Two months ago, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had some level of hope for fans in seats and a regularly scheduled start to the college football season. But that has all changed.

On the heels of the Ivy League announcing it would push back its fall sports season to January on Wednesday, the Big Ten announced that its fall sports, including football, would play a conference-only schedule if the season would still be played in the fall.

Meanwhile, Smith isn’t positive that a season will happen at all.

“I am very concerned. In our last conversation, whenever that was, I was cautiously optimistic. I’m not even there now,” Smith told the media after the Big Ten’s announcement.

In May, Smith was enthused by the downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases in the country, but now, cases are rising again, and Franklin County is on the verge of a Level 4 designation on the state's new Public Health Advisory Alert System.

Ohio State halted its voluntary workouts for fall sports Wednesday after receiving its latest COVID-19 results for student-athletes.

What Smith does know, is that it’s too early to discuss rescheduling nonconference matchups with the likes of Oregon –– the Buckeyes’ most hotly anticipated out-of-league opponent slated for 2020 –– and the other teams they were supposed to play outside the Big Ten.

“I’ve talked to all three of our nonconference opponent athletic directors, including Oregon of course. We’ve agreed to talk in the future to see if we can try and reschedule our contests.”

In eliminating the nonconference games, the Big Ten hopes to create more wiggle room to “hit the pause button,” and work around potential flare-ups in positive tests and create standards for what would constitute postponing a game.

“I am concerned that we may not be able to play. Which is why we took the measure that we took in order to try and have September available to us for conference games, and give us the flexibility and control to handle disruptions if we’re able to start a season,” Smith said.

Due to the recent developments surrounding the virus, Smith said his priorities have shifted. One concern that has fallen by the wayside, is any talk about a postseason for college football.

“I’m more concerned about a regular season right now. If we’re blessed to have a postseason, whatever that looks like, great,” Smith said. “But right now, I would love to have Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers to have a chance to have a season.”

With the six-week window for preseason practices set to begin July 24, Smith isn’t certain that period won’t have to be pushed back as well. But at least, for the moment, Smith and the Big Ten have carved out a little more time to work with the circumstances before them as the season’s start date approaches.

As for discussing pushing the season back to the spring?

"Right now, that's not a high priority for us," Smith said.