Saturdays in the fall are sacred times for football. College football rules the land on Saturdays from before Labor Day until after Thanksgiving. The NFL steers clear of competing against college football on Saturdays.
But what if there is no college football in 2020? That scary but legitimate possibility would leave a massive hole in the national psyche and the sports calendar.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported the potential for the NFL to fill that void.
With the NFL expected to release its schedule soon, its officials have discussed giving the league some flexibility to move games to Saturdays this fall if college football postpones its entire season, according to sources.
The NFL has had preliminary discussions with its broadcast partners about the idea. An NFL spokesman declined comment.
While the majority of the week’s schedule would remain on Sundays, along with the primetime Monday and Thursday slates, some stand-alone games could be reset for Saturdays.
The NFL will only consider the move if there is no college football. It is still unclear if college football will be played this fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That last paragraph is key. Opening up FirstEnergy Stadium and other NFL venues for Saturday games is only on the table if there is no college football.
The Browns last played on a Saturday in December of 2018, beating the Broncos 17-16 in Denver the weekend after the college football conference championship games were played.
