Alabama now has blown out the second-best and third-best teams in the Southeastern Conference, beating Georgia by 17 and Texas A&M by 28. Clemson has laid waste to four Atlantic Coast Conference opponents by an average margin of 34.3 points.

Thats your landslide 12, in whatever order you prefer. After that, it gets interesting.

Georgia earns the third spot in the SI Top 10 as much out of default as anything else. The Bulldogs were good before going to Tuscaloosa, and were good for a half once they got there. In the current barren landscapewhere we are not ranking anyone who hasnt yet playedthats enough.

North Carolina coughed up a giant hairball against Florida State and Notre Dame was unimpressive enough against Louisville that it seems fair to start a nationwide search for the fourth-best team. Why not BYU? The Cougars passed their biggest test of the season to date Friday night, roaring back to beat Houston.

The latter half of the Top 10 is similarly indistinguishable. A couple of one-loss SEC teams, a couple of undefeated Group of Five teams. And, wow, look what the cat dragged in: the only unbeaten Big 12 team, Oklahoma State, which hasnt played since Oct. 3.

Long story short, the Big Tens arrival this week is perfectly timed. There are plenty of high rankings available.

1. Clemson (50)

Last game: Beat Georgia Tech, 737Next game: Syracuse Saturday

The Tigers' offense dropped 52 points on Georgia Tech in the first half, the most in a half in school history against an ACC opponentand thats despite committing two turnovers. Trevor Lawrence had five touchdown passes before intermission, though he did throw his first interception since Oct. 19, 2019. Most ridiculous stat from this ridiculous Clemson offensive onslaught: 17 Tigers caught passes, including both of Dabo Swinneys sons. We are once again left wondering whether anyone in the ACC can even mildly stress Clemson. (Notre Dame or bust on Nov. 7?)

2. Alabama (40)

Last game: Beat Georgia, 4124Next game: At Tennessee Saturday

Trailing the Bulldogs at halftime, the Crimson Tide opened a can of beatdown in the third and fourth quarters. Huge plays by their peerless wide receivers on some nice deep balls from Mac Jones; the usual all-around efficiency from Najee Harris; and some big stops from a defense that had been taking a beating on the field and in the press. Maybe it would have been closer if Nick Saban had to stay home, but Bama still looked like the better team once it tightened up defensively and got after Stetson Bennett IV. A Joe Burrow supernova aside, the SEC continues to run through Tuscaloosa.

3. Georgia (31)

Last game: Lost to Alabama, 4124Next game: At Kentucky Oct. 31

The Bulldogs touted defense was shredded by Alabamas passing game, giving up 417 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Thats the most passing yards Georgia has allowed since 2000, when Hal Mumme was the coach at Kentucky and Jared Lorenzen was throwing it every down. The other glaring issue for Georgia: Stetson Bennett IV isnt good enough to win a shootout. The former walk-on has been a success story thus far, but he was exposed by Alabamacompleting just 18 of 40 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. It might be time for Kirby Smart to turn to USC transfer JT Daniels.

4. BYU (50)

Last game: Beat Houston Friday, 4326Next game: Texas State Saturday

BYU had it easy through its first four games, and then Houston made the Cougars work for this one. Trailing 2614 late in the third quarter, BYU exploded for 29 unanswered points to win going away. It was yet another showcase performance for quarterback Zach Wilson (25 for 35 for 400 yards and four touchdowns, plus 40 yards rushing), and a defense that had trouble stopping Houston much of the night rose up to make some big plays in the final quarter. The Cougars will be heavily favored in their next two games (Texas State and Western Kentucky) before facing Boise State Nov. 6. If the Cougars run the table, they will likely be the most argued-over team from a College Football Playoff perspective.

5. Notre Dame (40)

Last game: Beat Louisville, 127Next game: At Pittsburgh Saturday

The Fighting Irish struggled unexpectedly against the 14 Cardinals. Louisville came into the game surrendering 34.3 points per game, but didnt give up a touchdown until late in the third quarter. Notre Dame failed to finish drives in the Red Zone, and its passing game produced just 106 yards. There were zero plays of 20 yards or longer through the air. This is the second straight game the Irish have trailed in the second half, however briefly. After four straight at home, its now time for Notre Dame to go on the road.

6. Texas A&M (31)

Last game: Beat Mississippi State, 2814Next game: Arkansas Oct. 31

The Aggies have still been outscored on the season, thanks to a lopsided loss to Alabama. But this was a second straight impressive performanceoffensively explosive against Florida last week, and defensively tough against the Bulldogs this week. A week after losing receiver Caleb Chapman for the season, A&M showed some playmaking depth at that position with a 51-yard touchdown reception by freshman Chase Lane. But the offensive anchor continues to be running back Isaiah Spiller, who turned in his third 100-yard rushing game of the season against the Bulldogs.

7. Florida (21)

Last game: Lost to Texas A&M on Oct. 10Next game: Missouri Oct. 31

The only place where the Gators didnt suffer any embarrassment this week was on the field, since their game was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak. That followed coach Dan Mullens absurd stance that he wanted to Pack The Swamp with 90,000 fans after the loss last Saturday to Texas A&M. The week ended with Mullen publicly acknowledging that he, too, has the virus. Florida is such a mess from a numbers standpoint that its scheduled game for next week already has been pushed back to Halloween.

8. Cincinnati (30)

Last game: Beat USC 287 on Oct. 3Next game: at SMU Saturday

The Bearcats own COVID-19 outbreak forced postponement of their game against Tulsa, which means they will be 21 days between games when they visit undefeated SMU Saturday (assuming that game remains on the schedule). Thats a big one for the American Athletic Conference. Cincinnatis offense has been pedestrian thus far this season, with quarterback Desmond Ridder not as dynamic as hed been the previous two seasons. But Luke Fickells team remains the best defensive unit in the AAC, and that still likely makes them the team to beat in the league.

9. Oklahoma State (30)

Last game: Beat Kansas 477 on Oct. 3Next game: Iowa State Saturday

The Cowboys game against Baylor was postponed by the Bears ongoing COVID-19 issues, so they are on the same schedule as Cincinnatithree weeks between games. The next one is one that will weigh heavily in the Big 12 race, with the Cyclones also unbeaten in conference play. Oklahoma States defense leads the conference in fewest points allowed per game (9.0) and fewest yards allowed per play (4.05).

10. Marshall (40)

Last game: Beat Louisiana Tech, 35-17Next game: Florida Atlantic Saturday

Time to show some love to the Thundering Herd, which has yet to trail in a game this season. Marshall has a top-10 defense nationally, and freshman quarterback Grant Wells continues to impresshe was 19 of 24 for 227 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score Saturday against Tech. The Herd figure to be heavily favored in each of their remaining regular-season games.

See more here:
SI's Top 10: It's Clemson, Alabama and the Rest - Sports Illustrated

The best trees and shrubs for fall foliage

Although fall officially arrives in late September, mid to late October is when it starts to feel like fall in the Pennsylvania landscape.

With cooling temperatures comes a shift in a lot of our tree and shrub foliage. As green chlorophyll breaks down, the other pigments that are in leaves start to show through at least for a few weeks until they also break down, leaving behind brown and falling leaves.

Were in one of the relative few parts of the world that has an ideal climate for blazing fall foliage.

Tourists come from afar (at least in non-pandemic years) to see Pennsylvanias forests in their red, orange, and gold fall glory. Red maple, sweetgum, blackgum, birch, oak, dogwood, and serviceberry are among the native tree species that are particularly vibrant in our native fall landscapes.

If you play your cards right, your own yard can be a riot of rich fall color, too.

Many of those same native tree species make excellent landscape specimens. If you add non-invasive, non-native species with good fall color to the mix, we have a lot to pick from in our Zone 6 to 7A growing zone. Among them:

Over 30 feet: assorted maples (red, gold, or red-bold blends); assorted oaks (gold or red/gold); ginkgo, river birch, linden, and katsura (yellow or gold), and blackgum and sweetgum (deep red).

Under 30 feet: Japanese, trident, paperbark and similar smaller maples (red, gold, or red-gold blends); dogwood (deep red); serviceberry (bright red); stewartia (red/gold blend); American hornbeam (orange-red), and parrotia, redbud, and American fringe tree (yellow or gold).

Lots of shrubs turn color as well and usually fall into the four- to eight-foot size ranges that are fine for typical home landscapes.

Some of the best fall-foliage shrubs to make your fall yard go out in a blaze of brilliance instead of a dribble of drabness include: fothergilla and panicle hydrangea (gold or gold/red); Virginia sweetspire, crape myrtle, sumac, nandina, and blueberry (blood red or bright red); oakleaf hydrangea, viburnum, bayberry, PJM rhododendron, and ninebark (deep red to burgundy); summersweet, spicebush, red-twig dogwood, winterberry holly, witch hazel, and bottlebrush buckeye (yellow to gold); chokeberry (red to red/gold), and spirea Ogon (rusty orange-red).

The yellowing needles on this pine are all on the inner part of the branches. The branch ends are sporting green. This is normal shedding of the older needles.

Needled evergreens have been taking a beating in central-Pennsylvania yards the last few years, especially needlecast diseases on Douglas firs and Colorado blue spruce as well as long-running troubles such as spider mites on dwarf Alberta spruce, woolly adelgids and scale on hemlocks, and bagworms on arborvitae.

Some of those can be treated with insecticides or even stiff sprays of water every now and then (which spider mites hate). Others (i.e. needlecast diseases) are difficult and/or expensive to control.

Some of the yellowing and browning you might be seeing on needled evergreens isnt trouble at all but a normal function of those trees this time of year.

Evergreens dont drop all of their foliage each year as do maples and dogwoods, but they do shed older and no-longer-needed needles from the inside as the age.

As new growth occurs toward the tips, the older needles nearer the trunk begin yellowing in fall and ultimately brown and drop.

This yellowing can be more pronounced in hot, dry years like we had this summer and with newly transplanted evergreens.

The way to tell the difference between normal needle yellowing/shedding and a more serious needlecast disease is where the needle loss is occurring.

If the tips are growing annually and producing new needles each spring while the inner parts of the branches are bare, no need to worry.

Native eastern white pines, for example, are particularly notorious for dropping copious quantities of their long needles in fall.

However, if needles have died at the tips or if branches are completely bare, thats a problem especially if the bareness is working its way up a tree. Needleless branches are often dead and eventually will go brittle and snap when you attempt to bend them.

A curveball is that with needlecast on Colorado blue spruce and Douglas fir, an infected tree will grow a new needles on the tips in spring while all of the older needles have browned from there on in. As the disease continues, that growth dies by the following year, and the whole branch is a goner.

Your local county Penn State Extension office and their Master Gardeners can help you figure out whats going on with your hurting evergreens. They get a lot of calls every year about yellowing white pines.

Penn States Master Gardeners get a lot of gardening questions of all sorts and have begun doing free monthly webinars to share answers to many of them. The program is called Garden Hotline Live, and episodes take place the second Friday of each month at noon. Recordings of past webinars are also available for free viewing later.

Penn States Plant Disease Clinic is another resource that helps diagnose plant diseases at no charge to Pennsylvania homeowners.

Compost bins can be made using skids or scrap lumber.

Nothing improves soil and aids plant health better than compost.

If you dont have one of these waste-recycling, soil-building stations in the yard, now is an excellent time to add one.

Leaves are one of the best compost-pile ingredients, and theyll be in prime supply shortly.

Composting is also an excellent way to recycle kitchen waste (coffee grounds, egg shells, potato peels, etc.) and assorted yard waste (frost-killed plants, grass clippings, and yanked weeds in addition to falling leaves).

Ideal composting spots are out-of-the-way corners of the yard or behind a shed or garage. If you have neither, create a compost closet by installing vine-covered trellises around one, two, or three sides of the compost bin(s).

Shoot for piles that are at least four feet tall and wide. Many gardeners keep two or three different piles at various stages of decomposition.

Bins arent absolutely necessary, but theyre helpful in keeping piles contained.

A simple system is to contain piles with cylinders of metal or plastic fencing. Used wooden skids can be wired together, or you can build your own bins out of scrap (or new) lumber. Or you can even use large trash cans with holes bored in the sides for aeration.

If youd rather buy than build, lots of ready-to-go composting gizmos are available in garden centers and catalogs, ranging from small plastic domes to $300 rotating drums on legs.

As for what to add to the piles, an ideal mix is a blend of high-nitrogen greens and high-carbon browns. A good proportion is three parts browns to one part green.

Good browns include shredded paper, fallen leaves, pine needles, sawdust, and wood chips.

Good greens include grass clippings, fresh weeds from the garden (ones that havent gone to seed), pulled or frost-killed garden plants, and assorted non-meat, non-dairy kitchen waste, such as coffee grounds, banana peels, carrot shavings, salad leftovers, and egg shells.

Toss in an occasional shovel full of finished compost or garden soil to supply microorganisms that help cook the materials.

You dont need to turn the pile, but doing so every now and then speeds up the decomposition process. So does chopping the materials into small pieces in the first place.

Water the pile when you first build it, then rain usually supplies enough moisture to keep the pile cooking.

With a good mix thats damp and turned, the pile should get hot enough to produce steam and be uncomfortable if you try to stick your hand in.

Otherwise, if youre a lazy composter, just pile up the ingredients, and let them rot. In a year, the materials on the bottom will have rotted into a crumbly, black, earthy-smelling compost thats ready to go on or in gardens and lawns.

Composting not only keeps waste out of landfills and the water-wasting garbage disposal, it yields a highly nutritious soil additive that improves drainage, adds life and organic matter to compacted soil, and even helps fight off some plant diseases.

See original here:
Fall foliage at home, struggling evergreens, and composting: This Weekend in the Garden - pennlive.com

Culture The Renovation of Tianbao Cave District of Erlang Town / Jiakun Architects

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Background. The project site is located in Erlang Town, Gulin County in Luzhou City, next to Chishui River basin that is naturally perfect for making good liquors. It is in the middle part of the cliff under Tianbao Peak. There are Tianbao Cave, Dibao Cave, and Renhe Cave, which are the largest natural liquor-storage caves in the world.

ConceptPavilion. Extract the classic image of Pavilion from Chinese classical architecture as the prototype. Utilize the contemporary technique to express traditional connotations, echoing the brand culture of Lang.

Pan Museum.The project adopts the strategy of literary narration to organize the contentof multiple spatial function nodes, which creates a continuous spatial scenario. The circulation focuses on the arrangement of rhythm. According to the location, height difference, and modality of the site, the space of light and shade, opening and closing, loose and tight, twists, and turns are thoughtfully organized to enrich visitors experience.

The Overall Layout.The site was originally the production area of Lang liquor, which has been one of the leading Chinese liquors for centuries. The new buildings replace the old ones with poor conditions and connect the reserved buildings scattered among the mountains in a circular loop.

Entrance Pergola.Composed bamboo and steel together construct a sixty-meter-long green tunnel, giving people a strong sense of space. Theheliophiloustrigonometry climbs as time goes by, swaying the shadow.

The Reception Lounge.The weathering steel pavilion cantilevers on the foundation bed that visitors are able to overlook the natural beauty. The interior of the foundation bed is a reception hall. The long horizontal window facing the Chishui River provides a photo frame of distant mountains.

Poetic Liquor Yard.The Poetic Liquor Yard demonstrates famous quotes about Chinese liquors. The three sides of the overhanging corridor are enclosed, surrounded by the mirror-like water.

The Tree Yard.Walk through the plank road in the woods and enter into the Tree Yard. The Tree Yard has low space with a suspending roof. Windows are designed when there are trees, allowing the sun to draw a mosaic of light on the ground. The panoramic projection on the surrounding walls presenting the liquor-making scene.

Exhibition Hall of Lang.Following the Tree Yard, visitors will arrive at the Exhibition Hall of Lang. Full height racks are arranged on both sides. Mirrors are installed on the ceiling and the ground, applying the sense of limitlessness through multiple reflections.

Blending Experience Area.Move along the corridor to reach the blending experience area. Under the concrete arched beams, there are scattered individual blending experience rooms.

Liquor Tasting Pavilion.The Liquor Tasting Pavilion with the far-reaching eaves stands in the sky and is surrounded by water. With a cup of Lang in the gentle breeze, visitors can gaze into the distance.

Terraced Garden.Visitors walk through the cherry blossoms along the cascade of stairs and are able to enjoy various sceneries.

Plank Walkway and Lounge Bridge.The plank walkway and the lounge bridge wind through the woods.

The Sloped Elevator & Cliff Restaurant & Renhe Cave.The sloped elevator stands up to the mountain, connecting the Cliff Restaurant and Renhe Cave.

Material and Construction.The fair-faced concrete and the local stone are piled upand integrated into the landscape, forming the bed of basic functional areas. The orange-red weathering steel framework is cantilevered over the bed, lightly floating in the sky, which conveys the Oriental classical imagination dwellingin nature.

The project is interwoven in two characteristics,SEDIMENT, and FLOATING,being integrated into the mountainand tripping in the landscape.

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Culture The Renovation of Tianbao Cave District of Erlang Town / Jiakun Architects - ArchDaily

The most delicious vegetables are the ones you grow yourself, as many have come to realize during the pandemic. But some cities and counties have restrictions that prevent people from gardening at home. In one Midwestern town, a temporary greenhouse has ended up on the wrong side of the law, revealing a value system that is distinctly regressive.

Nicole and Dan Virgil, who live in Elmhurst, a suburb of Chicago, are dedicated vegetable gardeners. By the summer of 2015, they had maxed out their 2,000-square-foot backyard with raised beds and were relying on them for much of their familys produce. They had branched out from simply growing the typical salad ingredients to cultivating potatoes, fennel, leeks, and tomatillos. In late August, the plants were still going full-bore, and the Virgils wondered how they could extend the Midwestern growing season. (In this climate zone, seedlings go into the ground on Mothers Day and peter out in October.)

It seemed like such a shame that everything would come to a dead stop once the temperature dropped, says Nicole, who is among an estimated one-third of all Americans who have grown food at home. We really wanted to make a dent in our grocery bill and in our carbon footprintwe didnt turn our whole backyard into a garden just to have a few token vegetables.

After doing some online research, Dan built a high-tunnel hoop house to protect two of the larger garden beds. The temporary greenhouse, made of plastic sheeting over a frame of PVC pipe and plywood, was nine feet tall at its apex. It was big enough to produce sufficient heat to warm the soil and allow the Virgils to stand inside while gardening in frigid conditions. In more temperate climates like Californias, farmers use hoop houses to protect delicate blackberries and raspberries from dew and fog.

A few weeks after their hoop house went up, Nicole found a violation notice from the city taped to it. I thought it had to be some kind of misunderstanding, that it couldnt possibly be serious, recalls Nicole. She had assumed that the hoop house, a lightweight temporary structure akin to a tent, wouldnt be subject to city regulations.

After several discussions with city officials, 16 public meetings over two years, a lawsuit filed by the Virgils, and a subsequent appeal, the city remained unmoved, siding with the neighbor who had filed the original complaint. The Virgils found themselves stuck in a catch-22 of having an unpermitted temporary structure while having no way to get a permit for a temporary structure. Facing a daily fine, they took down their hoop house.

Why would a backyard hoop house be so contentious? The Virgils are among many home gardeners around the country who have triggered a city or county ordinance that restricts edible gardening. Its fairly common for local governments to have a broadly written landscape ordinance, which may not explicitly prohibit vegetable gardening but requires grass or similar vegetation and calls for plants within a certain height.

The neatly manicured yard has long been a status symbol; lawns first appeared in the 1700s on European estates, whose owners could afford to have high-maintenance living carpets. And the suburbs have historically differentiated themselves from ag land. A lot of rural land was developed into suburban municipalities, and the zoning code was changed to prohibit agricultural usespeople didnt want a pig farm to move in, says Laura Calvert, the former executive director of Chicago-based nonprofit Advocates for Urban Agriculture.

Given the context, its easy to see how the neighbors might look down on home gardening as a form of subsistence farming. People think that its beneath them, says Nicole, who documented her struggle in a recent op-ed for the Chicago Tribune.

The goal of these ordinances, whether theyre about landscaping or temporary structures, is to maintain property values. (The racist practice of redlining, which kept African Americans out of the suburbs, was rationalized in the same way.) However, the perception that growing vegetables will drive down home values is not rooted in any evidence, as Calvert points out.

Now the pandemic shutdown is shifting these cultural attitudes. For the first time in a long while, people have seen empty shelves in grocery stores and witnessed hoarding. The past months have been a visceral reminder of how important it is to have access to healthy food, which no doubt prompted many to start planting. Elmhursts neighbor, Chicago, is ahead of the curve; it embraced hoop houses in its 2011 ordinance promoting urban farming while still regulating them with restrictions on their size and height. We have broad mayoral support for urban agriculture, says Calvert. It provides all these benefits, including food access, public health, and public education.

In addition to these imperatives, there are also philosophical and legal principles to defend. On a basic level, the right to garden year-round can be encapsulated as the right to do what you want in your own yard. The Virgils are advocating for a state Right to Garden bill, which would override local ordinances. Theyve joined forces with attorney Ari Bargil at the nonprofit Institute for Justice, which works on constitutional law cases and helped pass the first such gardening bill in Florida.

Bargil sees restrictions on home gardening as a violation of a fundamental right: We have the right to use our own properties to grow our own food, as long as that use doesnt impinge on someone elses freedom to enjoy their property. And he feels that landscape ordinances smack of authoritarianism. If a vegetable garden is attracting pests, it has a bearing on the health and safety of a community, and that should be regulated, he says. But if the government is acting like Disney World and specifying what your front yard should look like, thats not a vision of a free society.

The Right to Garden bill in Illinois has been through three rounds of revisions and should go before the state legislature in its next session, which begins in early 2021. The Virgils are cautiously optimistic that their cause will prevail. Im just trying to do something good, Nicole says. I want to help people live well and help each other and have food in abundance.

This article was originally published by Sierra, and is reprinted with the permission of the author. Photos courtesy of Nicole Virgil.

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Without a Right to Garden Law, It May Be Illegal to Grow Your Own Food - Civil Eats

For now, wildlife, plants and Andrew Padula exist in harmony on Plantation Road, north of Greer.

But nearbyalong NorthState 101 are signs ofa boom in development that could threaten thepeace that Padula and nature now share as part of his nursery and landscaping business.

Padulas nearly two-acre nursery relies on the animals around it to make sure the plants he grows are healthy. They also add to the natural feeling, the rural setting that he enjoys.

A little bit of that goes away when things are cut down on a very large scale, like acres and acres at a time, he said.

Contrast that to the fact that if they were to build homes with nature and land in mind, much of the wildlife and plant life would remain becausethere would be only one house every two acres or one house every 10 acres, Padula said.

Andrew Padula, owner of Padula's Plants and Garden Design in Greer, waters his potted plants, Wednesday, October 7, 2020.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

Many people in rural parts of the county and beyond share Padulas sentiment.

The divide is Article 22 the proposed amendment to the county's Land Development Regulations. It's been called "back door zoning" by some who oppose it. Some who favor it consider it a way of sustaining rural communities in the midst of growth.

This amendment sets a minimum lot size of two acres for new residential developments in rural areas.

It pulls the minimum lot sizes directly from the countys comprehensive plan, which was approved with input from a variety of stakeholders,said Michael Corley, Upstate director of the South Carolina Environmental Law Project and a supporter of the amendment.

"Itseems to me very logical and very sensical that the minimum lot sizes in the Land Development Regulations would be the same as whats in the comprehensive plan," he said.

More: How Greenville County is striving to balance growth, quality of life, budget issues

Greenville County Council chair Butch Kirven also supports the amendment, saying in an Op-Ed in The Greenville News that it is a natural next step in accomplishing what the Comprehensive Plan calls for in the unzoned areas and will bring clarity for citizens and developers on the minimum sizes of new residential developments.

"Many studies have shown, and our citizens can see for themselves, that sprawling developments reaching farther and farther into rural areas create an incredibly inefficient way to grow," he wrote.

Greer Mayor Rick Danner is opposed to the amendment, stating in a written reply about the issue to The Greenville News that hebelieves it would effectively end development in the county,with the exception of property/land that is contiguous [or could be] to a municipality that could / would annex it."

"While the goal of the restrictions ostensibly appears to be to limit sprawl and control growth which are valuable Smart Growth tools, there is an economic advantage for the county to push growth into the municipalities," he said.

Concerns about the amendment by the Homebuilders Association of Greenville includefear that there won't be enough land to build homes for future anticipated growth.

Nearly 900 of people have signed a petition urging Greenville County Council to act now to control sprawl in rural areas from new suburban-style residential subdivisions.

Article 22 is a move favored by a group of landowners in northern Greenville County, who are seeing a mounting number of dense subdivisions proposed or constructed in that area of the county.

Corley is representing a group oflandowners in their appeal of a subdivisiondeemed incompatible to their rural community. Many of them are hoping the county will approve Article 22.

A reason for that is, Corleysaid, the proposed amendment addresses Article 3.1 of the Land Development Regulations.

Andrew Padula, owner of Padula's Plants and Garden Design in Greer, waters his potted plants, Wednesday, October 7, 2020.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

Article 3.1 is arule intended to allow planners to reject subdivisions that are not "compatible with the surrounding land use density" or the site's "environmental conditions. Instead, it has been a source of legal challenges.

The Greenville County Planning staff has said, as it relates to density, the county comprehensive plan and Article 3.1 do not apply to unzoned areas.

Opinion: Why county should help municipalities more in bearing costs of growth

"What weve been pushing for and the reason weve been filing appeals is to say you dont think you can apply (Article 3.1), but its still on the books. Its still the only regulation we have to control these rural subdivisions,'" he said. "'You've either got to apply the law thats on the books or youve got to pass a new law.

Some supporters of Article 22 cite "misinformation" as one of its challenges.A pamphlet explaining the petition counters that"misinformation," saying the amendment will not prevent divisions of property among family members, it is extremely unlikely to devalue rural property, and it is not zoning.

The latter is one of the concerns the Greenville HBAhas with the proposed amendment.

Michael Dey, HBA spokesman,said the way the ordinance is structured, theyre essentially trying to zone unzoned areas without zoning it.

Padula's Plants and Garden Design in Greer Wednesday, October 7, 2020.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

We get the political problem with that, but our issue with it is with zoning there is a means of appeal if you dont agree with the zoning on your property, he said.

With the ordinance they have proposed, the only means of appeal if you dont agree with the zoning of your property is to go to court, he said. Thats a very expensive process and its one that most property owners wont be able to pursue. They just cant afford it.

As for concern about land to accommodate homes for future growth, he said,When youre going to add 100,000 jobs and 200,000 new residents to the county in the next 20 years, our estimate was that were going to need close to 100,000 new houses.

Their (the county's) estimate was around 85,000," he said. "I think were all in the same ballpark.

Andrew Padula, owner of Padula's Plants and Garden Design in Greer, waters his potted plants, Wednesday, October 7, 2020.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

But, he said weve got to have the land entitled so that those houses can be built.

Already, he said, theyre seeing rezonings being turned down that are consistent with the comprehensive plan as it was presented because they found it to be too dense. So were definitely not going to have enough places to build the houses to accommodate the growth that is coming," Dey said.

The market of homebuyers are, by and large, not looking for really low density development, Dey said. Theyre looking for medium to high density, and though they dont want to care for a lot of yard, they do want a larger house, he said.

An option that builders and developers would have to avoid the proposed ordinance is annexing into a municipality, Dey said, and that'salready happening in Mauldin, Greer, Simpsonville, and Travelers Rest.

Builders and developers and the property owners theyre buying land from are being annexed the cities because cities are, by their very nature, more dense anyway, Dey said. Theyre more aligned with where themarket is and what the market is demanding for housing .

Additionally, he said, Greer is attractive because ithas a complete sewer, gas, and water system. But to connect to it, you have to annex, he said.

Andrew Padula, owner of Padula's Plants and Garden Design in Greer Wednesday, October 7, 2020.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

When growth occurs in the municipalities, the associated cost of the growth and its impact is assumed by the city, thus relieving the county of the burden of providing services, facilities, maintenance and other related cost while collecting their full share of taxes, Danner said. "This is a potential economic windfall for the county at the expense of the cities."

He thinks the ordinancewould open a Pandoras Box of legal issues "Would the new regulations constitute a taking if you were a large land owner in the county? What if you owned or had invested in a large tract of land in the county as an investment but were now unable to sell it for it highest and best use. Who would reimburse utility providers and other service providers that have invested in infrastructure and capacity for future growth in their assigned territory that will now be unused? Will utility and service providers be willing to provide services to single homes scattered in areas of the County that currently have no service. Would it even be practical?"

The Article 22 proposal is being held as planning and development members get answers to their questions and an in-person public hearing before the entire council can be held, said Councilman Joe Dill, chair of the committee. He said hes hoping the in-person meetings return next month.

Meanwhile, Dill, who represents District 17 ofnorthern Greenville County, said hes got people concerned about growth and wanting to know what the county is going to do about it.

Some are considering zoning their property, he said. Whatever people want, Im willing to help them accomplish.

Padula, who moved to northern Greer 10 years ago from Maine to openPadulas Plants and Garden Design, not only wants homes built on larger lots, he wants them built to control erosion. He also wants more roads built before houses are built.

If you have homes that have land to them and not try to cram 12 of them into two acres then thats going to be a nice mediumbetween allowing wildlife to still flourish here while keeping a nice rural setting, he said. Yet, everybodys got a nice home, they're happy and theyre not complaining about their neighbor as much.

Designing a neighborhood with more property would cause the homes to sell faster and just be more scenic.

This is a farming community, a rural community, he said.

Once you get five miles outside of ( U.S.) 25, it gets country pretty fast and that would only take that about three years to change, he said. Pretty soon, what was country five miles away will be a Walmart or a Dollar General, or something that is taking over a nice piece of land that had a function to it.

Kay Mott on her family's property in northern Greenville County(Photo: Submitted/Vintage Farms Photography)

What Kay Mott sees happening in the community is exactly what she and her family moved from Florida to Blue Ridge to escape: Clogged insufficient roads to handle the traffic, cookie-cutter developments that ruin the landscape, the impact to Lake Robinson which runs red likely from runoff due to land clearing when it rains, decimating the trees and stripping away all the natural beauty and along with that the disappearance of nature.

I am so saddened to the point we are already trying to discern where to go next, she said in an email to The Greenville News. Choosing to live in SCis a sacrifice in many ways compared to Florida. We bear the burden of a state income tax, including taxing the pension of a retired first responder.

Mott and her family had been searching for what they hoped would be their forever home when they vacationed in the Upstate in 2011.

They considered a number of states in their quest for a rural area withstrong school and hospital systems.

This area offered everything in terms of the lifestyle we were seeking, the mountains, hiking, biking, water access, the equestrian community, and we fell in love with downtown Greenville, she said.Greer is close to so many amenities, but was not clogged to the point of spending hours in traffic like South Florida where I had lived for over 50 years. We found the perfect home and moved here.

Padula's Plants and Garden Design in Greer Wednesday, October 7, 2020.(Photo: MATT BURKHARTT/Staff)

Now, fast forward to my perception of what I see unfolding as though I am back in SFL all over again.

What Florida did so well that this area seems to grossly ignore entirely is the infrastructure to manage the increased population, Mott said.

Roads are horrible and have not kept up with the rapid development, she said. There are no new schools to handle the influx. I understand the desire to increase the tax basis, and building more homes certainly serves that purpose, and with Covid-19 my presumption is more and more people will seek to escape crowded cities and move to this area.

Read or Share this story: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2020/10/20/rural-greenville-county-residents-petition-action-against-sprawl-sc/3565448001/

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Petitioners urge Greenville County to act against sprawl in rural northern areas - Greenville News

The level of competition among the local HS football landscape has been steep when it comes to Staten Islands gridders, particularly over the past decade.

Now, were asking the readers who you think has been the BEST on the gridiron over the last ten years.

Ten nominees from four different schools - each of which either claimed the Al Fabbri or Fred Fugazzi award as the Islands top player - appear on the ballot.

Check out a brief description of each player with some noteworthy stats below before voting in the poll at the bottom of this story. You can vote as many times as you like.

Roland Dempster (Tottenville) -- The most recent Al Fabbri winner in 2019, Dempster rushed for 1,368 yards as a senior, to go along with 17 TDs.

Roland Dempster in action. (Staten Island Advance/Derek Alvez)

Mike Jones (Tottenville) -- A teammate of Dempster in 2018, Jones was a dual threat as a receiver and out of the backfield -- hauling in 26 receptions for 654 yards, while adding 225 yards on the ground during his senior campaign. He tallied 10 scores.

Amad Anderson (Curtis) -- A co-winner of the 2017 Fabbri Award, Anderson racked up 833 receiving yards on just 27 receptions, while rushing for an additional 283 yards. AA tallied 15 total TDs that season.

Former Curtis star Amad Anderson Jr. now plays for Purdue. (Staten Island Advance/Shira Stoll)

Quincy Barnes (Curtis) -- Andersons QB and Fabbri co-winner threw for more than 2,000 yards and scampered for 395 while racking up 32 total TDs.

Curtis quarterback Quincy Barnes completed a whopping 63.8% (94 for 149) of his passes during his senior year in 2017. (Staten Island Advance)

Stephen Viegas (Monsignor Farrell) -- In 2016, Viegas ran for 1,376 yards and 13 TDs. He posted three 200+ yard efforts that season.

Stephen Viegas on his way to the house.

Jesse Bramble (Tottenville) -- A do-it-all threat, Bramble ran for 926 yards and 13 TDs in 2015, and he hauled in 16 passes for 414 yards and four more scores. He also returned four punts for touchdowns and three interceptions for scores.

Dawa Winn (New Dorp) -- In 2014, he ran for 1,226 yards and nine TDs.

James Munson (Tottenville) -- A hard-hitting safety with a nose for the football, Munson held down the secondary with a pair of interceptions, while he added 465 receiving yards and 11 TDs on offense in 2013.

Kevin Austin (Curtis) -- In 2012, he ran for 1,500 yards and 20 TDs.

Alvin Cornelius (Tottenville) -- A two-time Fabbri Award winner, Cornelius nabbed 26 receptions for 634 yards (21.7 yards per reception). He ran for an addition 272 yards and totaled 14 scores in 2011.

Alvin Cornelius takes one up the sideline.

The poll will remain open until Friday at noon, when the winner will be announced -- feel free to vote as often as youd like and be sure to check back in on the standings throughout the week!

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Poll: Who was Staten Islands best HS football player of the last decade? - SILive.com

Global warming has made forecasting weather a big gamble. Generally speaking, Hawaiis rainy season is usually November through April. The exception is Kona that has a summer rainy season with a dry winter. Other variables include elevation and the effect of moisture-bearing tradewinds. Thus mauka areas of the windward side may receive 200 or more inches of rain while coastal South Kohala may receive very little rain throughout the year. On the leeward side, coastal Kona may receive 30 inches of rain in the summer, but at 2,000 to 4,000 feet elevation, summer rainfall may be 60 to 100 inches. Kona Cloud Forest Sanctuary at 3,000 feet in Kaloko Mauka has recorded no dry season for almost three years while the windward side has experienced unusually dry weather.

Wherever you live, the first plants to show water stress are those with shallow roots like grass and many groundcovers. These are good indicators as to when you need to irrigate. They are also likely to tell you when to fertilize if you are sensitive to your plants needs. You should apply plant nutrients when the soil is moist during rainy periods or when you can supplement water with irrigation.

Whether you have a home with a large yard or an apartment with a small lanai, plants create a more luxurious mood. Attractive trees, shrubs and lawns actually increase the value of a home. In fact, if you cut down that big shade tree in the front yard, you may actually be reducing the value of your property by thousands of dollars. Just think how much it would cost to have a landscape company replace it! When trees are destroyed, it affects the whole community.

The key to success is to put the right plants in the right place. Hot sunny areas of the islands require shady gardens to create a comfortable environment. Windbreaks are important to reduce excessive winds. Many tropical landscapes do not include grass. Examples may be found in books like Tropical Asia Style, Thai Garden Style, and several books featuring the Hawaiian landscape. The use of palms adds even more luxuriance to the design.

Besides trees, shrubs and bedding plants, one of the main elements of many landscapes is ground covers including grass. It might be Bermuda, buffalo, centipede, zoysia, seashore paspalum, or a mix. Whatever type lawn it is, green and healthy is the key. It is important to remember that lawns generally require more maintenance, fertilizer and water than more deeply rooted ground covers, shrubs and trees. Thus, many communities are minimizing turf except in parks and recreational areas like golf courses.

However, it is pleasing to see a healthy, well-maintained lawn. An expanse of green lawn can serve as the right setting for the homes they surround.

From a practical standpoint in the tropics, a lawn serves a number of ends. First, it reduces heat and glare as the sun beats down on the earth. Green is a soothing color. No doubt that is why there is so much of it in nature. Second, it controls mud and erosion. It definitely beats concrete and asphalt or gravel.

The chief value of a lawn over other kinds of ground covers is that it offers a pleasing place to walk and play, as well as being artistic. In a dry area, a grass such as Bermuda makes a successful path, or can be used for auto parking.

A well maintained grass cover also offers one of the easiest ways to control weeds. Just mow frequently and fertilize occasionally, making sure the grass cover has sufficient water to keep its green color.

Of course, if you want a perfect lawn that is a different proposition. Your idea may be just a green expanse to set off the surrounding landscape. Then it really does not matter of what the expanse consists. It may be a combination of grasses kept in check by frequent mowing.

Lawns are a garden heritage from Europe. They are not typical in Asia except through Western influence. Asian design uses moss, pebbles or sand for its plain element in landscaping. But in England, turf is key to the landscape and has become an essential part of the garden tradition. Mainland Americans have inherited this tradition. They generally consider a lawn a necessary part of the landscape. However, in the wet tropics, turf is generally not a part of the native picture, since meadows are infrequent. Here, it is a good idea to stop and consider whether or not a lawn is an essential part of your garden. In many parts of the mainland where water may be scarce and expensive, grass is fast disappearing as an aesthetic element.

Shady forest effects with paths and patios tend to relate to the tropics more than do extensive lawns. And yet even here, there is much use of the lawn in open expanses around a dwelling.

A perfect lawn in the tropics can be an expensive proposition. To keep it perfect requires constant attention to weeding, rolling, fertilizing, mowing, watering, and control of diseases. Just about the time you think you have everything under control, some new condition arises, and the lawn goes up in smoke.

Today there is a strong inclination to let the lawn be more informal along with the rest of the garden. Such a mixed green cover has its appeal, being more like a meadow than the monoculture lawn. A semi-natural lawn like this has its practical aspect also. It reduces maintenance by eliminating most of the weeding and also the struggle to make one kind of grass grow under the varying conditions of sun and shade which make up the average lawn area.

There is, no doubt, a legitimate reason for cultivating a green expanse around a dwelling even in the tropics. But lets not make such a burden out of it. When a weed pops up here and there, let it be. The secret is not in exterminating the weeds, but in keeping the area mowed so that the weeds cannot dominate and go to seed, keeping them from spreading too much.

Whatever type lawn you have, chances are it will require watering except the extremely rainy locations. Deep watering is preferred. Frequent shallow watering will encourage shallow rooting. It is best to water in the early morning. There is less waste of water through evaporation at that time.

Along with water, green growing things need fertilizer. This is especially true with the lawns. A fast growing grass like Bermuda may need fertilizer every month. On the other hand, Zoysia may be fertilized three to four times per year or less. A slow release fertilizer high in nitrogen is usually the best.

The important thing is to think green. We humans have created too much desert in the past. The old saying, Rain follows the forest, desert follows man does not need to apply to wise Hawaiian gardeners.

Read the original here:
Your lawn may be hungry and thirsty now - West Hawaii Today

Fall webworms are not tent caterpillars although, without fail, everyone thats asked has referred to them as such. Forest tent caterpillars dont construct webs. Eastern tent caterpillars do, but they hatch in the spring and early summer and make their nests, or tents, in the forks or tree-branch crotches of (mostly) apple, crabapple, and pin cherry trees.

Fall webworm caterpillars spin webs that envelop entire branches or groups of branches and feed on many varieties of deciduous trees. They feed inside their webs, completely consuming the foliage; leaving only the mid-veins. Skins cast off by the caterpillars when they molt, fecal pellets, and dead leaf debris accumulate within the web, giving it an even messier appearance.

Even when the caterpillars are present in numbers so great that they enshroud nearly every limb in nests and completely defoliate a host tree or shrub, the damage is, with few exceptions, a lot less-serious than it appears. The one exception to this may be in young trees that have yet to become established.

As summer winds down, plant growth slows. Trees are already preparing for winter dormancy and have stored up enough nutrient reserves to survive. Since the leaves have already performed their service, the loss of them generally has little effect on the health of the host. The empty webbing may persist well-into the winter before falling part however, which although unsightly, wont cause any further damage. Infestations tend to be episodic in nature, with back to back bad-webworm-infestation years rarely occurring.

The fall webworm is a native moth that occurs across almost all of the continental United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico.They were accidently introduced into the former country of Yugoslavia in the 1940s, and since then have expanded their range to include most of Europe, as well as parts of China, North Korea, and Japan.

Given its wide geographical range, its not surprising that there is variability in the appearance of both the adults and the larvae, which are divided into two genotypes; each named for the color of their head capsules; black-headed or red-headed. Pure white adults and black-headed larvae predominate in northern regions, whereas spotted adults and red-headed larvae predominate in southern regions.

Although there may be two broods of fall webworms annually in some areas of New York State, and southern populations may complete as many as four generations in a single year, the insect has only one generation per year in our region.

The life cycle begins when the not-often-noticed white, adult female moths lay as many as 1,500 eggs in a single mass on the underside of a host plants foliage leaf. She will then cover the eggs with bristles from the underside of her abdomen to protect them. The eggs hatch into tiny larvae and immediately start building a web, which protects them from predators. At first, the web encircles only a few leaves at the growing tip of the limb. But as the caterpillars grow, they expand the web down the limb, covering more and more foliage and devouring more and more leaves.

Larvae stay in the colony until their last molt, after which they are about an inch and a half long. They then crawl down the tree trunk or descend to the ground on a strand of webbing and seek out a protected place to spin a somewhat-fragile cocoon and pupate in the debris at or just below the soil surface, where they will overwinter. They emerge as adult moths in the spring, mate, and the cycle begins again.

As with all pests, its easiest to get rid of fall webworm caterpillars when they first start appearing in your trees. So keep a close eye out starting in late summer. Webs are always on branch ends.

You can easily poke holes in the nests to break them apart using a long stick. Once the webs are broken open, the nests can be easily raided by predators.

Although fall webworm damage is rarely severe, keeping your trees healthy is always important. Water trees in your yard during dry periods, and avoid wounding trees or compacting the soil within the dripline. Maintaining tree health will help your trees recover from defoliation and other stresses and keep them looking good year-round.

Captions and credits are as follows:

1) Fall Webworm Larvae. Photo Credit:Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Bugwood.org

2) Fall Webworm Infestation. Photo Credit:Natural Resources Canada

3) Fall Webworm Adult Female and Pupa. Photo Credit:Gerald J. Lenhard; Louisiana State University; Bugwood.org

Richard Gast is a retired Extension Program Educator and has been contracted by Cornell Cooperative Extension Franklin County to continue his informative and thought provoking articles.

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Webs in the Trees? They're Relatively Harmless - - Adirondack Almanack

Which new players across the AFC South landscape made the biggest impacts for their respective teams in NFL Week 1?

High draft pick? Big-name free agent? Trade acquisition? Under-the-radar guy? Our SI beat writers in the AFC South take a look at the newcomers who made themselves known in Week 1 - whether for positive or negative reasons.

Jacksonville

After the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted a franchise-record 12 rookies but only signed a handful of free agents, it was clear the Jaguars' most important new addition would be a rookie. This became even clearer after a Week 1 performance in which cornerback CJ Henderson, the No. 9 overall pick in April's draft, became the difference between a Jaguars win or loss.

Henderson was unsurprisingly thrust into a starting role early on as a rookie, but more importantly he faced a stiff test in his NFL debut. It's hard for most cornerbacks to stick with T.Y. Hilton for four quarters, let alone a rookie in his first-ever NFL game. But that's just what Henderson did in Sunday's 27-20 upset win, recording three pass breaking a (including the game-clinching one against Hilton on fourth down) and an interception.

Aside from Henderson's smoothness in coverage and several pass breakups, he also came up big on two tackles in space on separate third downs. He made big plays when Jacksonville's defense needed them the most, and frankly nobody really knew which defender would be providing those plays this year. Through one week, it has been Henderson.

Henderson's rookie year is obviously far from complete, but he got off to a fast start in Week 1. Without him, the Jaguars probably end up losing against the Colts. To be the deciding factor in your first NFL game is one thing, but to do it in the manner Henderson did is even more special.

-- John Shipley, JaguarReport

Tennessee

Stephen Gostkowskis debut with the Tennessee Titans certainly was a memorable one. Even if it was a night he would rather forget.

The four-time Pro Bowlers 25-yard field goal with 17 seconds to play was the 10th game-winning kick of his career, his first in 23 months.

It was the difference in the Titans 16-14 victory at Denver. It also came after he missed four times three field goals and an extra-point earlier in the contest. According to Next Gen Stats, the odds that he would miss the kicks he did in a single game were 1 in 1,804.

Gostkowski, who signed with the Titans just before the start of the regular season, was wide right from 47 yards in the first quarter, and Denver took a 7-0 lead on the ensuing possession. His 44-yard try in the final minute of the first half was blocked. His 42-yard kick missed left early in the third quarter. When his PAT early in the fourth quarter missed left, the Broncos scored on their next drive and took a 14-13 lead.

While it was an unprecedented performance for Gostkowski, the issues were nothing new for the Titans. They had four kickers combine to make eight of 18 field goal tries last season.

What is notable is that coach Mike Vrabel gave him the opportunity to attempt the last one with the game on the line. It speaks to the trust he has in his one-time teammate with the New England Patriots and prior to Monday, at least one of the NFLs five most accurate field goal kickers. At a point last year, Vrabel likely would have decided the only way to win that game was with a touchdown.

We'll get this stuff fixed, Vrabel said. We've got a lot of faith in our players.

-- David Boclair, AllTitans

Indianapolis

Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor didnt enter Sundays 27-20 opening loss at Jacksonville until the second quarter after Marlon Mack ruptured his right Achilles tendon, and because the Colts struggled to establish the run and relied on passing, the second-round selections rushing numbers of nine carries for 22 yards didnt impress.

But Taylor caught six passes for 67 yards, including a 35-yard screen in which he showed his speed to run away from two tacklers, then his power by pushing tacklers about 7 yards after contact at the end. It was a glimpse of what the Colts hope to see more of and will need, now that Mack has been placed on injured reserve and Taylor is the Week 2 starter.

Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and quarterback Philip Rivers were the splash offseason additions, and both had mixed results. As expected, Buckner saw a lot of double teams. He had six total tackles, one for a loss, but by his own All-Pro standards, Buckner conceded he needs to have more of an impact. Rivers passed for 363 yards, relying mostly on 17 completions to running backs, but he threw two bad interceptions that were reminiscent of many of his 20 picks with the L.A. Chargers last season.

Expect Buckner to be the No. 1 key addition to this team by seasons end, but after one game, Taylors importance has risen dramatically because of the loss of Mack. The Colts were seventh in rushing last season, but managed just 88 yards on 22 carries in Week 1. Head coach Frank Reich admitted that one of his mistakes was not calling more run plays and getting into a rushing rhythm. That means Taylor should get more carries on Sunday at home against Minnesota.

-- Phillip B. Wilson, AllColts

HOUSTON

Week one was a rough one for the Texans, facing the defending super bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night football. However, there were some bright spots for Houston, most notably in their latest Addition, David Johnson.

Johnson was a controversial addition to the roster, coming over from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for fan-favorite wide receiver and future Hall of Famer, DeAndre Hopkins, along with a second-round and a fourth pick in 2021.

On paper, Johnson did fill a major hole for the Texans, who have struggled to run the ball for much of Bill OBriens tenure, though his injury issues were also well documented.

Through camp, he was also one of the team's most consistent performers, proving to the coaching staff that he was worth parting ways with a receiver of Hopkinss caliber.

Fast forward to the season opener, and Johnson was arguably the Texans best offensive performer, carrying the ball 11 times for 77 yards and one of the Texans two touchdowns in the loss. Johnson also had three catches for 32 yards in the game.

Was it the most explosive or eye-popping performance? Certainly not. But Johnson did provide one of the more consistent rushing attacks the Texans have seen in some time, which bodes well for the team heading into a brutal second week matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

-- Matthew Galatzan, Texans Daily

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Texans & AFC South: Who Are The Impact Newcomers? - State of The Texans

When the Big Ten announced in August that it would postpone the start of the 2020 college football season, the fear was that the NCAA would not be able to crown a true champion. One of the top conferences around the nation perhaps unable to take part in bowl season and the College Football Playoff would muddy the title scene.

That fear is now a thing of the past following the decision on Wednesday to start the season Oct. 24.

The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition, the conference announced, via its official website. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020. The decision was based on information presented by the Big Ten Return to Competition Task Force, a working group that was established by the COP/C and Commissioner Kevin Warren to ensure a collaborative and transparent process.

The plan is for each Big Ten team to play eight games in eight weeks, leaving no real wriggle room in case theres an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus within a program. Weve already seen some programs within the conference deal with outbreaks over the past few months.

Setting aside the rightful debate about whether it makes sense to resume a season at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is projected to hit the United States hard, this does indeed change the landscape of the college football season.

After the first two weeks of the college football season, the AP decided to remove teams playing in the Big Ten and Pac-12, among others, from its top 25. This made sense. There was no real reason to keep said programs in the rankings if they werent actually playing college football. The following teams were removed from the outlets preseason rankings:

Thats 40% of the preseason top 25 removed from the rankings in one fell swoop, including three legit title contenders. The assumption now is that six of those teams will be added to the ranking following this coming weekends action.

This does indeed change the landscape of the 2020 season early in the process. Once the Big Tens schedule is released later this week, well have a better understanding of how things might look. Once the initial College Football Playoff rankings are released, likely right after the Big Ten starts its season, that will be magnified even further.

We have no idea how the eight-game schedule for each team will look. Its highly likely that divisions will be thrown out the window. The Big Ten will want to see Wisconsin and Minnesota go up against the top dogs in the Eastern Division, Penn State and Ohio State included.

Its in this that a jam-packed two-month schedule within the conference will give us some top-flight games. In turn, that promises to shake up the college football season in a big way.

Even without the Pac-12 making a firm decision on its season, another Power Five conference playing a truncated slate adds to the intrigue of the 2020 college football season.

We will play eight games, plus one very unique champions week where the teams from the East and West will match up and play one another, two versus two, three versus three, four versus four, etc., with the championship game being played at the end of that week, Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said Wednesday.

That final week of action could very well help decide the College Football Playoffs four teams once bowl season comes calling. It will also make for an incredibly fun time around the college football world.

See the article here:
Big Ten's decision changes landscape of the 2020 college football season - Yardbarker