A phone call Tuesday between President Donald Trump and Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren, and Trump's ensuing tweet, has fanned the debate over the league’s decision to sit out this season, forcing a rapid reassessment of when and under what conditions the league could resume play before the winter or spring.
The Big Ten's choice has already become part of the larger political arena, as dueling presidential campaigns look for inroads within several battleground states.
With September underway and the Bowl Subdivision regular season set to begin this week, the focus now shifts to addressing the two questions created in the wake of the Trump administration’s foray into college athletics:
What impact, if any, can the president have on the Big Ten’s current thinking?