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Optimism for an on-time start to the college football season has sunk in recent weeks as conference administrators are now seriously grappling with the possibility of delays.
Cases continue to rise (along with hospitalizations and positive test rates) as COVID-19 grabs hold of the country at the start of the second half of the calendar year, and with the rise in infections has come an increase in belief among Power 5 conference administrators the season will not start in late August and early September, multiple industry sources tell 247Sports.
“Everyone is pessimistic,” in regards to an on-time start to the season, one Power 5 administrator told 247Sports this week.
A spring season is the last resort for the Power 5, a conference administrator tells 247Sports, but a delay almost seems inevitable, another source said.
The biggest issue is uncertainty. The Southeastern Conference and many others have targeted late July or early August as the last hour to decide whether to start the season on time.
IVY LEAGUE DECISION WON'T SWAY POWER 5
The Ivy League is expected to announce Wednesday a shortened season or delayed start in the spring, but the FCS conference’s decision will not serve as a guide for the Autonomy 5 as the Power 5 conference’s commissioners work together on contingency plans for the season, sources tell 247Sports.
"I don't think people understand how that (decision) simply doesn't affect us," an administrator said.
FBS conferences followed the lead of the Ivy League in mid-March, when the league was the first to cancel its postseason basketball tournament. The real-time decision in March amid a new growing threat, however, is much different in circumstance and scope than the impending decision Wednesday concerning football in the Ivy League. Power 5 commissioners have discussed the need to wait and not follow the Ivy League in meetings this week.
Conference commissioners, athletic directors and head coaches have tried to remain positive in the public spotlight and when meeting their teams on the ground, but behind closed doors they are just as anxious as millions of college football fans.
“Nobody knows” what will happen, one Power 5 athletics director admitted.
“We said from the onset of this pandemic that circumstances around the virus would guide our decision-making, and it is clear recent developments related to COVID-19 have not been trending in the right direction,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “There are important decisions to be made in the coming weeks and by late July there should be more clarity about the fall season. In the meantime, our athletics programs will continue to effectively manage the health and safety of our student-athletes as they continue voluntary activities on their respective campuses.”
Power 5 conferences previously moved their annual media days to virtual-only formats. The ACC and Big 12 have set dates for online-only events, but the SEC will not make a decision on when it will conduct its media days until a decision on the first week of the college football season is reached in late July or early August, an SEC source said.
PR 'NIGHTMARE' WEIGHING ON OFFICIALS
Of concern among decision-makers is the potential for a publication-relations nightmare should they push forward with a season if case numbers — and deaths — rise across the country. Health and safety is paramount, but backlash from the media and fans as science mixes with politics is also weighing heavily on the minds of administrators, one industry source said. A hope among one administrator: The climate on how the public views the virus changes from one of hopelessness to acceptance that the virus is here for the foreseeable future and a return to normalcy is needed on college campuses.
Much of that relies also on presidents and chancellors as they decide whether to allow students on college campuses or utilize a hybrid model that includes in-person and online-only instruction. Harvard University made waves this week when it announced all classes will be conducted virtually during the 2020-21 academic year, though it will allow up to 40% of undergraduates to remain on campus.
"We have made clear that in order for student-athletes to be on campus, our campuses must be open on some basis to students, including on a hybrid basis,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said.
TIMELINE FOR CONFERENCES: THE 11th HOUR
Several conferences will utilize as much time as possible before making decisions throughout the fall. The SEC is expected to make a decision on whether to continue the season as planned in late July or early August, but they are not expected to entertain a full cancellation of fall sports as early as August, a source said. Most Power 5 conferences are willing to wait until the 11th hour and re-evaluate circumstances on a week-to-week basis through the fall, though many within the conference offices, particularly in the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC, have questioned the logistics of keeping players on campus if the season is delayed more than once.
“As it relates to thresholds of numbers of teams to conduct a season, we have modeled out many different scenarios for conducting a season but have not set thresholds in this regard,” Scott said of the Pax-12
Meanwhile, on the ground, FBS schools continue to fight the virus on campuses that resemble ghost towns without student populations. Some athletic programs have been successful maintaining a bubble (Notre Dame has one positive test among 252 COVID-19 tests conducted within its athletics department since mid-June) while others shut down team activities (Kansas, Kansas State, Houston and Boise State) amid small outbreaks.
Optimism ebbs and flows.
“It depends on the week,” said a Power 5 head coach requesting anonymity. “I’m trying to stay positive and keep our guys safe and healthy right now.”
Inconsistencies in testing protocols and guidelines across conference offices in the FBS continue. The NCAA’s lack of action and enforceable guidelines has frustrated some, particularly outside the Power 5.
“With the policies and guidelines we have in place now, I don’t know how we could play,” an FBS head coach told 247Sports. “We have very few kids who are symptomatic but the contact tracing and asymptomatic quarantining guidelines would kill us during the season. And I still worry about the kids who are missing training now in order to prepare their bodies for practice and the games.”
Cases continue to rise (along with hospitalizations and positive test rates) as COVID-19 grabs hold of the country at the start of the second half of the calendar year, and with the rise in infections has come an increase in belief among Power 5 conference administrators the season will not start in late August and early September, multiple industry sources tell 247Sports.
“Everyone is pessimistic,” in regards to an on-time start to the season, one Power 5 administrator told 247Sports this week.
A spring season is the last resort for the Power 5, a conference administrator tells 247Sports, but a delay almost seems inevitable, another source said.
The biggest issue is uncertainty. The Southeastern Conference and many others have targeted late July or early August as the last hour to decide whether to start the season on time.
IVY LEAGUE DECISION WON'T SWAY POWER 5
The Ivy League is expected to announce Wednesday a shortened season or delayed start in the spring, but the FCS conference’s decision will not serve as a guide for the Autonomy 5 as the Power 5 conference’s commissioners work together on contingency plans for the season, sources tell 247Sports.
"I don't think people understand how that (decision) simply doesn't affect us," an administrator said.
FBS conferences followed the lead of the Ivy League in mid-March, when the league was the first to cancel its postseason basketball tournament. The real-time decision in March amid a new growing threat, however, is much different in circumstance and scope than the impending decision Wednesday concerning football in the Ivy League. Power 5 commissioners have discussed the need to wait and not follow the Ivy League in meetings this week.
Conference commissioners, athletic directors and head coaches have tried to remain positive in the public spotlight and when meeting their teams on the ground, but behind closed doors they are just as anxious as millions of college football fans.
“Nobody knows” what will happen, one Power 5 athletics director admitted.
“We said from the onset of this pandemic that circumstances around the virus would guide our decision-making, and it is clear recent developments related to COVID-19 have not been trending in the right direction,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “There are important decisions to be made in the coming weeks and by late July there should be more clarity about the fall season. In the meantime, our athletics programs will continue to effectively manage the health and safety of our student-athletes as they continue voluntary activities on their respective campuses.”
Power 5 conferences previously moved their annual media days to virtual-only formats. The ACC and Big 12 have set dates for online-only events, but the SEC will not make a decision on when it will conduct its media days until a decision on the first week of the college football season is reached in late July or early August, an SEC source said.
PR 'NIGHTMARE' WEIGHING ON OFFICIALS
Of concern among decision-makers is the potential for a publication-relations nightmare should they push forward with a season if case numbers — and deaths — rise across the country. Health and safety is paramount, but backlash from the media and fans as science mixes with politics is also weighing heavily on the minds of administrators, one industry source said. A hope among one administrator: The climate on how the public views the virus changes from one of hopelessness to acceptance that the virus is here for the foreseeable future and a return to normalcy is needed on college campuses.
Much of that relies also on presidents and chancellors as they decide whether to allow students on college campuses or utilize a hybrid model that includes in-person and online-only instruction. Harvard University made waves this week when it announced all classes will be conducted virtually during the 2020-21 academic year, though it will allow up to 40% of undergraduates to remain on campus.
"We have made clear that in order for student-athletes to be on campus, our campuses must be open on some basis to students, including on a hybrid basis,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said.
TIMELINE FOR CONFERENCES: THE 11th HOUR
Several conferences will utilize as much time as possible before making decisions throughout the fall. The SEC is expected to make a decision on whether to continue the season as planned in late July or early August, but they are not expected to entertain a full cancellation of fall sports as early as August, a source said. Most Power 5 conferences are willing to wait until the 11th hour and re-evaluate circumstances on a week-to-week basis through the fall, though many within the conference offices, particularly in the ACC, Pac-12 and SEC, have questioned the logistics of keeping players on campus if the season is delayed more than once.
“As it relates to thresholds of numbers of teams to conduct a season, we have modeled out many different scenarios for conducting a season but have not set thresholds in this regard,” Scott said of the Pax-12
Meanwhile, on the ground, FBS schools continue to fight the virus on campuses that resemble ghost towns without student populations. Some athletic programs have been successful maintaining a bubble (Notre Dame has one positive test among 252 COVID-19 tests conducted within its athletics department since mid-June) while others shut down team activities (Kansas, Kansas State, Houston and Boise State) amid small outbreaks.
Optimism ebbs and flows.
“It depends on the week,” said a Power 5 head coach requesting anonymity. “I’m trying to stay positive and keep our guys safe and healthy right now.”
Inconsistencies in testing protocols and guidelines across conference offices in the FBS continue. The NCAA’s lack of action and enforceable guidelines has frustrated some, particularly outside the Power 5.
“With the policies and guidelines we have in place now, I don’t know how we could play,” an FBS head coach told 247Sports. “We have very few kids who are symptomatic but the contact tracing and asymptomatic quarantining guidelines would kill us during the season. And I still worry about the kids who are missing training now in order to prepare their bodies for practice and the games.”
