OHIO — The Big Ten has announced plans to reinstate an eight-game, regular football season nearly a month after calling it off. 

The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors voted unanimously this week to resume the season starting the weekend of Oct. 24.

The season will come with new protocols. All student-athletes, coaches, trainers and other individuals who are on the field must be tested for COVID-19. The test must be taken and recorded before each game.

“Everyone associated with the Big Ten should be very proud of the groundbreaking steps that are now being taken to better protect the health and safety of the student-athletes and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Jim Borchers in a press release, who is the head team physician at the Ohio State University.

All the test data collected will also go toward research by Big Ten institutions in an attempt to mitigate the spread. The Big Ten is also establishing a cardiac registry to examine the effects COVID-19 has on student athletes. 

Future decisions to halt or continue will practices will be dependent on a team's positivity rate each week. 

Testing will begin Sept. 30. The decisons for other fall and winter sports will be announced shortly, the press release stated.