Count me among those who are disappointed in the Big Ten’s decision to postpone Fall Sports including Football. I am still befuddled as to why they had the student-athletes show up at all for summer camp given their reasons. I covered that a plenty in the last Podcast I did with ‘Talking Terps’ so I am not going to revisit that here. Plus, the Big Ten for better or worse is dug in with their decision although they have walked back part of it with a possibility of them playing Football in the Winter at the beginning of 2021.
(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)
What will our Saturday’s in the fall be like without Big Ten Football? This was going to be an interesting year for the Terps in the hopes to see the first step toward development and progress for the program. From an offensive perspective I think we were all looking forward to seeing QBs Taulia Tagovailoa and Lance LeGendre in action along with a stacked WR corp and new young RBs in the backfield. That all has been put on hold although a January start is better than April. That is of course To Be Determined though.
For me it will be a little bit more difficult as I have never hid the fact on the air that I also am a Michigan Football fan and this fandom goes back to the early 90s when Maryland was fully entrenched in the ACC and there were only 10 actual teams in the Big Ten as they now sit at 14. Penn State was the first school to expand the Conference and made it the Big 11 but they decided to keep the heritage name. So now I lose two teams that I was looking forward to rooting for this fall.
I have been a part of Maryland Football on the radio for the last 7-8 years in some capacity. In the past few seasons as I now wear many gameday hats, my week consists of several hours of show prep for the Saturday broadcast as I study the upcoming opponents, read about the Terps week of practice, listen and watch audio and videos and jot down the news and notes of the week. I then start to write out what I am going to say in my various segments within the format of the local and network Pre-Game Shows that I host and anchor. Friday affords me little to no time though with my High School Football duties which do not end until around 10:30-11pm. I then turn around and wake up around 4-5am and continue to work on the programming before making the trip from the Eastern Shore to Baltimore and the Entercom Studios for a broadcast that for Noon kickoffs (of which the Terps have many) starts at 10:30am locally on 105-7 The Fan. I have always enjoyed being apart of a Network and providing commentary and information to those headed to the game, those tailgating in College Park or those who are driving around on a Saturday running errands, taking their kids to practice or a game or those who happen to be working. Each week is fresh and new and yes there is a sense of hope even if just a little that fills the air with the lead up to the game. At 10:30 I read my opening monologue discussing the status of the Terps and their program and the season up to that point. I like being able to set the scene and tone of the broadcast. When we hit the Network at the Top of Hour, I check in with CJ Brown and later the voice of the Terps Johnny Holliday with sounds of the stadium in the background as we discuss the upcoming game. At that point, the adrenaline starts flowing for me because I feel like I am almost there in the stadium with them with all the excitement and pageantry of a college football game. With all the work that gets put in during a week, the Pre-Game is over in just an hour but there is a sense of satisfaction when I turn it over to the stadium.
I still have my Quarterly scoring updates, Halftime and Post Game to do but those cannot be scripted as those are all yet to be determined. I am left with a half hour to grab a bite to eat. Once the game begins—I take notes, I summarize each drive and I follow the scores from around the rest of the Big Ten in preparation for the rest of the broadcast that I contribute to.
For me especially on those cold Fall or Winter mornings, getting on the road a little before 7am and tuning into ESPNU College Radio to hear about football all across the country as I sip my coffee and drive across the Bay Bridge helps to get me motivated for the day ahead. To know that in a few hours I will once again be a part of a Network Radio broadcast of a Power 5, Big Ten team means a lot to me. When its all over and I have reached home once again I am pretty exhausted but its fun to be able to sit down, eat some dinner, relax and watch the Saturday night game of the week without having to do any work, eventually dozing off after a long day.
You can be sure that I will be watching SEC, Big 12 and ACC Football this fall but I do not have the passion for those conferences the way I do for the Big Ten. I am emotionally invested in the Big Ten, to me its still the closest to the NFL that you will get with the big stadiums, the cold weather, where defense is still as much a priority as the offense and the amount of quality head coaches top to bottom. I am sure plenty of people will scold me on that statement and remind me that the SEC is the best conference from a talent perspective and I won’t deny that as it pertains to the depth in the trenches and the speed to an extent but I stand by my statement. That is all beside the point. This fall will not be the same with all my college apparel just sitting in drawers and hanging on clothes hangers. Sure, I could still wear them but what is the point? It would just be a painful reminder of the lack of Big Ten Football on Saturday. I might as well wear a bar or beer t-shirt.
This year we have learned to expect the unexpected. I am hoping as we all are that 2021 brings about a change back to normalcy but I am not so sure that is possible right now, it may be a while. All I do know is that I am going to greatly miss my Saturday routine in playing a little part each week during the season on the radio in one of the best sports there is, College Football. I look forward to the day where we can once again say Go Terps!
Terps Analyst
Mike Popovec is a Weekend and Fill-In host at 105-7 The Fan. In addition Mike hosts the Pre and Post, Halftime and Scoreboard Updates for the Football Games on the Maryland Terrapins Sports Radio Network. He also hosts the Pre and Post Game Show on weekends for some of the Maryland Basketball Games. Popovec also hosts a local News, Talk and Sports Morning Program at the beach on 92-7 WGMD. He also produces and hosts High School Football Games and Shows throughout the season out of Easton covering the Eastern Shore’s Bayside Conference. He sideline reports for CW54 for the Maryland State High School Football Playoffs with Bruce Cunningham, Doug Duvall and Wally Williams.