Mid-American Conference Cancels Fall College Football Season

[Exit 4]

Liability .... it’s sinking in

 

[UCFBfan]

C-USA will be next. I think MW and AAC will hold out as long as possible. Not sure how long the P5 will hold on. They might wait and see how long the NFL can do it.

 

[UCFBfan]

This is where i think we are going. I can see UConn ultimately banding together with current P5s who end up not being part of the superduper 25-30 in a more regional league of peer institutions. Only if its worth leaving the Big East and paying the exit fee though.

Why leave the Big East? Why not see if they can't for a better union this time. You know Syracuse, BC, Pitt, WV are all going to be on the outside looking in. Not saying any of this would happen but those are some darn good bball schools that once drove the regional conference in bball

 

[History Geek]

Why leave the Big East? Why not see if they can't for a better union this time. You know Syracuse, BC, Pitt, WV are all going to be on the outside looking in. Not saying any of this would happen but those are some darn good bball schools that once drove the regional conference in bball

I don’t think the Big East would want to sponsor football again. JMHO.

 

[huskypantz]

How would schools get out of their Grant of Rights agreements? That would be interesting.

 

[UCFBfan]

I don’t think the Big East would want to sponsor football again. JMHO.

True, just like I don't think any of this would ever happen. However, it would be a very interesting spot to put UConn in. A conference with Syracuse, Pitt, WV, Cincy, Louisville, Temple, BC, UConn, Kentucky. Not a shabby conference. If we're talking 30 teams for FB that break away, Kentucky isn't in that conversation so they are available for my pipe dream

 

[noeynox]

I don’t think the Big East would want to sponsor football again. JMHO.

They may not have to. You can get the band together for like minded Olympic only sports, amd those schools playing FBS schools could have their own FB conference. Or something along those lines.

 

[Stinger92860]

it will happen some day so why not now? Money rules

 

[zls44]

The only reason the G5 haven't canceled yet is because it's hard to get the bag game $ if you cancel first. That's why CUSA/AAC will wait.

MAC had already lost all their Big Ten games.

 

[Exit 4]

I don’t see this as the event to causes the breakaway. I think we have enter the paid player era first- watch that play out and then go from there. At that point the glass ceiling on the G5 may become a ceiling that only scene from the distance and the bottom of the P5 isn’t faring any better aside from the occasional 6 win season. A breakaway is ultra messy for the GOR issues. A breakaway is destined to fail unless they develop competitive balance adjustments that accomplish what the draft does in pro sports. The only way I can think of to do that would be to let losing programs have more transfers and scholarships and winners get less... probably on a 3 to 4 year rolling avg. I think we are looking at a breakaway 15 years out.

 

[huskymedic]

Good read if ya have access...

 

[Pudge]

You are going to learn a lot in the next few weeks.

I suspect some of the Power 5 have huge expectations and broad $ reliance on Bigtime football. The Player safety issue is nonexistent if there's the possibility of mid $30-50m revenue. The MLB early returns show that this all exists on very shaky ground.

 

[freescooter]

UNC has been advised not to have in person classes by the county health department. The chancellor hid the letter from faculty and staff allegedly to protect the football program. He is getting serious pushback from a number of senior faculty

 

[Ldandy]

Why leave the Big East? Why not see if they can't for a better union this time. You know Syracuse, BC, Pitt, WV are all going to be on the outside looking in. Not saying any of this would happen but those are some darn good bball schools that once drove the regional conference in bball

They might have drove a regional conference, but they also had no issue with driving a knife in your back on more than one occasion either. I’m not sure I would jump at the opportunity to get back in bed with them so quickly. Especially for what will be a fancier version of FCS Football

 

[Ldandy]

You are going to learn a lot in the next few weeks.

I suspect some of the Power 5 have huge expectations and broad $ reliance on Bigtime football. The Player safety issue is nonexistent if there's the possibility of mid $30-50m revenue. The MLB early returns show that this all exists on very shaky ground.

I wouldn’t say that player safety concerns are non existent in The P5, but there is definitely a different calculus for these schools than those at MAC Level FBS Programs or FCS Leagues.

If you are Ohio U it would cost more money to actually play in 2020 with less money than ever coming in from buy games. Canceling the season becomes any easier decision. If you are OSU and you are staring down a 100 Million dollar shortfall to your AD, odds are you are willing to explore every option that could lead to playing.

Ultimately they won’t be able to justify playing either IMO. I feel for kids in Olympic Sports as they may all be on borrowed time in a post Covid Athletic World.

 

[Skiblets]

Agreed but these university presidents are academics first and foremost How do you justify Michigan playing but Western Michigan not playing as a president or a governor. You can’t. It’s a big game of chicken right now yet everyone knows the ultimate outcome for this season

 

[Pudge]

They might have drove a regional conference, but they also had no issue with driving a knife in your back on more than one occasion either. I’m not sure I would jump at the opportunity to get back in bed with them so quickly. Especially for what will be a fancier version of FCS Football

Why do we always think ... Conference

Hoop? sure. A great round robin of 20 games and a brilliant MSG tournament is awesome. Football - if there really is a pool of 30-40 non Giants - is glued together by TV. And the Super League kills the revenue gravy train for the marginal. We get to play Bigtime Flagship & schedule a solid.

 

[Waquoit]

I wouldn’t say that player safety concerns are non existent in The P5, but there is definitely a different calculus for these schools than those at MAC Level FBS Programs or FCS Leagues.

P5 concerns are only existent in the sense that if there was an outbreak, it would make the school look bad. They can always get more players.

 

[BugsyCT]

Michigan St & Rutgers have both already had to quarantine their football programs because of outbreaks during the offseason. It's not a good sign. What's gonna happen to these conference-only schedules the P5 has planned if these outbreaks happen in early or mid-season? The team gets quarantined, teams they just played get quarantined, games get postponed or cancelled, etc.

They're only prolonging the inevitable for money's sake.

 

[Watchdog]

Who to believe? A President with an Infectious Disease MD or Chief’s science. Tough call

She's not an MD and there's no indication she worked in infectious disease research. If you read her resume, she at most worked as a researcher at Rochester for five years, from 1989 to 1994, before moving on to various positions (non-research) at Kansas State for sixteen years before moving to Northern Illinois to teach biology in 2010:
"Freeman earned a bachelor's degree in 1981, then a master's degree and a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1986, from Cornell University. She went on to earn a doctor of philosophy at The Ohio State University in 1989, and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. "

 

[Skiblets]

She's not an MD and there's no indication she worked in infectious disease research. If you read her resume, she at most worked as a researcher at Rochester for five years, from 1989 to 1994, before moving on to various positions (non-research) at Kansas State for sixteen years before moving to Northern Illinois to teach biology in 2010:
"Freeman earned a bachelor's degree in 1981, then a master's degree and a doctor of veterinary medicine in 1986, from Cornell University. She went on to earn a doctor of philosophy at The Ohio State University in 1989, and subsequently worked as a postdoctoral fellow and research scientist at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. "

So you side with Chief’s science?

 

[uconnbill]

So is spring football far off?

I still think the NFL goes off as planned, but the P5 moving to spring seems a certainty now

 

[Exit 4]

So is spring football far off?

I still think the NFL goes off as planned, but the P5 moving to spring seems a certainty now

I think we have to see at least three of the P5 conferences cancel fall football and then a discussion can take place regarding spring. I think the discussion about spring ball starts with the media companies; do they have any interest? If they dont - I dont see the schools making the effort. If they do, I dont see it has a full 12 game season, something far more abbreviated; say 8 games running April and May. I think the odds overall are low, but once fall football is cancelled I think the discussions can at least be had and the notion earnestly explored.

Another scenario I could see happening is an agreement to allow 2 or 3 exhibition games.

If they conjure up a spring season they need also outline the health prerequisites a to have such a season by x date (ie vaccine roll outs, % of the pop infected, etc). Frankly it doesn't seem likely we will have the vaccines established enough to have spring football. Vaccines have to be in place with some confidence.

Also, keep an eye on FCS - they seem rather interested in trying spring ball.