Is there any chance we will have college football next fall?

[Domer]

I'm afraid that we may not.

[Xenon]

I think there is tooooo much money at stake, and there will certainly be football in the fall....

At a minimum it will be a shortened conference only scheduled starting end of September....

BUT I think most likely, it will be a full schedule .....

MAYBE transfer games out of New York City area, and possibly Chicago and Detroit....but most everyplace else is going to be just fine to have a game.

[Aloha Nole]

I am thinking that a later start may be in order, and extend to NC Game to later in the new year.

[Dubby]

I am thinking that a later start may be in order, and extend to NC Game to later in the new year.

Agreed

The college presidents are already say if they're not back in school

They'll be no fall sports

[Domer]

I think a lot depends on what happens now that most states are opening back up and people are following guidelines less and less, ie. keeping distances, wearing masks, etc. If we have a serious rebound, which I believe is very possible, schools may not start in the fall.

[irishmark]

I think a lot depends on what happens now that most states are opening back up and people are following guidelines less and less, ie. keeping distances, wearing masks, etc. If we have a serious rebound, which I believe is very possible, schools may not start in the fall.

If we have a second wave, which Dr. Fauci believes we will, then I can't see putting 100,000 people in the Big House.

[Xenon]

I don't know if this could work, but I'd like to see the decision be regional and based on local status two or three weeks before the scheduled game.

LOOK, we delay, or move, or reschedule games for Hurricanes on a fairly regular basis.... but we don't cancel all games months in advance because there is high likelihood of a hurricane in one area of the country (say Houston) during the season.

SO, If I were the dictator of all thing NCAA, I think what I'd like to see is something like this ...

IF two weeks before the game is scheduled ...
a) if the positive testing rate in the county of the game is below Z, then the game CAN be played with a full crowd
b) if the positive testing rate in the county of the game is below YY but above Z, then the game can be played but with no fans in attendance.
c) if the positive testing rate in the county of the game is above YY, then the game has to be moved to the opponent's field (if the opponent's county is below YY - see above) or cancelled or rescheduled (if opponent is above YY)

I think you might need something about if the local airport county is above some level, then no fans in the game, but I'm not sure how to work that ...

Additionally, if the STATE has restrictions, then those have to met as well... but games can go on in States that have low enough indicators that the State has no major restrictions.

----

So far, to me, it looks like MOST states with major college football are actually doing pretty well on COVID. For most of the SOUTH, the flu season of 2017-2018 is worse in terms of total deaths (see Texas stats or Arizona stats, even California, and most of the south like Georgia and Florida). The midwest seems to be ok, except for some of the big cities. FOr most of major college football, many campuses are NOT in the giant urban megacities, but often in somewhat smaller suburbs, where COVID so far is not that bad.

Most of the BigTen would be fine ... probably not Rutgers, and maybe not Northwestern, but I like everyone else is not too bad.
I think all the BigXII would be fine.
Most of the PAC-12 is probably fine ... but UCLA and USC might be questionable
Most of the SEC is fine as well
Not so sure about the ACC, but I think they are probably fine.

My point is .... MOST campuses would be fine, and the few that needed to be rescheduled would be similar to a bad Hurricane season...

[hammerhead Profile]

Why not just re-schedule the whole season to the spring of 2021? Are all the stadiums in constant use by other sports all weekends in the spring? One of the upstart pro football leagues had a spring schedule. I don't think thefans would necessarily care. the current spring and summer conditioning could be moved to this Oct & Nov.

The NFL draft would probably have to move to June, but I don't see that as anything earthshaking.

I think there are even a couple of teams that occasionally play in the snow, so why not more?

[Xenon]

I think next spring is likely to be WORSE than the Fall ...

NORMAL flu season usually peaks in January runs through March or so ... So moving to a January to May season is actually putting the season in the HIGHER likelihood of a second wave of infections.

If anything move the season UP and try to have the bowls done BEFORE Christmas.... late summer and early fall are the LOW point for infectious diseases like COVID....

I think FOOTBALL can and should go on ... BUT, I am really skeptical of NCAA Basketball!!! Everyone inside on building, during the worse time for infection, breathing recycled air... YIKES!!!!

[irishmark]

We need to stop thinking this can be compared to the flu.

A simple Google search shows the covid 19 death rate globally at 3.4%. The flu is less than 1%.

There is no comparison. Putting 100,000 people into stadiums, is like playing Russian roulette.