What Are The Odds College Football Starts On Time?
Being the first team or league to pull back is risky.
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What are the odds?
The 2020 college football season is completely up in the air right now and the big issue that there is no plan across the board and it will likely come down to individual leagues to make a choice.
Michael Katz covers Wyoming football and spoke directly with Cowboys athletics director Tom Burman about the confidence of a full and regular football season is iffy, at best.
The big issue is money. It is one thing for the Ivy League which is expected to push football to the spring compared to even the Group of Five teams like the Mountain West that pull in over seven-figures per school year.
A few key points Thurman makes in this interview is that the school and assumingly the Mountain West is in no hurry to delay the season or make any drastic changes, yet he did say it is “50-50” for football to go on as normal.
“As of today, we are still playing,” Burman said. “Everything we have planned is still on the schedule. We have not a made a decision (to stop the season) … and we’re not in a hurry to do so,” Burman said. “We are not in a panic mode.”
There is so much to consider playing college football this fall. First, these are unpaid athletes so it is not like the pro sports where it is their job to play. The scholarships and benefits beyond that are not really worth it to risk getting COVID-19 or spreading it to others.
Testing needs to be massive and that is expensive, perhaps pool testing is the way to go to keep costs low. Also, keeping players safe in a contact sport that is in close proximity for a very long time is also something to look out for.
Planning to go on as planned is a good idea but there better be backup plans for the Mountain West since the NCAA has next to no authority on the FBS. We have discussed this before with conference-only games or going to a spring season.
All options need to be on the table because the money that is provided for college football not only pays for that sport but basically the entire athletic department, so this is a very high-stakes decision that is not going to be taken lightly.
Being first is tough when there is so much at stake for not just the money that football provides but the bigger issue of the health of those who participate on and off the field for college football.
