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We’re a little over two weeks into the massive nationwide quarantine (at one level or another) because of the coronavirus. As we continually try to stay upbeat about the prospects of a college football season in 2020 and look forward to the day the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back on the field — we have to at least accept the reality that there may not actually be a season in 2020.
A lot of us have tip-toed around it these past few weeks, and have somewhat pretended that the elephant isn’t in the room — or in our house — but it most certainly is, and it’s big. The media is doing their best to get some type of clarity to a question that can’t really be answered right now.
Watch Stadium’s Brett McMurphy contacted 130 Athletic Directors in the FBS to try and get their thoughts on the 2020 season’s chances, and it was at least somewhat optimistic. Only one-fifth of the AD’s believe the season has, at worst, a 50% chance of not being played.
In a @Stadium survey of all 130 FBS ADs, there’s a real concern a full CFB season won’t be played because of COVID-19. W/out CFB revenue, it could mean eliminating some Olympic sports. Said one AD: "If there’s no (football) season, we will be f*****” https://t.co/DNJW5d6ejh
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 1, 2020
Maybe some of the optimism is because they HAVE to be optimistic about the situation. College football is so ridiculously vital to many school’s economic situation, that the loss of revenue would be killer.
“There better be (a season) or many programs will be out of business,” an athletic director said.
“Quite simply,” added another AD, “it would be devastating.”
Another AD was more direct: “If there’s no season, we will be f*****.”
ND Insider’s Eric Hansen spoke one-on-one with Notre Dame Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick, and he too was fairly optimistic about the 2020 college football season.
“I remain optimistic. I don’t know that you have any other choice.”
Q-and-A with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick on football, faith, COVID-19 and beyond ... and yes, he is optimistic there will be a 2020 college football seasonhttps://t.co/SDIC6JtuSb pic.twitter.com/Cg0EzZMIJR
— Eric Hansen (@EHansenNDI) April 1, 2020
According to Swarbrick, the game in Ireland to start the season against the Navy Midshipmen is moving forward — for now. (Check out Eric’s story for more from Jack).
When will we know more?
Brian Kelly has famously stated that the program would need to start training no later than July 1 to start the season on time, and that’s a fair assessment according to most people, but it may take two more months to find out if that July 1 date is even doable.
Pac-12 commish Larry Scott tells @wilnerhotline end of May is approximate deadline for determining direction of preseason & CFB regular season. "The optimistic model has an elongated training camp & on-time start (to season). The most pessimistic has no season at all.”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 31, 2020
Hang tight
If you’re stressing out about the 2020 season and if there will even be a season, just keep in mind how players and coaches must be dealing with this anxiety right now. Of course we all want a season, and I think being optimistic is a good course of action — but we all have to be realistic as well.
No one knows how much longer this COVID-19 pandemic is going to last, or how the country will move forward once things are “safe.” You can do your part by practicing your social-distancing as best as possible, and following the other guidelines the CDC has released.
We’re in this together, and OFD will be here for you to soften the blows as best as possible — and here for the bomb ass celebration for when this is all over.