Decision on C-USA season coming soon

Ruling expected Friday in order to comply with NCAA requirement

Conference USA, which FAU is a part of, is reportedly set to make a decision about its 2020 season soon amid the whirlwind college football has been through in the past two weeks.

Neal Smatresk, president of the University of North Texas, another C-USA member, told the Denton Record-Chronicle on Thursday that a decision on the season is expected by Friday, as the NCAA is requiring one by Aug. 21.

The report comes on the heels of C-USA announcing last week its plans for returning to play for the season, which involves keeping the eight-game conference schedule for each team while allowing schools to play up to four nonconference games, with Smatresk telling the Denton RecordChronicle: “Until we say we are not going to play, we are going to play.”

Multiple FBS conferences have put their fall athletic seasons on hold due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The Big Ten and Pac-12, both Power Five conferences, postponed their fall seasons earlier in the week with the intent of playing in the spring. The MidAmerican and Mountain West conferences, both Group of Five conferences, were the first conferences to postpone their football seasons.

C-USA released a statement after its Wednesday board of directors meeting, saying: “Conference USA membership continued evaluation, including robust discussion with medical experts, on Wednesday night. Myocarditis, mental health and enhanced testing protocols remain the focus.”

The meeting came in the midst of multiples schools in the conference altering their sports seasons.

Old Dominion announced earlier in the week that it has canceled its fall athletic season, thereby canceling FAU’s scheduled game against the Monarchs on Nov. 21 at FAU Stadium. That was to be the Owls’ final home contest.

UNT has postponed the start to its sports season to Sept. 1, while Rice has pushed back the start of its football season until Sept. 26.

FIU announced Thursday that it has postponed all athletic competitions through Sept. 16, meaning its first two games versus Jacksonville State on Sept. 3 and at UCF on Sept. 12 will either be canceled or pushed back to a later date.

Despite the proximity of the schools and being in the same conference, FAU coach Willie Taggart said his program hasn’t discussed pushing back its season “because we really haven’t had any reason to do that.” The Owls’ first two nonconference games were canceled due to other conferences changing their member schools’ schedules, meaning FAU isn’t scheduled to open the 2020 season until Sept. 19 against Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Georgia.

“Our guys have been doing things right,” Taggart said. “If it comes down to the health of our kids, we’re always going to do what’s best for them and right by them. There hasn’t been any discussion of that. If something came up where we needed to, then of course we’re going to do what is best for them.”

Several FAU players have expressed the desire to play the 2020 season in the fall on social media or during conference calls with reporters since the Owls started practicing Aug. 5. Quran Hafiz is the lone FAU player to announce he’s opting out of the 2020 season due to the pandemic, citing the health and safety of his family, son and himself as his reasoning.

Taggart said he and his staff have helped players feel more comfortable by being honest with them and giving them all of the available information about the situation.

“If there’s any time for communication, it’s now,” Taggart said. “Once you communicate with them and there’s a good understanding, it makes it a little easier to go out and do the things we need them to do, knowing what we have in place to look out for those guys.”

Although FAU won’t play its season in a bubble-like setting as MLS, the NBA and NHL have done, Taggart said he’s encouraged players to create their own mini-bubbles among one another.

“It’s kind of like growing up — your mom says to surround yourself with people kind of like you,” Taggart said. “Stay around your teammates right now and stay away from everyone else.

“It’s not going to be a bubble like the NBA, but we [have] got to control what we [can] and do our part in trying to help lessen the spread.”