BIG 12 FOOTBALL
Big 12 presidents meet Monday to decide season's format
Back in the spring, when college football season first seemed imperiled, the thoughtful among us advised no rush. Plenty of time.
When summer arrived, and the coronavirus seemed to be slacking, same message. Patience.
When July hit and the COVID-19 cases soared, the Big Ten and the Pac12 sliced non-conference games. Seemed severe. Why make that decision when time did not demand it?
But now it's August. And time is up. Big 12 presidents meet Monday to decide the format of a football season that has more holes than OU's Peach Bowl defense. Every other Power 5 conference has declared its path. Neither hold nor fold is an option for the Big 12; it's time to play the cards.
“We do believe the longer you wait, the more information you have,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said the other day on ESPN Radio. “What was gold a month ago is garbage today, and I'd guess that the same thing would be true a month from now. This is a voyage of discovery.”
But at some point, schools must indeed, you know, schedule games.
A few days ago, we were barely a month out from September, and OU didn't have a date for its opener and
OSU didn't have an opponent for its opener. That at least has changed. Now both schools are unsure of date and opponent.
From talking to a few Big 12 sources, here's what I see as the points of discussions among OU's Joe Harroz, OSU's Burns Hargis and the eight other Big 12 chief executive officers Monday:
• The three primary options are a conference-only schedule of nine games, a one-plus model in which every school would play one nonconference game and a 12-game schedule.
The 12-game schedule is the least likely option. It would feature three non-conference games, all from outside the Power 5, of course, with an expected interruption or two. In other words, schedule three, in hopes you get in one or two.
It's even feasible — maybe not advisable, but feasible — that schools would be allowed the 12-game model, with some opting for fewer.
• The 10-game model would include a nonconference home game, with the opponent agreeing to coronavirus testing protocols that match the Big 12. It's assumed the Big 12 would facilitate those protocols with either money or resources, such as OU has done with Missouri State, its opponent previously scheduled for Aug. 29.
The non-conference game would have to be played before the start of conference play and could not be rescheduled for a date after conference play has begun.
• Spring football remains an option of last resort. Spring logistically is possible but not preferred.
• The Big 12 likely is to set a common start date for conference play. The Southeastern Conference, for example, has declared Sept. 26. The belief is that would give universities some time to gauge how much virus spread will occur after students have been back on campus for a few weeks.
If the season needs to be scrapped, potentially moving to spring, it would be better if that decision is made before conference play begins.
The only conference game schedule before Sept. 26 is Baylor-Kansas, set for Sept. 12. KU and Baylor don't have a common off week, but the Big 12 would have two options. Both the Jayhawks and Bears have non-conference games set for Sept. 26 (KU-Coastal Carolina, Baylor-Louisiana Tech); those games could be dropped. Also, the season could extend into December, since…
• The Big 12 Championship Game could be moved from its Dec. 5 date. The SEC and Pac-12 already have moved their title games to the weekend of Dec. 18-19. Padding two weeks onto the season gives conferences flexibility to make up games postponed by the virus.
The Pac-12 announced its championship game would be played on a campus site, but there seems to be little talk of moving the Big 12 title game out of Arlington.
• The Big 12 could declare a Sept. 12 start to the season, which would imperil OU playing Missouri State.
The Bears agreed to move the opener from Sept. 5 to Aug. 29, so either date is available. But Missouri State has a home game against Montana scheduled for Sept. 12.
OSU is scheduled to host Tulsa on Sept. 12; that's the most likely non-conference game for the Cowboys.
• The chances are more and more remote that OU's game at Army scheduled for Sept. 26 can be played. Even if OU could work out the logistics of the traveling to West Point, that date might be commandeered for a conference opener. Moving up a game from later in the season, to allow for more wiggle room in late-season scheduling.
Got all that? It's a lot to comprehend. But after four months of wondering and waiting, August has arrived. It's time to decide. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. You can also view his personality page at oklahoman.com/berrytramel.