How COVID-19 could impact the 2020 college football season

As COVID-19 spreads across the U.S., players, coaches, and fans are questioning the fate of the 2020 college football season.

On March 12, the NCAA announced that all collegiate athletics activities would be suspended and championships for winter and spring sports were canceled. This includes all spring football practices and mandatory workouts. Schools were also prohibited from hosting spring games. Many schools had not started spring practices or had only been through a few when the suspension was announced.

The original suspension of football activities was originally scheduled to last until April 15. However the Southeastern and the Pac-12 Conferences recently announced that all football activities were on hold until May 31. The SEC has also temporarily banned on-campus recruiting during what would typically be a prime time to host recruits on campus, according to commissioner Greg Sankey.

In the event that starting the 2020 college football season as planned puts players and spectators at risk, NCAA officials and athletic directors are considering a number of backup plans.

According to a survey of athletic directors across the country, splitting the season to span two semesters and rescheduling the College Football Playoff for Summer 2021 is a contingency plan that has reportedly been discussed. Some consideration has also been given to shortening the regular season to nine weeks by eliminating non-conference games. If social distancing guidelines remain in place for an extended period of time, plans are also being made to hold games without live audiences.

NCAA officials and athletic directors would like to start the season as planned because altering schedules comes with a slew of logistical issues. The idea of hosting games in empty stadiums is “unreasonable,” according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Perhaps the most significant consequence of making changes to the existing schedule is the lost revenue for hosting institutions. A single home game day can bring in millions of dollars to an institution by means of ticket sales, television contracts, etc.

It is highly unlikely that teams will have opportunities to practice prior to summer. But a mid-June or July 1 start likely wouldn’t impact the current schedules, according to Indiana University head coach Tom Allen. “As long as we can have June and July to get our players ready, I think that’s enough time,” Allen told USA Today.

Though alternate plans are being considered for the 2020 football season, there is too much at stake to immediately assume that the season will be cancelled outright. Officials and athletic directors have plenty of time to make an informed decision regarding the status of the season. The luxury of time was something that winter and spring sports did not have.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-coronavirus-updates-sec-and-pac-12-extend-suspension-of-activities-through-end-of-may/
https://www.sltrib.com/sports/utah-utes/2020/04/04/covid-pandemic-has-led/
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2884709-athletic-directors-considering-college-football-contingency-plans-amid-covid-19
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2020/03/26/coronavirus-college-football-coaches-worried-returning-field/2912768001/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2020/03/13/coronavirus-impacts-college-football-schools-spring-practice/5033380002/