UMass Announces Intention To Play Football in Fall 2020

[Viet Vet]

UConn basketball and hockey in two months! Forget football, that ship has sailed in 2020.

 

[BugsyCT]

Who would we play? What are the benefits/costs of playing half a makeshift season? Those are what UConn should be weighing more than worrying about what UMass is doing.

 

[UCTitleTown]

We cancelled way too soon. The NFL had zero Covid positives this week. But there doesn't seem to be a way out of this. Just sit back and take our medicine.

Bend over and take it is more like it.

 

[uconnbill]

Time to call UConn athletic department and get this ball rolling asap.

Benedict and Edsal have to see the writing on the wall and how bad this will look if UConn stays on the sidelines while others like UMass are playing. This will hurt recruiting and hurt the program overall.

Get this done and play four, five or maybe six games.

 

[SubbaBub]

UConn is literally going to play basketball with fans in the arena in a month and a half.

Whataboutism doesn't change wrong to right. A weak argument can be made keeping 15 people in a bubble and sequestering games in groups for 3 months vs 100 people traveling around the country every week. Doesn't make it right. College sports is neither essential nor necessary to these kids education which is mostly online.

The correct move is for them not to play.

 

[SubbaBub]

We easily could take advantage of these last minute cancellations to acquire future home and home series too. Houston got a H/H with Baylor. USF got the H/H with Notre Dame. UConn could've easily been ready to play on standby for leagues that had to postpone games- Army last Saturday is a great example. Just frustrating we were so quick to cancel yet seemingly have zero interest in re-visiting the issue now that it's clear we have found ways to play this fall.

And why are there cancellations? No wonder Americans are the prime idiots in responding to this.

 

[Drew]

Whataboutism doesn't change wrong to right. A weak argument can be made keeping 15 people in a bubble and sequestering games in groups for 3 months vs 100 people traveling around the country every week. Doesn't make it right. College sports is neither essential nor necessary to these kids education which is mostly online.

The correct move is for them not to play.

Except they're not bubbling anyone outside of a few non-conference games. And UConn basketball is playing all 20 of their league games at the venues of the home team. I get it you want UConn hoops (I do too) but don't act like this isn't hypocrisy at its finest. If it isn't safe to play football during November and December then it most definitely isn't safe to play basketball either- no matter how hard you want to justify/spin it so you can watch UConn play Big East hoops (and news flash- its completely safe to do both).

 

[Drew]

this is exactly why UMass is playing

 

[Storrs South]

“We said canceled for this fall. We didn’t say postponed or suspended,” one source close to the program said.

 

[Drew]

“We said canceled for this fall. We didn’t say postponed or suspended,” one source close to the program said.

lol F this small time bs. I'm so over this entire Randy Edsall era and regime its insane. Get us a real accountable leader in charge of this program that will stand up for his players and fight for them instead of consistently blow smoke to stroke his own ego. What a joke and a loser mindset this staff and administration has related to our program. Absolute joke.

 

[HeGotGame]

Whataboutism doesn't change wrong to right. A weak argument can be made keeping 15 people in a bubble and sequestering games in groups for 3 months vs 100 people traveling around the country every week. Doesn't make it right. College sports is neither essential nor necessary to these kids education which is mostly online.

The correct move is for them not to play.

If you want to know why you can walk up to a bar and order a hot dog and beer, but not just a beer, people like this are why.

 

[BlueandOG]

It pains me as a UCONN football fan, but I think reversing course and playing football is the wrong decision for UCONN. The virus is on the way up, not down, and the factors that led to the decision not to play are still valid. Stand firm, skip the season, and come back strong and ready in 21.

 

[Drew]

It pains me as a UCONN football fan, but I think reversing course and playing football is the wrong decision for UCONN. The virus is on the way up, not down, and the factors that led to the decision not to play are still valid. Stand firm, skip the season, and come back strong and ready in 21.

Should we skip basketball too since the virus is this big of a deal?

 

[BlueandOG]

Should we skip basketball too since the virus is this big of a deal?

Possibly. It depends on the circumstances. The spike in the virus is just starting to happen, and it is going to get worse in the winter - particularly if people do not get flu shots. For now, I think the plan to play hoops looks safe, but they have to be ready to shift.

 

[HardFacts]

Should we skip basketball too since the virus is this big of a deal?

More chance of transmitting on a basketball court than a football field! The discussion not to play was wrong from day one. Should have delayed the start of season and we would be preparing for first game now. No games this fall and we will not be better in 2021! We already lost one good recruit yesterday

 

[BlueandOG]

Not many. However, I do not value young lives more than older lives.

 

[Exit 4]

And there is this quote from Ostrout as well.

"A UConn spokesman declined comment Monday and football coach Randy Edsall did not return to calls and messages from the Journal Inquirer."

This is kind of a nightmare scenario for the administration.

 

[Drew]

Possibly. It depends on the circumstances. The spike in the virus is just starting to happen, and it is going to get worse in the winter - particularly if people do not get flu shots. For now, I think the plan to play hoops looks safe, but they have to be ready to shift.

so if the plan to play hoops is okay why wouldn't you be in favor of putting in place a plan to safely play football at the same time, which 80%+ of FBS is currently or will be doing?

 

[Drew]

And there is this quote from Ostrout as well.

"A UConn spokesman declined comment Monday and football coach Randy Edsall did not return to calls and messages from the Journal Inquirer."

This is kind of a nightmare scenario for the administration.

It's almost as if Randy Edsall is a bad, stubborn "leader" and shouldn't be a head coach in college football in 2020. And AD David Benedict can pound sand too- from making the announcement to Independence with no plan in place to essentially sitting on his hands and not fighting for his student athletes to play this fall. ZERO proactive leadership by anyone in the UConn administration related to football- but so long as we get women's hoops v DePaul this winter everyone (not me) is happy!

 

[Kolumbo]

Liberty is playing Syracuse, Va Tech and NC State.
Army is playing Air Force, Navy, Tulane
BYU is playing Navy, Houston

It's too bad UConn is on the sidelines. Why not play some regional exhibition games which would be far more interesting for the players than practice. Get some MAC teams on board.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Sooo we can play now? With all the cancellations and moving parts, I’m sure DB can find some games

Yes. Let’s play a team that canceled a game because there was 30 COVID cases in the program.

 

[BlueandOG]

so if the plan to play hoops is okay why wouldn't you be in favor of putting in place a plan to safely play football at the same time, which 80%+ of FBS is currently or will be doing?

Because there are other factors in play for football:
1. There are more students involved in football, thus more chance to spread the virus.
2. We are not in a conference, so we have to scramble to find games. This increases the potential travel burden on students, possibly including per-post quarantine for students/staff.
3. We will be transitioning from a "the season is off" footing to a "we're playing" footing, which will increase our risk of injury.

Based on all of that, it is smarter to stand by the decision to not play football and try to make hoops work.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I think they should try. And I was against before.

Why? Because the rates are there and we have gotten more used to Covid on campus. That and rapid testing.

I wonder if UConn is going to revisit. Hard with Lamont, but a 4-6 game schedule could probably be done. BYU, army, liberty. It is still only September.

As long as we are ok with last minute cancellations.

Lamont is already setting the stage for “dont be shocked if there’s no basketball.” I am definitely a person who believes in erring on the side of caution and following safety guidelines and all but damn, if the majority of NCAA is playing basketball and UConn is not there will be hell to pay in this state.

 

[Exit 4]

I see no reason not to have some fun here and play a single FCS game and a game against UMass. Two real games is better than doing nothing.

The kids are going to practice so much harder knowing we have a couple real games. The fall program will be far more serious and that should benefit development.

Of course this also means the staff would be under pressure too.

 

[Storrs South]

Piece has been updated. Randy confirms no fall football.