman.
Tennis
DJOKOVIC BACK TO WINNING WAYS IN HOME >> Novak Djokovic said he was relieved to turn the page on his contentious U.S. Open exit as he began his claycourt season with a solid victory in his first match at the Italian Open.
Four-time champ in Rome, Djokovic, who was disqualified in New York after accidentally hitting a line judge with a ball during his fourth round match, defeated Italian wild card Salvatore Caruso 6-3, 6-2 to move into the third round in Rome.
• Nine-time champion Rafa Nadal showed little signs of rust when he played his first match in 200 days as he beat fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 6-1.
Tour de France
LOPEZ WINS TOUGHEST TOUR STAGE ROGLIC KEEPS YELLOW JERSEY >> Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez won the toughest mountain stage of this year’s Tour de France, while race leader Primož Roglic added a few crucial seconds to his advantage over rival Tadej Pogacar.
Roglic finished 15 seconds behind Lopez in second place.