Will There Be a 2020 Football Season?

[Rochelobe]

I'm going to be pretty upset if the ACC Presidents are hiding that the decision has already been make a but are just going through a dog and pony show to keep the fans in tune.  Actually just the UNC Dean + ACC Commish because he actually calls the shots.  

Yeah if I was a ND fan that would really piss me off as well.  Don't go through the whole thing of bringing in ND for one year when you were really just delaying your decision.

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

I think all college football fans will be pissed if all of this is a dog and pony show. I do think more information and data needs to come out to convince the SEC, ACC & Big 12 to jump ship. All of these campuses welcoming students back the next two to three weeks will be more indicative of how those conferences react.

Arizona State University moved students into dorms last weekend, and then promptly the PAC12 voted to cancel the season.  I guess that can only mean the PAC offices generally ignore the AZ schools. 

 

[Danny Bateman]

Yeah if I was a ND fan that would really piss me off as well.  Don't go through the whole thing of bringing in ND for one year when you were really just delaying your decision.

EVERYONE is delaying their decision right now. We're in the middle of a pandemic where things evolve daily.

B1G and Pac-12 just ripped the band-aid off now rather than kick the can down the road.

 

[Rochelobe]

EVERYONE is delaying their decision right now. We're in the middle of a pandemic where things evolve daily.

B1G and Pac-12 just ripped the band-aid off now rather than kick the can down the road.

Yes, I agree.  I probably should have said "If the college presidents already know they are going to cancel, but just want to look like they tried and brought in ND for that reason only and then announce their decision later."  In the context that "decision" has actually been made and they are just smokescreening to look good.

I was just trying, for once, to be less wordy :lol:

 

[Wistrom Disciple]

Arizona State University moved students into dorms last weekend, and then promptly the PAC12 voted to cancel the season.  I guess that can only mean the PAC offices generally ignore the AZ schools. 

It only weakens the argument that canceling football is in the name of student safety. If the presidents of these universities truly wanted their students safe, they wouldn't allow the students back on campus and have every class delivered remotely.  Of course then it would open the question of why attend XYZ University versus taking core classes at a community college. That's another argument wormhole but I just think canceling football in the name of safety is a rather weak argument if they still get their millions and put kids at risk by living on their campuses.

 

[Danny Bateman]

Yes, I agree.  I probably should have said "If the college presidents already know they are going to cancel, but just want to look like they tried and brought in ND for that reason only and then announce their decision later."  In the context that "decision" has actually been made and they are just smokescreening to look good.

Well said. I would be curious too. The ACC sounds like the remaining P5 conference most likely to opt to call their fall season, IMO. But I haven't heard much reporting on developments there.

 

[Rochelobe]

Well said. I would be curious too. The ACC sounds like the remaining P5 conference most likely to opt to call their fall season, IMO. But I haven't heard much reporting on developments there.

Yeah, while some have made comments that they feel the Big Ten was being untrustworthy with the "Here's a schedule" to "Ok, no fall football" whiparound, I think the myocarditis situation may have been a reason for their changing their mind.  It was possibly a situation where they said to the ADs "Go ahead an make your schedule, as we plan to play pending our final evaluation."  While it can look prearranged, I think it is also more likely just typical ways that multi-headed bureaucracies tend to work - in this case a 14 headed one.

EVERYONE is delaying their decision right now. We're in the middle of a pandemic where things evolve daily.

B1G and Pac-12 just ripped the band-aid off now rather than kick the can down the road.

 Yes, while for many things are kind of raw right now with the cancellation, it will probably prove to be the consensus decision.  I would assign a probability <20% that the SEC/ACC/Big XII are able to complete their respective seasons. Probably worse, but the state-level political influence in some of the those states might push them through, even with a large outbreak.

Although I'm sure if Nick Saban has to sit 20 or 30 players then we will declare a national emergency.

 

[HuskerNation1]

No, government intervention hasn't worked in any country in the world to stop this virus (except for North Korea, reportedly). That said, the Big Ten was disingenuous in even suggesting a season was possible last week when nothing of note has changed in the past six days. It's a big fear of the unknown issue. It is a sorry way to go through life if fear of the unknown consumes a person as there are many unknowns in everyday life.  

Great post.  The reality is that the virus was already spreading to many countries in the world when the US was first learning about this, and it had reached a point where it would be very difficult to stop.  In the US we did not have sufficient PPE equipment when the virus first surged in the spring, and the goal from Fauci and other leading medical experts was to "flatten the curve" in order to ensure there were enough hospital beds and ventilators to go around.  Well, we have flattened the curve, and despite seeing some spikes in California, Texas and Florida, there have been very few situations nationwide where we did not have sufficient beds or ventilators.  So unless the strategic goal of keeping the curve flattened and putting out flare ups has changed, there is NO reason the BIG should have taken the action they did.  

If we play out the thought process of the BIG leadership, will the virus still be around for winter sports?  Yes.  Will the virus still be in existence in the spring?  Yes, even with a vaccine, the virus will not be eradicated, just as the flu is never fully eradicated.  Will the virus still be around in the fall, 2021?  Most likely yes.  At what point do we stop living in fear of catching the virus?  A vaccine may help mitigate some of the symptoms of the virus, but its not going to completely eliminate ones chances of catching it.  And, many will be hesitant to take a vaccine that is being rushed to market.  Thus, the logic of even a SMALL amount of medical risk from the virus will be hear to stay for a good amount of time, and I cannot see how the BIG can change its justification for allowing winter or spring sports if they are so concerned with fall sports now.  

The correct decision from the BIG would have been to let the players and coaches make their own personal choices about playing.  You are completley correct that life is about taking risks, whether its getting in a car to go on the highway, getting on an airplane, or playing football where players risk injury to their limbs or brain every time they take the field.  If enough players or coaches would elect not to play and they cannot field a team, then that team would simply sit out this season, but it would be THEIR choice.  For those who are high risk or scared to death about catching the virus and live in fear day in and day out, they also have a choice to completely live in quarantine and not leave their homes.  I am just curious where this will end. Approximately 600,000 Americans have died from the regular flu over the past decade and we have not shut down sports and the rest of society to prevent those deaths.   Will we start doing that for the regular flu moving forward?

 

[Undone]

@Mavric's Tweet said:

 

"Could six or seven teams have played with minimum risk? Probably, but the B10 had to make a decision with all 14 institutions in mind..."

Eh, more excuses. In my opinion even just saying the words "minimum risk" is almost absurd; you can keep on distilling the risk down to smaller and smaller batches...but they would still put liability above anything else.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

@Mavric's Tweet said:

 

Eh, more excuses. In my opinion even just saying the words "minimum risk" is almost absurd; you can keep on distilling the risk down to smaller and smaller batches...but they would still put liability above anything else.

Also it sounds like it was an all in or none deal then where any one school had veto power anyway so the others may have voted no just to appear in unison but were not.  It could be interpreted as such.  

 

[Undone]

Also it sounds like it was an all in or none deal then where any one school had veto power anyway so the others may have voted no just to appear in unison but were not.  It could be interpreted as such.  

I'm not sure on that or not, but could be. If it's true, then it just seems like the B1G rigging things to not have to make a plan and then make a call.

 

[Hilltop]

People can blame whatever they want but it does get old.  I'm not sure any policy would have worked when we had over 400,000 people fly directly from China to major cities all over the country in the first few months of 2020.  Even after the travel ban was imposed, over 100k have still made the trip due to exemptions in the ban.

The reality is no football and no real answers to be had

Here is a nice horse race to take everyone's mind off.   Have to watch with volume up.  The end of the race applies to the topic...

 

[Notre Dame Joe]

So far Nebraska "voted no", Minnesota said there was no vote but the president was ok with the decision (indicating she didn't make the decision) and Ohio State voted no/wasn't on the same page. So, who actually made the call?

Someone who doesn't want the publicity.  But when have universities ever been known for transparency?

It only weakens the argument that canceling football is in the name of student safety. If the presidents of these universities truly wanted their students safe, they wouldn't allow the students back on campus and have every class delivered remotely.  Of course then it would open the question of why attend XYZ University versus taking core classes at a community college. That's another argument wormhole but I just think canceling football in the name of safety is a rather weak argument if they still get their millions and put kids at risk by living on their campuses.

And ironically the az community colleges are going to closed facilities and online education.  Of course their OFFICIAL position is 'undecided' but the things necessary to reopen are not happening. 

 

[knapplc]

The Big East cancels Fall sports. Basketball is still on... for now.

 

[quesadilla]

While it's hypocritical for colleges to go on but cancel sports, tons of colleges are reversing their plans too.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/12/hundreds-colleges-walk-back-fall-reopening-plans-and-opt-online-only-instruction

For any school that goes forward, this semester is going to end up just like the last one - cancelled sports and remote learning.

At this point, I'm more curious to see how coaches try to protect eligibility for players after they go forward for a few games before the season blows up. Why burn eligibility on an aborted season full of fill-in opponents from North Dakota?