CHAMPAIGN – It was a beautiful stretch of weather last weekend, so there was a great reason to head for the golf course.

Or it gave us a chance to hang out with the family a little more, because there were no Big Ten Conference football games.

“I haven’t had a free day on Labor Day since probably high school,’’ said Sean Callahan, who covers Nebraska football for HuskerOnline. “Just to be able to hang round and spend time with family was great with no press conference on Monday. It was nice, but I want football.’’

So does the rest of the state of Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers are the closest thing to a pro franchise in the state. The money and jobs derived by those seven Husker football home games create an industry within itself, and Nebraska needs its college football as much as anybody.

The postponement of Big Ten schedule left Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinksi working his Netflix account, but the smokescreen is so thick in the Big Ten, it’s hard to understand who’s in, who’s out and just what number it would take in a vote to get football back in play.

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Commissioner Kevin Warren made a cameo appearance to answer softball questions a month ago, but the vast majority of the Big Ten presidents and chancellors have gone underground, including Illinois’ Robert Jones. A conference built from a position of power continued to look weak with these mixed messages before ducking out the back door.

Illinois bult some momentum toward this season, considering it was supposed to be the best Illini team in coach Lovie Smith’s tenure. But those following the Big Ten voting process will tell you Illinois has been a solid “No’’ in voting whether to play football this fall.

Another day, another Big Ten vague statement. In response to a letter signed by 10 Midwestern political leaders, the Big Ten’s latest communique Wednesday read:

“We could not agree more with the group of Midwest legislators who state in a letter to Commissions Kevin Warren that the Big Ten Conference is ‘home to some of the leading institutions of higher learning, scientific research and medicine.’ The Big Ten’s Return to Competition Task Force is tapping into those resources as it prepares for a safe return to competition.

“The letter reflects that we all want the same thing, which is for ‘sports to continue safely.’ The conference will continue to work with the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C), as it has always done, to identify opportunities to resume competition as soon as it is safe to do so.’’

Reports have surfaced about a Big Ten vote perhaps as soon as this weekend, but are they voting on football in October, November or later? The silence from the Big Ten office is deafening.

“Everybody just feels trapped,’’ Callahan said. “That’s probably the most maddening thing. We just want to know when we’ll play football. The Pac-12 came out with a testing model and some hope. Why hasn’t the Big Ten?’’

Coaches know about as much as media and fans, which is to say very little. They work within the 12 hours a week in an attempt to keep players close to being ready, although one Big Ten assistant felt it would take three to four weeks to properly prepare for a season opener.

“You have to keep the blade sharp on the sword,’’ Callahan said.

Callahan is skeptical about the Big Ten forging ahead with an October starting date. The common thought is still something beginning around Thanksgiving. These plans would have the Big Ten falling behind other leagues concerning a national timetable, although there’s so much uncertainty moving forward with Covid-19. Accord to ESPN, Penn State shut down football activity Wednesday because of an outbreak, and positive tests forced Baylor’s game against Louisiana Tech set for this weekend to be postponed.

The economy in Champaign County takes a left to the jaw but imagine the repercussions with The Big House sitting empty. Yet an insider from another state said the Michigan administration is a ringleader in the Big Ten’s No voting block.

Chris Balas, who covers Michigan for TheWolverine, doesn’t expect football before “Thanksgiving if at all. If there are any relapses or a second wave, I wouldn’t be surprised if they scrap it and say wait ‘til next fall. October was a pipe dream, pushed by those who wanted it the most.’’

For Ohio State, there’s a big difference between a meaningful season and just a season. The Buckeyes were legitimate national title contenders, and if the Big Ten doesn’t start playing by October, it looks more like just a season later this winter, because playing a few varsity games with a chance for a date in the Rose Bowl against the Pac-12 champ doesn’t really cut it for the Buckeyes.

Starting in October would benefit Ohio State, but the clock is ticking.

“I feel less optimistic today than I did last week,’’ said Kevin Noon, beat writer at BuckeyeGrove.com, “but this has certainly been a situation where things seem to change by the hour.’’

Rumors persist that some coaches just want to delay what might be a disappointing season. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm prefers a spring schedule after losing Rondale Moore to pro ball and facing a transition with a new defensive coordinator. If that’s upsetting the folks in scarlet and gray, they won’t let their emotions do the talking.

But let’s be blunt. The Buckeyes don’t just want to play football. They want to win a championship. A varsity season played in the middle of winter with a conference title game and a trip to Pasadena in the spring is nice, but it’s not the real deal.

“Guys who would remain would compete hard,’’ Noon said. “It wouldn’t be the same to compete for a meaningful championship. A season and a meaningful season are two different things. An October start would be a meaningful season. Anything else would be a season.’’

At this point, everyone is just waiting for the Big Ten to tell us something meaningful.