College Football 2020?
There are many questions to be answered before we seriously entertain any thoughts of college football in 2020. If college football is played, what will it look like? When will the 2020 season begin? Will non-conference games be played? Will 2020 be the year of the asterisk in the college football record books? Is it more likely that football will be played with a limited number or without spectators? What will be the financial repercussions of all this? Last but certainly not least, what about the health issue for players, coaches, and support personnel. There is little doubt that 2020 will be the most unique season in the history of college football in America.
Non-Conference games
First, a few conferences have already canceled non-conference games. But, it would be surprising to see any power five conferences play a non-conference schedule at this point. Now, the biggest question mark will be, what will happen with the two biggest independents. Most will agree that Notre Dame and BYU are the most relevant independents.
Notre Dame should not have too much of a problem finding opponents to fill at least a partial schedule. BYU may have a little more difficulty in filling a schedule. Comparatively, BYU is simply not the draw that Notre Dame is.
When will the season begin?
It is generally agreed that most teams will not begin playing on the traditional opening weekend. The popular thought is the best case scenario college football will be pushed back until early October. Momentum seems to be gaining for a spring college football schedule.
Spectators
There’s basically no way any power five schools will play in front of a full house in 2020. Most programs have already made announcements concerning the percentage of fan attendance allowed. The popular number seems to be in the 50% range. Ticket sales should be interesting. If teams allow 50% attendance, over the case of a full season schools will stand to lose millions in revenue.
What will this mean for the postseason? Will the limited spectators still be in effect for the playoffs?
Financial Repercussions
Unfortunately, the financial aspect is at the forefront of a lot of the debate. College football is a multi-million-dollar business in this country. If most of the non-conference games get canceled, it will have a big impact on a lot of universities…especially FCS schools.
Without question, a shortened season will have a major impact on virtually all teams. Some universities have already canceled a few non-revenue generating sports.
Health vs Revenue
What will be the focus this year? Will college football be played regardless of health concerns for financial sake? With all due respect, we are talking about millions and millions of dollars! Much of this revenue sustains many athletic programs, especially for the group of five or FCS schools. If college football gets canceled for 2020, it will be devastating for a lot of programs. There simply isn’t much chance that the season will be canceled. Worst case scenario, college football will be played a few months late, or spring. The outright cancelation would simply be too damaging to many programs.
The Final Word.
In conclusion, college football fans are going to experience the most unique fall since World War II.
Many fans stated early on that they would not watch college football played in an empty stadium. However, at this point, it seems that most fans just want football. College football fans are starting to understand that there is a real chance of a fall without the greatest game in the world.
