“It’s Easter Sunday and we are getting you prepped as Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines are set to take on Justin Fields and the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus.”
Such an odd sentence could become reality as we begin to question how drastic of measures colleges are going to take to ensure football could be played in the 2020-21 academic calendar. ESPN’s Chris Fowler has “informed speculation” the idea of moving college football to the spring semester has been discussed.
From his Instagram:
According to the video, Fowler says his sources believe there needs to be clarification before the end of May as colleges mull the decision to re-open campuses due to the coronavirus. Schools and their football programs are running out of time to commit to scheduled practices and games in the fall semester.
Although it seems unlikely, if the CDC or the government does end the stay at home orders in place across the country and we do return to some kind of normalcy in the next month and a half, it will still be a struggle for teams to be prepared as spring practices and games were canceled.
So, what is left is two options. The first, according to Fowler, is to delay the season until November and play through January with an altered bowl and playoff system.
He calls this idea “problematic” saying, “People are worried about a second wave of this virus coming back when the temperatures up north turn colder. You want to start a season then have to shut it down? To me, that would be disastrous.”
The last thing any of us want to go through is what is currently happening in the NBA. This season is on hold and the future of a championship or even a playoff is in limbo because of the virus. Suspending the season even further is most likely the safer option to ensure a full schedule takes place.
What makes the most sense to Fowler is his second alternative to a normal season, and that is suspending play until the spring semester. Here is how he described it:
“There is a third scenario that’s gaining momentum, which may sound preposterous on the surface but I think a lot of reasonable people feel like it might be the most prudent course of action, and that is football in the spring. Beginning some point in February, getting into March, April, May, maybe have the postseason in June. That would have to be reshuffled a bit, it would be bizarre, it would wreak havoc on some other sports in that time of year, but to avoid the financial disaster of having no football in the academic year, I think it might be a fallback position.”
If this happens, how do you expect college football to ever return in the fall if this plan takes effect? If the season ended in June and plans are to start fall camps again in early-August, you are giving student-athletes two months (and maybe even less) to recover from the previous season and be ready to go for another. If this change is made, it almost has to be a permanent one.
Imagine the repercussions such a shift would have on viewership of the end of the basketball season and the start of the baseball season into the NCAA Tournament and the College World Series. There is such a thing as too much content for an audience, and unfortunately college football would likely dominate the rest.
Professionally speaking, I also believe the NCAA moving football to the spring would severely damage the MLB, and could cut into viewership of the NBA and NHL playoffs.
The good news is there would be more football beyond the first week of February, but I feel like there would be so much damage to other sports if football takes this route.
Former Wolverine PG David DeJulius sets commitment date
After announcing he would be entering the transfer portal last week, it appears David DeJulius is ready to make a decision where he will play next.
Michigan transfer David DeJulius will announce his college decision on Wednesday, he told @Stockrisers. His finalists: Mizzou, Iowa State, Marquette and Cincinnati.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) April 13, 2020
Completed virtual visits with all programs.
DeJulius virtually visited Missouri, Iowa State, Marquette and Cincinnati over the past couple days and will make a decision Wednesday as to where he plans to play basketball in the future.
National Brews
- The WWE has been deemed an “essential business,” according to Orange County, Florida officials.
- Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Town’s mother Jacqueline passed away due to complication of coronavirus on Monday.
- Christian McCaffrey inked a four-year extension with the Carolina Panthers where he will average $16 million per season. This will make him the highest paid running back in NFL history.