Signs point toward college football taking place in 2020

Many signs are emerging that the 2020 college football season will be played, the most significant ones coming in the last week.

The NCAA Division I Council voted Wednesday to allow voluntary workouts by football and basketball players to resume June 1 on campus.

Several college presidents, including those from Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.) and Auburn have said they expect the football season to be played. And it looks like it won’t be pushed back to the spring.

Several others in several states are beginning to announce that classes for the fall semester will be held on campus, start in early August and end the week of Thanksgiving.

But what might college football look like this coming season? That’s uncertain because presidents and athletic directors are discussing the many variables.

How many games will each team play? Penn State and the rest of Division I planned to start a 12-game schedule the weekend of Sept. 4-7 before COVID-19 spread across the country. That start date is in jeopardy.

Some have suggested that teams begin the season later, like late September or early October, and play a conference-only schedule, which would leave independents like Notre Dame and Brigham Young out in the cold. Don’t expect that to happen.

Others have proposed that teams play opponents that are located closer to reduce the amount of travel and time on airplanes. Others have suggested eliminating conference title games or even bowl games, which also is unlikely to happen because of the revenue they produce.

“I think we will be very, very lucky to start on Labor Day weekend and get through a football season without disruptions,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told ESPN. “And we will be very lucky to get through the postseason and the basketball season without disruptions.”

Will fans be permitted to attend games and, if so, how many? Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said seven weeks ago that she did not endorse the Nittany Lions playing home games in an empty Beaver Stadium.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith also said last month that he’d be opposed to playing without fans. Smith, though, said Wednesday that he’s more open to that possibility.

“I’m open and flexible to doing whatever we possibly can to make it work,” Penn State coach James Franklin said two weeks ago, “because I think if we don’t make it work, there’s going to be major impacts across the board.”

Don’t expect to see Beaver Stadium or any other venue to be filled with 100,000-plus for a football game this year. Smith said Ohio State can safely stage home games with between 20,000 and 30,000 fans.

Limited attendance seems realistic to protect the safety of the fans, but how do schools determine who gets those tickets? At Ohio State, Smith said it would likely be based on a point system, much like the Nittany Lion Club at Penn State.

Those who don’t get Penn State tickets, especially for home games against Ohio State and Iowa, will not be happy. And no matter how many fans are allowed inside a stadium, they’re probably going to be required to wear masks.

What if a majority of teams in a conference can return to campus and a minority can’t? Do they start practice at the same time? Do they start the season at the same time? What if Southeastern Conference teams start their season Labor Day weekend and other conferences don’t? What if the SEC plays 12 regular-season games and others don’t? Leveling the playing field for everyone is paramount.

What about coronavirus testing for athletes and quarantining them for a week or two when they first return to campus?

Big Ten presidents and chancellors are scheduled to meet June 7. Decisions about their conference probably will be made there. Most college officials who have spoken publicly expect decisions to be made by July 1 in order to have a football season in the fall.

It seems like students will need to be on campus for in-person classes before any games happen, at least in most places.

If there’s not a football season, many more sports will be dropped, in addition to the 16 that have been cut at nine Division I schools.

“We’re gonna have a new normal,” Bowlsby said, “and we’re gonna have to have an idea of how we’re gonna deal with these things.”