2020 College Football Discussion and Pick 'Em Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

"If I were president, we would be playing college football" is the clinching argument for Biden.

Lots of developing countries are bringing back sports without COVID outbreaks. We can't, thanks to Trumps' ineptitude.

Corollary: if many/most conferences cancel or postpone football, Trump will lash out at them for doing it to hurt him (whether or not Biden mentions it).

[Dereich]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29621025/source-mac-cancels-fall-football-season-eyes-move-spring

The Mid-American Conference has postponed its entire fall sports season, becoming the first FBS conference to make the drastic decision because of ongoing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

This feels like dominoes starting to fall, similar to the week of the basketball conference tournaments.

I believe it was more-or-less expected that the G5 conferences were going to do this, at least among the P5. The P5 schools believed that the G5 schools would not be able to pay for testing and safety regime which is why they had all decided on scheduling them out weeks before the current formats were decided.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

It would be beyond ridiculous to cancel college football given the (virtually) zero risk that young people are at from this virus.

[Storr]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29621025/source-mac-cancels-fall-football-season-eyes-move-spring

The Mid-American Conference has postponed its entire fall sports season, becoming the first FBS conference to make the drastic decision because of ongoing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

This feels like dominoes starting to fall, similar to the week of the basketball conference tournaments.

RIP MACtion.

[GeorgiaModerate]

It would be beyond ridiculous to cancel college football given the (virtually) zero risk that young people are at from this virus.

Lower risk than older people?  Sure.  Virtually zero risk?  This is simply not true.  Haven't you seen the articles about young people who have died from the virus, or survived but with serious health complications?

Also, do you think those young people have no contact at all with anyone at higher risk, or with anyone else who has contact with anyone at higher risk?

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

It would be beyond ridiculous to cancel college football given the (virtually) zero risk that young people are at from this virus.

March Madness should not have been cancelled. There was extreme fear at the early stages, and it was difficult to organize a neutral site event so abruptly, so I get it. But those were small groups of young people who had solely remote school work and could be isolated largely across two weekends. I agree with the likely decision to go conference only for the next year to limit the travel, but I wouldn't oppose more aggressive measures there.

A close contact sports of dozens of 350 pound people engaged in trench wars on teams of 80 plus, requiring close contact weekday practices, playing each of 11 Saturdays all while going to class and zigzagging across the country? In games that can't be made up where one infection will put two full teams out of commission for the next two weekends (and unlike baseball, make-ups are too difficult for that level of physicality) Just about the stupidest thing you can do. This thing is going down next week, thank the Lord. It's my favorite sport by far, but it cannot go on.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/1292264743097507846

[7,052,770]

It would be beyond ridiculous to cancel college football given the (virtually) zero risk that young people are at from this virus.

It's to protect the people they encounter in life, not generally to protect them.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

https://twitter.com/KySportsRadio/status/1292595890776084481

Probably game over, shall I turn this into the 2021 thread?

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/KySportsRadio/status/1292595890776084481
Probably game over, shall I turn this into the 2021 thread?

You're probably right, but let's wait until it's official.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/KySportsRadio/status/1292595890776084481
Probably game over, shall I turn this into the 2021 thread?

I'm not convinced there will be a spring season either.

I'd bookmark this spot for next fall, as we should have a vaccine and enough of the population having taken it by then.

[7,052,770]

Absolutely gutted. You big city people don't grasp what college football means in the forgotten states who don't have pro sports.

The economy of Starkville (and Oxford too, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) will never recover from this. Same story for the major college towns all over America that aren't state capitals or major cities.

[Dereich]

The word is that the Big 10 presidents voted 12-2 for no football last night. Iowa and Nebraska were the dissenters.

From the same source, the PAC 12 is also not going to be playing. ACC and Big12 are on the fence, not surprising as Texas is apparently pushing to play. SEC is trying to push the leaners towards playing.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

The word is that the Big 10 presidents voted 12-2 for no football last night. Iowa and Nebraska were the dissenters.

From the same source, the PAC 12 is also not going to be playing. ACC and Big12 are on the fence, not surprising as Texas is apparently pushing to play. SEC is trying to push the leaners towards playing.

The SEC could attempt a season sure, but it wouldn't mean much aside from the SEC Championship. Certainly no bowl games or playoff

[Dereich]

The word is that the Big 10 presidents voted 12-2 for no football last night. Iowa and Nebraska were the dissenters.

From the same source, the PAC 12 is also not going to be playing. ACC and Big12 are on the fence, not surprising as Texas is apparently pushing to play. SEC is trying to push the leaners towards playing.

The SEC could attempt a season sure, but it wouldn't mean much aside from the SEC Championship. Certainly no bowl games or playoff

It would mean SEC football. That in and of itself is a huge deal, much bigger for the southern fans than the Natty. Plus, if the ACC decided to play you could get Clemson-SEC champ which would be a defacto national championship anyway.

Ohio State and Michigan official twitter accounts have gone rogue and are tweeting support for a football season.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The word is that the Big 10 presidents voted 12-2 for no football last night. Iowa and Nebraska were the dissenters.

From the same source, the PAC 12 is also not going to be playing. ACC and Big12 are on the fence, not surprising as Texas is apparently pushing to play. SEC is trying to push the leaners towards playing.

The SEC could attempt a season sure, but it wouldn't mean much aside from the SEC Championship. Certainly no bowl games or playoff

It would mean SEC football. That in and of itself is a huge deal, much bigger for the southern fans than the Natty. Plus, if the ACC decided to play you could get Clemson-SEC champ which would be a defacto national championship anyway.

Ohio State and Michigan official twitter accounts have gone rogue and are tweeting support for a football season.

Yeah, a fan of any SEC team would view it as a championship year if they won the SEC in a season where only the SEC played.  And, I could easily see a handful of other schools trying to play too.

[Santander]

"If I were president, we would be playing college football" is the clinching argument for Biden.

Behind closed doors, and with a modified schedule. Just as it's probably going to be under Trump.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

"If I were president, we would be playing college football" is the clinching argument for Biden.

Lots of developing countries are bringing back sports without COVID outbreaks. We can't, thanks to Trumps' ineptitude.

This is good politics that should help in Georgia and Ohio (not to mention Florida and Michigan), but it's obviously not true. Americans in 2020 are not going to behave because a political figure told them to. If Biden were president, 1/3 of the country would be doing the opposite of whatever he says.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I wonder if this might spur another round of conference realignment.  For example, if the Big 12 decides to play, might Iowa and Nebraska decide to bolt the Big Ten for them?  Nebraska was previously in the Big 12, and Iowa would be a good fit for them as well.

[Santander]

I wonder if this might spur another round of conference realignment.  For example, if the Big 12 decides to play, might Iowa and Nebraska decide to bolt the Big Ten for them?  Nebraska was previously in the Big 12, and Iowa would be a good fit for them as well.

Move out of a cash cow conference (and in Iowa's case, with century-old institutional ties) to the weakest P5 conference to play football for a year?...

If anyone is doing the poaching it'll be the Big Ten, not the other way around.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I wonder if this might spur another round of conference realignment.  For example, if the Big 12 decides to play, might Iowa and Nebraska decide to bolt the Big Ten for them?  Nebraska was previously in the Big 12, and Iowa would be a good fit for them as well.

I just came here to ponder on that, but Santander is correct. That is merely a fan's dream to get back to real rivalries for Nebraska (Iowa fans on Twitter HATE that Nebraska is considered a rival and prefer the Minnesota and Wisconsin three-way).

Perhaps the more financially feasible one involves Clemson and Florida State flirting with the SEC, but that pesky grant of rights still stands in the way long-term. In the other side, you might have Texas and the SEC, but I couldn't opine on the politics of the old southwest.

[NewYorkExpress]

We could see some Group of five schools moving into the Power five or down to Division II as a result.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

https://twitter.com/ryandaytime/status/1292896191924117504

hmm

[NewYorkExpress]

https://twitter.com/ryandaytime/status/1292896191924117504
hmm

Athletic Directors should consider firing coaches who insist on playing games now (or in the Spring. It probably won't be safe to play then either. The earliest I can see football coming back at any level is next fall)

[Dereich]

https://twitter.com/ryandaytime/status/1292896191924117504
hmm

Athletic Directors should consider firing coaches who insist on playing games now (or in the Spring. It probably won't be safe to play then either. The earliest I can see football coming back at any level is next fall)

Think about that though. Firing Ryan Day without cause (and this would absolutely be without cause) would mean paying a 3.5 million dollar buyout in a year that the athletics department will be losing a massive amount of revenue. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the revenue effects will be great enough that I doubt we'll see many (if any) non-cause firings for the next few years.