College Football 2020: Buzz about spring football season- “Expect news to break soon”

[Drew]

 

[metsfan2323]

Love it if the alternative is no season. Hopefully a March start and not a February start. March, April, May regular season with bowl games in June makes sense. February games at the Rent would be some tough tailgating.

 

[jayfromfla]

Yeah and the NFL comes in in April and raids all your team for key players. great idea

 

[mikedog10]

The good thing for UConn is... with our attendance numbers, we should have no problem adhering to social distancing guidelines within the Rent. Let's play some football!

 

[huskymedic]

Similar to what was floated last few week by Aresco in another thread:

>>Herbstreit shared that scenario in a teleconference call with reporters Monday to discuss this week’s NFL draft. He said playing the football season next spring is one of the contingencies that is being discussed by college leadership about what might happen on the other side of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

College and professional sports have been halted through May and there remains only conjecture about when they might resume.

Citing “a ton of people who are actual decision-makers in the college game,” Herbstreit” said the football season could start in February and be played through May, with the College Football Playoff being conducted in June.

“I think (it would be) a last-ditch effort,” Herbstreit said. “But I think it just proves how willing the administrators are -- the NCAA, the conference commissioners, ADs and presidents -- to have a college football season. They’re going to do everything they can, if it comes to that extreme, to be able to potentially have a 2020 season.”<<

 

[Hogoff]

Yeah and the NFL comes in in April and raids all your team for key players. great idea

Lol! I’m not to sure we have a lot to worry about. I don’t see the NFL raiding our team for our key players. It would suck to be Clemson or Alabama, but we would be just fine. It would suck for the underclassmen. They would have a very short turnaround before summer camp started back up.

 

[metsfan2323]

College football is the farm system for the NFL, the NFL would absolutely make changes to their draft to make this work. Nobody would be raided in April.

 

[Guapo]

I’m all for this

 

[Waquoit]

I'll still go to games in the spring but my priority would be Hartford Athletic.

 

[Drew]

I really disagree with certain people (not on this board) saying its "too early" to determine this:

Reality is every single FBS institution has to be back on campus this fall for a college football season to start. In places like NY, NJ, CA, LA. etc that possibility is looking more and more remote. Universities have to make decisions on that long before June/July and they're already planning for what a fall semester virtually would look like.

In addition to the games, this impacts the recruiting calendar, draft considerations, eligibility for folks that are grad transfers, etc. Then you get into TV rights and trying to schedule CFB, CBB, etc around other obligations for networks (CBS has golf on the weekends, ESPN/ABC have NBA, etc). Then there are team logistics like reserving hotel space, arranging and coordinating chartered flights, modifying existing game contracts, etc. For bowls and the playoff, you have to secure dates at neutral shared event venues that could potentially have conflicts. Then you have to think about how it impacts the offseason for the 2021-22 season and when you start camp and if that season start date is impacted by this. There is a TON of moving parts here, the earlier you can determine when exactly your season will be played, the better.

 

[huskymedic]

I really disagree with certain people (not on this board) saying its "too early" to determine this:

Reality is every single FBS institution has to be back on campus this fall for a college football season to start. In places like NY, NJ, CA, LA. etc that possibility is looking more and more remote. Universities have to make decisions on that long before June/July and they're already planning for what a fall semester virtually would look like.

In addition to the games, this impacts the recruiting calendar, draft considerations, eligibility for folks that are grad transfers, etc. Then you get into TV rights and trying to schedule CFB, CBB, etc around other obligations for networks (CBS has golf on the weekends, ESPN/ABC have NBA, etc). Then there are team logistics like reserving hotel space, arranging and coordinating chartered flights, modifying existing game contracts, etc. For bowls and the playoff, you have to secure dates at neutral shared event venues that could potentially have conflicts. Then you have to think about how it impacts the offseason for the 2021-22 season and when you start camp and if that season start date is impacted by this. There is a TON of moving parts here, the earlier you can determine when exactly your season will be played, the better.

The reality is it’s gonna knock the hell out of the next two seasons - not just one.

 

[Drew]

The reality is it’s gonna knock the hell out of the next two seasons - not just one.

Exactly. People that are holding on hope to play week 0 in AUGUST and the rest of the season on time are really not thinking about what all goes into putting on a season logistically. There are SO many moving parts here. Notre Dame @ Navy is scheduled for Dublin August 29. Even moving that to Annapolis, MD has a stay at home order until June 1 right now. Odds that they play that game on time in August? Zero.

 

[TMB4405]

With all due respect it is amazing how the “logistics” can be figured out quickly with the amount of money at stake. Plus all of the logistics to play the season as scheduled are in place already. So for those reasons I think it’s too early. But it’s a fair debate.

 

[UConnJim]

For the P5, football funds the athletic program, so I understand why the business people want to have a season. But, how can you finish a football season in May/June and start the next season's practices in early August? I would think player safety would be a real concern. And, even if they moved the NFL draft, do you think the top college players are going to play in May/June and jeopardize their draft position and their first pro seasons? How can you finish a college football season in May/June and start a 16+ game NFL season in September? I would think many of the top draftable college players would opt out of playing a Spring season, just like players are opting out of bowl season now.

And, think about all of the sports conflicts: NBA season including playoffs, NHL season including playoffs, MLB start of season, Golf: Masters and PGA Championship, auto racing: Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500, college basketball: Conference tournaments and NCAA Tournament, ...

 

[Exit 4]

To deal with the potential of back to back season - spring 2021 and fall 2021, I suppose you could shorten both by 2 games and have fall 2021 start later, say Oct 1st and run later.

I'm not worried about kids sitting out because of draft status. Everyone has to make a personal "business" decision and those decisions will vary widely. And for many kids, they will get playing time that they otherwise wouldnt of had (and improve the draft stock) when some five star kids decide to sit.

Thinking aloud:

• Move the summer practice to a Thanksgiving to Christmas calendar slot.
• Start the season in January 1st - go 11 weeks with one by for 10 games. Run bowl season in mid April or early May.
• Devise a independent board to make the decisions on the two games that are dropped to shorten the season based on a some sort of priority. Board can force new games to solve scheduling issues. New games will give priority to proximity.
• Fall 2021 season to start with practice in September. Fall season is 10 games again, starting Oct 1st. Bowl season pushed out to Feb as regular season ends in mid December.

Obviously winter could wreak havoc on northern games. Maybe some of the northern teams could get some games scheduled in NFL domes. Maybe you just have to accept some games will have sparse attendance. Maybe we have to set a min weather standard (say temps must be forecasted to be 20+) for a game to played, otherwise its canceled. Or maybe it would just be better to start the season Feb 1.

Just some ideas.

 

[Exit 4]

Unknown - schools might prefer to go to an 8 game spring 2021 schedule to help minimize fall 2021 impact and deal with weather concerns....but TV money might not tolerate less content... repriced content/media deal impact might be too steep....

 

[zls44]

I'll still go to games in the spring but my priority would be Hartford Athletic.

Hope they still exist. Not hearing promising things about Bruce.

 

[CL82]

In places like NY, NJ, CA, LA. etc that possibility is looking more and more remote.

I wonder whether it is better to have gotten it over sooner rather than later... herd immunity...etc.

 

[UConnJim]

Unknown - schools might prefer to go to an 8 game spring 2021 schedule to help minimize fall 2021 impact and deal with weather concerns....but TV money might not tolerate less content... repriced content/media deal impact might be too steep....

The main issue is that the networks already have Spring content, so any college football coverage would have to be significantly reduced as you don't have the slots. Are you going to move MLB, NBA, NHL, Masters golf,... content for college football games? And, the value of all sports content for the Spring would probably be reduced if you crowd in more content and the US will be coming out of recession with less advertising and discretionary spending, so the networks will be negatively impacted.

 

[Guapo]

Are you going to move MLB, NBA, NHL, Masters golf,... content for college football games?

Yes.

 

[Exit 4]

The main issue is that the networks already have Spring content, so any college football coverage would have to be significantly reduced as you don't have the slots. Are you going to move MLB, NBA, NHL, Masters golf,... content for college football games? And, the value of all sports content for the Spring would probably be reduced if you crowd in more content and the US will be coming out of recession with less advertising and discretionary spending, so the networks will be negatively impacted.

It would seem running a spring season with reduced media interest and some gate revenues is better than skipping an entire year. Of course, we just really don't know, but at this hour it would seem a spring season in a crowded content field is still a net positive vs skipping an entire academic year. Attendance will suck, but sucky attendance might still be better for most programs vs a total goose egg.

Btw I don't see competition for media slotting as the "Main" issue. The main issue is player safety/university liability and the general logistics of running/restarting a university. The tv people will push to reduce their media payouts...but so what, a year w/o a season = a complete zero. Anything you get from your tv partners you'll have to take (within reason). Shifting to spring give you a chance to recover some gate revenue, improve school morale by avoiding a lost year and a shot at some level of media money that otherwise would be zilch.

 

[Drew]

NBA regular season ratings in 2018-19 averaged 1.99mm viewers across ESPN and ABC per SMW

Can't find regular season ratings but the World Series averaged 13.91mm viewers last year which is less than watched the Alabama v Michigan Citrus Bowl.

NHL ratings are a joke comparatively but it's hard to find consolidated regular season averages. Per SMW NBCSN looks like it averages 200k-600k viewers for their primetime regular season hockey games. The Stanley Cup finals averaged 5.3mm viewers last year

Last year's CFB had 27 games at or above 1.99mm viewers in the bowl season alone, and 36 above $1mm. If the average NHL game averaged 600k viewers (and that appears to be generous), it would've been the least watched bowl game in 2019-20. For comparison's sake to CFB, 600k is less than the amount of people that watched Indiana v Purdue on ESPN2 on the Saturday after Thanksgiving directly opposite of Michigan/Ohio State on Fox. UConn v Navy in an awful game on ESPN November 1 last year averaged 742k viewers.

 

[Adios]

I wonder whether it is better to have gotten it over sooner rather than later... herd immunity...etc.

You most certainly would have way more fatalities.

 

[CL82]

You most certainly would have way more fatalities.

My question is at the next outbreak in the fall which is safer, an area that hasn't has substantial exposure, or an area that has? Or does it matter?

If your point is that without distancing there would have likely been more deaths, I am inclined to agree.

 

[Drew]