Pac-12 Notes

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Pac-12 Notes

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September 4th 

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Utah furloughs ENTIRE athletic department (including AD and coaches)

From KUTV.com … The University of Utah will furlough every employee in its athletic department, including Athletic Director Mark Harlan and team coaches because of financial shortfalls in a global pandemic.

Harlan released a statement about the furloughs Friday and said the decision was “difficult — but necessary” to mitigate the financial impact of the loss of games because of COVID-19.

“These changes include furloughs of various lengths for every Department employee—including me, our executive cabinet and our head and assistant coaches. In addition, in some select cases, we have also eliminated positions through reductions in force. We also have eliminated all performance bonuses until further notice,” Harlan said in a statement.

Finances were impacted after spring sports were cancelled for the U of U and then football and other fall sports were cancelled Aug. 11 by the Pac-12 conference. Football is a revenue generator for the university and the athletic conference that paid member schools significant money from television and other revenue streams from games. Football coach Kyle Whittingham is among the highest paid state employees in Utah.

Yahoo finance listed his salary making $3.7 million in 2018.

Harlan’s statement is as follows:

“As I have previously shared, the financial challenges that we are facing at Utah has led us to make difficult—but necessary—decisions to mitigate the financial impacts of the pandemic. These changes include furloughs of various lengths for every Department employee—including me, our executive cabinet and our head and assistant coaches. In addition, in some select cases, we have also eliminated positions through reductions in force. We also have eliminated all performance bonuses until further notice.

“These decisions were not based on employee performance, but rather reflect the significant financial shortfall we face as well as the realities of the postponement of fall sports competition. We are prioritizing the areas of our athletics operations that directly support our student-athletes.”

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September 4th

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Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin says two SEC coaches have told him “no way they could play a game this week”

From 247 Sports … With college football right around the corner, teams are doing all that they can in order to maintain a healthy roster amid the COVID-19 pandemic. And while things appear to be moving in the right direction in regards to playing the season, the challenges of maintaining a healthy roster are getting tougher.

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin joined the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday to discuss a variety of topics about the upcoming football season. While talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Kiffin mentioned that two SEC schools told him on Thursday morning that if they had to play a game today, they could not actually field a team.

“This isn’t 100 percent,” Kiffin said on the show. “You know, we’ve still got a ways to go to get through this because there are some teams right now in the SEC — you know, I heard from two coaches today, that there’s no way they could play that game this week.

Luckily for SEC schools, there is still plenty of time remaining before the 2020 season officially starts for SEC teams. Because of the pandemic and the impact it had on the sport, the SEC has elected to play a 10-game, conference-only schedule. While some Power Five games are set to be played next week, the SEC won’t be kicking off until September 26.

The SEC is regarded as the top conference in college football and so a conference-only schedule will no doubt be taxing to teams, as no break will be given to those teams in conference play. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey shared those same sentiments recently.

Last Saturday, Sankey joined CBS Sports to discuss what the league’s 10-game schedule will look like. The conference designed it to make sure it could safely play a full season, even if some speed bumps did arise. The two extra conference games will create some extra landmines when it comes to playoff resumes, but fans will enjoy watching the beefed up slates each weekend.

… Continue reading story here …

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Larry Scott: “High degree” of confidence in January start for football

From 247 Sports … On Thursday, the Pac-12 Conference announced a new partnership for COVID-19 testing that will provide additional resources for on-campus testing by the end of the month. According to Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, all conference schools will be able to have rapid testing available on campus as soon as the end of September.

During a press webinar, Scott noted that rapid testing could provide results in 15 minutes and are able to be administered in the training rooms of the athletic programs. When the Pac-12 decided to postpone the 2020 season in August, the conference did not expect to have rapid testing available until late November.

With expanded testing becoming available to all Pac-12 schools by the end of the month, Scott called the development a “game-changer” in regards to playing football again sometime soon. On Friday, Scott made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show and revealed when he believes the Pac-12 will be able to play football again.

“Well right now, I’ve got a high degree of confidence that we’re going to be playing (football) in January,” Scott said. “It possible because of this announcement we could play sooner. I think the significance of yesterday’s announcement, having access to this testing, I can look you in the eye virtually and tell you I’ve got a high degree of confidence we’re playing. We’re going to have a full, exciting season for our student-athletes. Well, I shouldn’t say full as in playing 12 games, I think it will be abbreviated like it is in other conferences.”

While the Pac-12 believes that the rapid testing could bring back sports sooner than the January 1st, 2021 timeline set in August but Scott added that there are still more hurdles to clear.

… Continue reading story here …

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NCAA: Conferences playing in the spring can have a 15-practice “fall camp” and an eight-game schedule

… If a conference (Big Ten – cough, cough) decides to play by Thanksgiving, they get no “fall camp” run up … 

From ESPN … The Football Oversight Committee on Thursday agreed to recommend to the Division I Council a spring-season model for conferences that push their seasons to spring of 2021. It includes 15 practices in 29 days and an eight-game season that must end by April 17.

Any other conferences that have postponed their season because of the coronavirus pandemic but decide to resume playing games earlier than next spring will not be able to use the 15-practice model, but it will be recommended all leagues that have postponed will have 13 weeks to complete their seasons.

The committee will also ask the Council to extend the recruiting dead period to Oct. 31 and to eliminate the evaluation period for football in the fall.

The Division I Council is expected to vote on the recommendations at its Sept. 16 meeting.

West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons, the chair of the FOC, told ESPN that the committee wanted to give any conferences that are not playing the flexibility to determine their schedule, but he said that for any leagues pushing their season back to the spring, it would be an eight-game schedule. Any conferences that start earlier can play more games within their allotted 13 weeks.

If the Big Ten or any other league resumes play in late November, it wouldn’t be allowed to use the proposed practice format of 29 days to have 15 practices, as is the case during a typical spring season. Only teams that push the season to spring of 2021 would be able to make use of that model.

… Continue reading story here …

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September 3rd

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Pac-12 announces groundbreaking testing research initiative; Rapid-results test could speed the return of sport competitions

Press release from the Pac-12 … The Pac-12 Conference announced today that it has entered into an agreement with diagnostic test leader Quidel Corporation to implement up to daily testing for COVID-19 with student-athletes across all of its campuses for all close-contact sports.

The agreement is a major step toward the safe return of sports competition in the Pac-12. The arrangement with Quidel will provide for frequent testing with rapid results, which had been one of the key concerns in the prior decision by the Pac-12 to postpone sport competition.  The testing will also significantly reduce the number of contact traces required and the breadth of contact tracing required, with the goal of relieving some of the burden on local health authorities, as a result of removing or significantly limiting the spread of infection through athletics activity.  Any return to competition is subject to requisite approvals from public health officials.

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NY Times posting a series providing “an inside-out view” Cal’s handling of the pandemic

From the New York Times … In the coming weeks and months, The New York Times will be inside Cal athletics, virtually and on campus — in Zoom meetings, budget discussions and team workouts. The goal is to provide an inside-out view of the unprecedented challenges facing one university — but, really, all of them.

The hurdles at Cal are both reflective of other top-level college athletic programs and unique to the Golden Bears. Cal is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, which dominates the college sports scene on the West Coast. Its athletic department is bigger than most: 30 sports, 300 employees, 850 athletes and a $100 million annual budget.

But athletics hardly define Cal, one of the premier public universities in the nation. It is the flagship of the enormous and prestigious University of California system. It is situated in the heart of the Bay Area, where college sports fight for attention. Its athletic department is perpetually in the red.

In other words, Cal represents both success and struggle in college athletics. And the pandemic — along with other major issues of 2020, like fights over social justice — is exposing all of it.

A third-year athletic director is overseeing a crumbling budget that threatens to rearrange the department and its priorities for years.

Coaches are trying to guide athletes through sports that have had seasons cut short or canceled, and are now juggling crushed hopes and uncertain rosters.

Hundreds of athletes are wondering if it’s the right thing to go to campus, to play, to travel, to study.

The ripple effects can be felt on academics, sports medicine, facilities, training, equipment, recruiting, fund-raising and alumni relations. They have dealt an unmeasurable blow to momentum and mental health.

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… Read full story here …

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Pac-12 coaches: “If everybody’s not involved. How is there a true champion?”

From 247 Sports … The Pac-12 appears firm in their stance of not reversing course and having a fall football season. The Big Ten, the other Power Five conference to cancel their fall football season, continues to face backlash over the decision and could ultimately start in January, on Thanksgiving or ultimately October 10th, according to various reports and refutes.

But for the schools out west, they’re hoping a spring football season is viable but want it to be treated like a normal football season, as in championships and recognition. In a report from ESPN’s Heather Dinich, coaches, such as Clay Helton (USC), David Shaw (Stanford) and Kyle Whittingham (Utah), believe the Pac-12 (and the Big Ten) should be factored into the national champion conversation whether it’s by association or have two separate champions for the season.

Helton said he’d leave it up to the “powers that be” and just wants to get his kids back on the field as soon as possible.

“The reality of the situation is we don’t know what the future holds, for not only the conferences that are playing, but the conferences that aren’t playing,” Helton said to ESPN. “We’ve got our fingers crossed we can do something come winter or spring, but things are going to have to trend in the right direction for that to happen. For us, I’m just looking forward to having the next opportunity to compete, and allow the kids to get on the field, whether that’s winter or spring or fall of ’21 — that’s my main concern. I’ll let the powers that be decide how we end up deciding a national champion.”

For Shaw, he believes the Pac-12 and Big Ten, since they are 40 percent of the Power Five, must be factored into any type of national champion discussion.

“It has to be factored in that these two conferences in particular are major conferences and always deserve an opportunity to win a national championship when they play,” Shaw said. “We’ve all bought into the CFP. If by the end of the winter, if there’s someone who has merit, they deserve recognition.

“If we’re going to ask these student-athletes to play this great and wonderful and difficult game, there needs to be a purpose. All of our young people, they want championships. They want to play for conference championships and a shot at a national championship. If we’re going to play, these young men deserve to be rewarded if they play well.”

Whittingham kept it simple: there’s not going to be a true champion this year.

“If everybody’s not involved,” Whittingham said. “How is there a true champion?”

… Continue reading story here …

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September 2nd

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With a week to go before the first Power Five game, cancellation policies not yet in place

From The Athletic … For Manny Diaz, kickoff is a mere eight days away. Miami is playing the very first Power 5 college football game on the 2020 schedule, a Thursday night season opener against UAB. These long months of carefully preparing for this unpredictable season are about to finally pay off with an actual game.

There’s just one detail — and it’s a pretty important one — that still needs to get sorted out. Diaz is about to be the first Power 5 head coach to have to confront a question that hangs over this season: What would it take for the game to get postponed?

“That’s a fantastic question,” Diaz said.

A fantastic answer has not yet emerged. The first FBS football games kick off Thursday. The first weekend of ACC and Big 12 games is fast approaching. But the policies that determine whether it’s safe enough for those games to kick off remain a work in progress.

The topic of each conference’s postponement policy evokes a wide range of opinions and concerns. How many players does a college football team need to play a game? How few can it have at each position before playing becomes unsafe? How and when will these schools and conferences decide to call off a game? It’s an issue that blends policy and strategy, and there’s no simple, perfect answer. That’s why many of the remaining six Football Bowl Subdivision conferences do not have a formal policy to announce yet. And what they may announce publicly may be, frankly, underwhelming.

A league source indicated that the ACC’s policy will not include any numbers in its protocols, no number of positive cases or players unavailable that would automatically trigger a game’s shutdown. AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said much of the same, saying that his league did not want to set benchmarks that are specific numbers. Conference USA and the Sun Belt are arriving at similar conclusions.

Aresco sees this as more of a weeklong collaborative process. He expects to have calls with both schools’ athletic directors for each game, along with an expert from the AAC’s medical advisory group, throughout the week. Together, they’ll work to determine whether each game is playable.

“We want to look at the nuances,” Aresco said Tuesday, four days before both SMU and Memphis kick off their season. “You’re going to look at your contact tracing. You’re going to look at the number of players in quarantine, if any. You’re going to look at all those things, but … this is a very subjective situation.

“We’re doing PCR testing twice a week and then we’re looking at an antigen test at the end of the week, and it would be a rolling process. There will be meetings early in the week. Obviously, Friday is a big day because then you analyze your (PCR) tests from Wednesday/Thursday testing, and then if you do antigen testing, you’d have another indicator. It’s going to be a rolling process; there is going to be communication all week. If any red flags appear, you analyze them and see where you are. We’ve got a medical group that’s going to be essentially on call pretty much every day the rest of the way.”

This means that it’s quite possible two opposing teams can get all the way to Friday afternoon, on the eve of a gameday, and not know for sure whether they will play. Fans might have to get used to this, too, particularly if these decisions aren’t dictated by explicit rules. Administrators had speculated for much of the summer that there would be specific thresholds for a critical number of unavailable players, such as 20 percent of the roster.

Without those types of strict benchmarks, everything could get messier and murkier.

… Continue reading story here (subscription required) …

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Iowa State to allow 25,000 fans in the stand for home opener next weekend

From Sports Illustrated … Iowa State will allow fans to attend its season opener at Jack Trice Stadium next month amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cyclones announced Monday that approximately 25,000 spectators are expected to attend their Sept. 12 matchup against Louisiana.

In a letter to fans, athletic director Jamie Pollard said the crowd will consist of season ticket holders only. Everyone in attendance must wear a face covering at all times, and anyone who refuses to wear one will be denied access and/or removed from the stadium. No tailgating will be permitted, and Pollard asked everyone to “honor other fans’ wishes for physical distancing.”

“An important factor in the decision to allow fans is our belief that Cyclone fans are willing to adhere to our mitigation measures,” Pollard wrote. “The purpose of this letter is to ask for your support in helping create a safe environment while also providing our team an impactful home field advantage. This is an incredible opportunity for Iowa State University to showcase its ability to successfully navigate the challenges associated with large outdoor events during a pandemic.”

Pollard said if the mitigation actions are successful, the Cyclones will allow season ticket holders to attend the Oct. 3 game against Oklahoma. If Iowa State determines mitigation measures were not followed adequately at the first game, no fans will be allowed at games for the rest of the season.

… Continue reading story here …

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NY Times: “College Football is Not Essential” (with rebuttal)

From Sports Illustrated … Before we begin today’s visit, I want you to know two things:

**–I love college football. For 45 years my professional life has been built around this time of year. So trust me when I tell you that nobody wants there to be a college football season more than your humble scribe.

**–Having said that, the health and well-being of the players, coaches, and staff is more important than anyone’s desire for a football season. So if the day before the first games the medical people say you can’t go, then you don’t go.

I made those two points to set up this: On Sunday, the New York Times editorial board published an opinion piece entitled: “College Football is Not Essential.”

The sub-head was: “Why are some schools pressuring student-athletes to play a game that could expose them to the coronavirus?”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/29/opinion/sunday/college-football-covid.html

First of all, I spent 35 years in the newspaper business. I understand the importance of editorial boards who interview those in power and then weigh-in on the issues of the day.

However, I would take issue with the claim that athletes are being pressured to play. Earlier this year the players were told that they had the opportunity to “opt out” of playing the season and many, especially those who project to be first-round draft choices next April, have chosen to do that. Players who opt out know that they will not lose a year of eligibility and will keep their scholarships.

Just yesterday LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, the 2019 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s best wide receiver, announced that he was leaving his team to get ready for the NFL Draft. Chase already has a national championship and has proven that he is the best at his position in college football. He had nothing left to prove. That was the right decision for him.

The editorial correctly pointed out that the Big Ten and Pac-12 used what they thought was the best medical data at their disposal when they decided to shut down their respective football teams for this season on Aug. 11.

“The clear advice from our medical professionals made the choice obvious to us that we couldn’t hold a football season,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in the editorial.

So the Big Ten and Pac-12 made what they thought was the best decision based on the data they had. And that’s fine.

The NYT editorial said that there is “overwhelming evidence that (the return of college football) is a bad idea.”

There is certainly an argument to be made about whether or not to play college football this season. We’ve been making it for months.

But the evidence NOT to play is not overwhelming.

It should also be noted that the ACC, SEC, and Big 12 have quality doctors, too. It is not uncommon for two doctors to look at the same set of tests and draw different conclusions. And as September arrives, the best medical advice from those doctors says that these conferences can continue to prepare for the season.

Those conferences haven’t been cleared to play. They’ve been cleared to keep trying.

… Continue reading story here …

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September 1st 

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Despite rumors, Big Ten football this fall remains “a long shot”

Related … From ESPN … “”Nothing has changed,” a Big Ten source told ESPN. “Nothing. We have to get all the medical questions answered before we can even bring back a plan to the presidents for approval.”

From CBS Sports … It remains “a long shot” for the Big Ten play college football this fall, a highly placed source in the conference told CBS Sports on Tuesday. This despite President Donald Trump saying the league was “on the one yard line” after a conversation with Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren on Tuesday.

The Big Ten’s Return to Competition Task Force continues to study the impact of rapid COVID-19 testing. A separate Big Ten source said that would help the conference consider playing in the fall, though it is “not the only question.”

A new nasal swab developed by pharmaceutical giant Abbott got plenty of attention last week. The test is less intrusive and has a 15-minute turnaround.

Selwyn Vickers, dean of UAB’s Medical School, is not serving as a direct consultant to conferences but has been sought out because of his experience and expertise on medical testing.

Vickers called the new rapid testing a “nice advance. It will be a significant, real boost in trying to do some of the events we’re talking about. In short order in 15 minutes we’ll know if they are positive or negative.”

But is it to make the Big Ten reconsider?

“I can’t project to know if that will,” Vickers, also a personal friend of Warren’s for 15 years, told CBS Sports. “I don’t know if the testing limits was the thing that was keeping them from playing.”

CBS Sports reported at the time of the Big Ten’s fall season postponement that myocarditis — inflammation of the heart, a long-term effect of COVID-19 — was a significant factor in the conference’s decision. As many as 15 Big Ten athletes had already developed the condition after getting COVID-19 at the time of postponement, CBS Sports previously reported.

“The Big Ten has an outstanding group of medical minds at their [disposal] who I’m sure who have given thought to [rapid testing] and likely will come up with a lot of reasons of what they need to think about,” Vickers said. “I think rapid testing is one of them.

“I don’t know if this is the only thing they were worried about.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Forbes: Can Athletic Departments cut costs by capping coaches’ salaries?

… Short answer: “No” … 

From Forbes … Recently, three Clemson professors penned a piece suggesting that the salaries of college coaches could be capped as a way to make up for some of the financial challenges facing athletic departments. I asked three attorneys with expertise in the area of antitrust to weigh in on whether their proposed plan could withstand a legal challenge. The answer was a resounding no.

In the piece by the professors, it was stated, “A salary cap for college coaches would not be subject to the Sherman Act because it allows for competition in the form of other competitive leagues, such as the NJCAA and NAIA, and it would not impact the consumer or constituency pricing for the sports fan.”

All three antitrust experts I spoke with disagreed.

“If the NCAA or its member schools unilaterally imposed any sort of restraint on coaching salaries, it would be illegal,” said Christopher L. Sagers, James A. Thomas Professor of Law at Cleveland State University. “In fact, it would be a naked horizontal price agreement, and therefore per se illegal.”

Michael A. Lindsay, co-chair of the antitrust and commercial litigation practice groups at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, says schools in particular should be careful when it comes to salary-cap agreements between schools.

“The Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission have taken a keen interest in wage-fixing and no-poaching agreements between employers competing for the services of potential employees, and there have been private antitrust class actions as well–including one against Duke and UNC. So anyone thinking about a salary-cap agreement with other schools should think twice,” said Lindsay.

In the case Lindsay referenced, Duke and UNC agreed to a $54.5 settlement after being sued in a private action for antitrust collusion wherein it was alleged the schools agreed not to hire each other’s employees.

Perhaps even more on point is a case from 1998 where a federal jury in Kansas awarded more than $66 million to 1,900 assistant college coaches, finding their salaries were illegally restricted by the NCAA. The NCAA had imposed a rule in 1992 (which was lifted in 1995 after another court loss) restricting the salaries of certain assistant coaches to $12,000 per academic year. The coaches contended it had stifled competition and deprived them of fair market wages, while the NCAA argued it only applied to Division I and was a way of containing costs, comparing them to graduate student teaching assistants.

“Any school can make a unilateral decision on the maximum that it will pay coaches, but once there is talk of a group agreement in an industry, it’s time to become real friendly with the university’s general counsel,” said Lindsay.

… Continue reading story here …

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Vote revealed: Big Ten voted 11-3 in favor of postponement 

From CBS Sports … Big Ten presidents and chancellors voted 11-3 to cancel the 2020 fall college football season due to concerns with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, lawsuit documents obtained by multiple outlets showed. The official count, which had previously not been officially known, comes courtesy of two sworn affidavits filed by the league on Monday. The documents are in response to a lawsuit filed by eight Nebraska football players in an attempt to get the conference to reverse course on postponing football until 2021.

According to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio State voted to play in the fall. Big Ten bylaws require at least 60% (nine) of the league’s presidents and chancellors to vote in favor of postponing the season.

The conference has come under extreme scrutiny from a variety of fronts since making the decision on Aug. 11. Numerous players, coaches, parents and fans made it clear they felt football should be played in the fall, especially with the ACC, Big 12 and SEC moving forward. At the center of the criticism has been commissioner Kevin Warren, whose lack of leadership in the aftermath has hindered the conference’s once-esteemed credibility.

Not helping matters have been the disjointed comments of Big Ten admins. Speaking earlier in August about the decision, Minnesota president Joan Gabel said, “We didn’t vote per se. It’s a deliberative process where we came to a decision together.” Meanwhile, Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said, “It’s unclear to me whether or not there was a vote.”

News also leaked that the Big Ten was looking into starting its season around Thanksgiving weekend instead of 2021, among other considerations. The idea, originally proposed by the conference’s coaches, could have given the Big Ten the ability to play upwards of 10-11 games in a season as opposed to eight if it started in January 2021. However, such a change of heart could be viewed by some as caving to pressure from those who are against a spring season.

In any case, the power to make such a change comes from the presidents and chancellors only. Warren has reiterated that the conference has no intention of revisiting the possibility of playing football this fall.

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August 31st

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Report: Pac-12 Presidents considering a major overhaul to “the entire structure and composition” of the conference

From Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News … Pac-12 presidents and chancellors are considering a major overhaul to “the entire structure and composition” of the conference, including “contract issues,” according to internal documents obtained by the Hotline.

The plans are outlined in a series of executive emails focused on hiring a media consultant who could be given the authority to work independently of commissioner Larry Scott and report directly to the presidents.

“The scope of work might dictate the consultant,’’ Oregon president Michael Schill wrote to Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano and Washington president Ana Mari Cauce in June.

“If it just were a media deal than (sic) any of the three might work. However, if it is the entire structure and composition of the PAC 12 as we discussed on the call, then I wonder whether consultants whose main experience is from the business world would be appropriate.

“Our values go beyond maximizing revenue. Or, at least they did prior to the current financial issues.”

The window for decisions on the media strategy and Scott’s contract are narrowing.

Scott’s agreement expires in the middle of 2022, the same year negotiations on the next media rights partnership — “the most critical thing in the history of the conference” — are expected to begin.

Although the current deal with ESPN and Fox don’t expire until the spring of 2024, media rights deals are typically finalized at least 12 months in advance.

The networks are believed to have an exclusive negotiating window with the conference that begins in the late fall of 2022 or early winter of 2023.

Adding to the complexity is the fate of the Pac-12 Networks — the conference’s wholly-owned media division that is Scott’s brainchild but has drastically underperformed expectations in areas of audience and revenue.

“The conference has to get an independent look at all this,” said a source familiar with the president’s discussions. “Someone who doesn’t report to Larry Scott; someone who reports to the executive committee.”

… Continue reading story here …

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Chip Kelly’s inability to recruit to UCLA raising eyebrows

From The Athletic … If you’re interested in finding out which programs are recruiting the best right now, it’s as simple as going to 247Sports and looking at the 2021 composite team rankings. But there is a difference between “best” and “hottest.”

There is a lot of nuance to recruiting, particularly in the context of how results match up with a program’s expectations. One program could finish No. 15 in the rankings and throw a parade; another team’s fans may want to fire their coach with the same finish. Recruiting is complex.

Every month, we’ll do a piece called “The 5,” a ranking that offers a deeper understanding of the current situation in the world of talent accumulation. Let’s continue with a look at some programs that should be recruiting better and some thoughts about what the future could hold.

No. 4 UCLA

Ranking in 2021: No. 51 overall, No. 7 in Pac-12, .8673 average player rating
Commitments: 13
Top 100 commitments: 0
Most important commitment: Four-star ATH Devin Kirkwood of Gardena (Calif.) Junipero Serra
2020 ranking: No. 33, No. 6 in Pac-12, average player rating .8694
2019 ranking: No. 40, No. 6 in Pac-12, .8569
2018 ranking: No. 19, No. 4 in Pac-12, .8732
2017 ranking: No. 20, No. 4 in Pac-12, .8838
2016 ranking: No. 13, No. 2 in Pac-12, .8834
Realistic expectation: Top 20 classes

The buzz: Chip Kelly built a juggernaut in his four-year stint at Oregon, and it’s fair to say he did so by finding players who fit his system and he was not overly concerned with star ratings. He went 46-7 with the same number of blue-chip players a team like Alabama would sign in one season. But the one thing Kelly did during his time at Oregon was use the state of California as a feeding ground for talent, so when he took the UCLA job, you could see the potential. Kelly could sell his NFL experience along with what he did at Oregon to attract players to his new school, which has one of the most beautiful campuses in America and is conveniently located in one of the most talent-rich cities in the country.

There was obvious potential for UCLA to re-emerge as a nationally relevant program. That, however, has yet to happen.

Yes, Kelly doesn’t pay attention to stars and has always recruited system-first players. But the sport is different from how it was from 2009-12, and his system isn’t a shock to the world the way it was 10 years ago. So if he wants to win the Pac-12 and give USC a run for its money in the rivalry, he needs to bring in better players. And right now, his classes have lacked the depth of talent needed to compete for a league title. That shouldn’t be a problem for a Power 5 program located in Los Angeles.

Right now, UCLA has only 13 commitments, with none ranking in the top 250 nationally. The highest-rated prospect in the class is ranked No. 25 in California. Now consider this: California is home to 20 of the top 202 players nationally — and UCLA doesn’t have any of them.

The low ranking at No. 51 is partially because Kelly has only 13 commitments. But this is a dangerous trend. UCLA’s last two classes, in 2020 and 2019, ranked No. 32 and No. 40, ending a seven-year run of top-20 classes.

Nobody should question Kelly’s ability to build a program because he did so once before. But to be a college football power, UCLA has to sign top-20 classes on a consistent basis, and right now the Bruins aren’t doing that.

… Read full story here (subscription required) …

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Arizona’s leading tackler now a Red Raider

From 247 Sports … The Texas Tech Red Raiders are working on establishing a new identity as head coach Matt Wells enters the second year of his tenure with the school. Part of that culture change is strengthening a defense that was once among the worst in football. On Sunday, Wells and the Red Raiders took another step in that direction.

Colin Schooler, a transfer linebacker out of Arizona, took to Twitter on Sunday to announce his commitment to Texas Tech. Schooler will have one year of eligibility remaining, as he just completed his junior season in 2019. Oddly enough, he will get to face his brother, Brenden, who transferred from Arizona to Texas, when the season begins.

Throughout his time at Arizona, Schooler has made a massive mark on the history of the Wildcats’ football program. Just a freshman in 2017, Schooler earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 honors, was the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and earned Freshman All-American honors after recording 95 tackles, 13.5 for loss, and four sacks. It only went up from there.

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August 30th

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Washington loses star linebacker to NFL Draft

From ESPN … Washington linebacker Joe Tryon is forgoing his final two years of eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL draft, he announced Saturday.

Tryon earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors in 2019, when he recorded eight sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-5, 262-pound Tryon finishes his Washington career with 61 tackles, including nine sacks in two seasons. ESPN’s Todd McShay last week ranked Tryon as the No. 40 overall prospect for the 2021 draft.

Tryon is among the Pac-12 players who led the #WeAreUnited movement, which included an Aug. 2 letter listing demands they needed met to play the 2020 season.

Washington had its fall season postponed Aug. 11. The Pac-12 has yet to announce plans for a possible winter or spring season.

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Public rifts tearing apart Big Ten’s credibility

From CBS Sports … Didn’t you used to be the Big Ten, all class and formality? Bo and Woody may have flipped now and then, but the league was mostly 3 yards and a cloud of decorum. Legends and Leaders may have flopped as division names, but they endured as the foundations of a 124-year-old league.

Yeah, yeah. The Big Ten (and its yappy parents) needs football. But first, the conference needs to decide what it wants.

Seventeen days after announcing it would attempt to play in spring 2021 — a decision that came 6 days after the Big Ten released its fall 2020 schedule — the league is now at least considering a Thanksgiving-week start. That is one of a number of options that also include a January 2021 start.

Pick a lane, Big Ten.

The increasing rift within the league is obvious. Big Ten coaches joined on a conference call to discuss schedule options. League presidents, who voted overwhelmingly not to play this fall, may be hearing questions from the trustees who employ them.

Worse, a lot of this rift has become public.

We are told there will be no decisions for 7-10 days while the Big Ten continues to figure itself out. Isn’t that a treat? Quiet is good from a conference that can’t keep from making the wrong kind of noise lately.

The first question: What changed between Aug. 11 and now? Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has been criticized for his lack of transparency in making the no-fall-football announcement on that date. Then, when he did issue “An Open Letter To The Big Ten Community” on Aug. 19, Warren wrote the decision to postpone the fall season “will not be revisited.”

That was all but proved false Friday when sources confirmed to CBS Sports what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported: A bunch of folks in the league had at least reconsidered playing in the fall

That is not good when Warren had drawn his line in the sand. That line has at least been blurred, if not erased entirely.

Nothing may come of it … or the league may emerge in the next two weeks with a new, detailed plan. One Big Ten source said a fall 2020 start may hinge on a medical “miracle” surrounding COVID-19 (better testing and contact tracing).

Big Ten sources increasingly indicate the league’s focus is on developing the best spring 2021 schedule possible. Something that would mitigate the problem of playing two seasons in a calendar year. Something that would end before the NFL Draft.

… Continue reading story here …

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August 29th

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Rose Bowl CEO: Second Rose Bowl not being ruled out

From 247 Sports … David Eads, the CEO of the Rose Bowl, is intent on having the Rose Bowl for the CFP semifinals go off without a hitch but a second game played at the historic venue could be on the table.

“My response is, it’s really speculative at this time,” Eads said according to Dodd. “Obviously, as we move through the season, it would be something we would consider if it would interest our partners. At this time, there is really no discussion going on.”

Eads doubled down on no conversation for a second Rose Bowl, for now.

“I’ve been asked that question several times,” Eads said. “We’re a semifinal site this year for the CFP. Obviously, my team is working aggressively [on that] if there is college football this fall. The question about a spring schedule with both the Big Ten and Pac-12 and could that result in another Rose Bowl? I don’t think anybody has given any thought or consideration to that at this point.”

However, according to sources told to Dodd, “There’s been a conversation about that possibility.”

When the Rose Bowl is not serving as a semifinal game for the College Football Playoff, it’s the biggest game that pits the Big Ten against the Pac-12, usually the conference champions (if one or both of the conference champions are not in the playoff).

Should the Big Ten and Pac-12 not reverse course and play football this fall and align their schedules for a spring season or perhaps a winter start, then hypothetically, the two conferences could play to have a conference championship game and the winners would face off in a “second Rose Bowl.”

… Continue reading story here …

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August 28th

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Report: Big Ten looking to start as early as Thanksgiving weekend

From CBS Sports … As pressure continues to mount on the Big Ten’s decision-makers for pulling the plug on fall football, another option has been brought to the table by the league’s coaches. The Big Ten is considering a schedule that would start Thanksgiving week as one of numerous options for when to begin playing college football again, a league source confirmed to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd.

There are several ideas being kicked around within the conference, according to Dodd. Not all of them involving a start before January. League sources seem to be making accommodation for a potential earlier start in 2020 if there is what was termed an “overnight” change surrounding medical conditions, testing and contact tracing.

Big Ten coaches came up with the Thanksgiving idea, according to Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, who first reported this potential breakthrough. This would potentially give the Big Ten the ability to play 10-11 games in a season as opposed to eight if it started in January 2021.

It has previously been reported that the league is examining playing its season in several domed stadiums this winter. Purdue coach Jeff Brohm also outlined, in great detail, what a spring season could look like without infringing too much on the following season in fall 2021.

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Les Miles: “If they opt out because of the pandemic, then they opt into the pandemic”

From CBS Sports … One of the principle talking points within college football is whether players are safer from the coronavirus pandemic on campus, in their facilities and playing the game. Like many coaches, Kansas’ Les Miles feels they are. But in speaking with reporters, he took that philosophy a step further by saying players choosing to opt out of the season are making life more dangerous for themselves.

“If they opt out because of the pandemic, then they opt into the pandemic,” Miles said, via Matt Galloway of the Topeka Capital-Journal. “The last I saw it, the pandemic was worldwide, OK? So I don’t know what their advantage is to turn at this point away from what would be a good finish to a college career and opportunity to advance their abilities and then have a choice whether to go off to the NFL or to stay and compete. So we’d love to have them stay and compete.”

Miles noted that at least one Jayhawks player, offensive lineman Antione Frazier, has opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. Frazier has also entered the transfer portal. “That’s a decision that he made,” Miles said.

In all, about 50 players from the Power Five level have opted out of the 2020-21 season. Their reasons vary. Some are concerned with long-term effects from COVID-19, while others are more interested in pursuing their NFL careers instead of risking injury in a season that’s not guaranteed to be played fully.

… Continue reading story here …

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August 27th

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Nebraska furloughs 51 athletic department employees

From ESPN … The University of Nebraska is putting 51 athletic department employees on furlough and all others will take a 10% pay cut in response to the budget crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The furloughs and pay cuts will be in effect Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

“The postponement of the fall sports season, and specifically the football season, has put us in the position of making some very difficult decisions that impact every member of our staff,” athletic director Bill Moos said Friday. “In my three decades as an athletic director, I have always said that people are our most valuable resource, and there is no question that is true here at Nebraska. These are outstanding staff members and great people, and that is what makes this a particularly tough day.”

The measures are in addition to department cuts announced in June that included a 10% reduction in overall expenses for the 2021 fiscal year, no merit raises and the elimination of 17 jobs. In total, staffing decisions are expected to result in a savings of about $3 million.

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UCLA sues Under Armour for terminating $280 million contract

From ESPN … UCLA sued Under Armour in federal court on Wednesday, alleging it terminated its $280 million sponsorship agreement with the Bruins not because of the coronavirus pandemic but because the record-setting deal was too expensive for the financially troubled apparel company.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, said the amount in dispute is more than $200 million. UCLA sued Under Armour on the grounds of breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and promissory estoppel.

In May 2016, Under Armour and UCLA signed the largest athletic apparel deal in collegiate sports history at the time, with the apparel company agreeing to provide the Bruins with at least $280 million in financial support, including monetary payments and products over 15 years. The deal went into effect in July 2017.

“By 2020, Under Armour wanted to get out of that deal-not because of anything UCLA did, but because the deal now seemed too expensive for the financially-troubled sportswear company,” the lawsuit says. “Under Armour decided that it would use the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to ‘terminate’ the sponsorship agreement. But neither the governing agreement nor the law allows Under Armour to do so. This action seeks to hold Under Armour to the promises that it made.”

In June, Under Armour notified UCLA and Cal that it was ending its sponsorships with the schools by invoking a force majeure clause in the deals. In 2016, Under Armour reached a 10-year, $85.6 million sponsorship deal with the Bears. The San Jose Mercury-News reported earlier this month that the Cal agreement was never signed and the two sides had been working off a term sheet the past four years.

“It is unfortunate that Under Armour is opportunistically using the global pandemic to try to walk away from a binding agreement it made in 2016 but no longer likes,” UCLA vice chancellor of strategic communications Mary Osako said in a statement. “UCLA has met the terms of the agreement, which does not require that games in any sport be played on a particular schedule. We filed this lawsuit in order to support our student-athletes and the broader UCLA community, including the athletic department that has brought 118 national championships to Westwood.”

… Continue reading story here …

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August 26th

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Just for fun: Video making fun of “dumpster fire” Nebraska (and Texas, and Michigan)

From YouTube …

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Big Ten considering an “all-dome” winter season

From CBS Sports … The Big Ten continues its attempts to string together plans for a potential winter football season, and a part of those plans could be playing inside domed stadiums. The conference is currently considering several different domes — most of which serves as NFL stadiums — as sites to play games should the Big Ten be able to resume play in time for the winter months, according to the Columbus Dispatch. 

Potential sites include Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where the conference currently holds its annual conference championship game. Detroit’s Ford Field, Minneapolis’ U.S. Bank Stadium and St. Louis’ The Dome at America’s Center are reportedly also being considered, as is Syracuse’s dome. While not going into, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith confirmed to the Dispatch that the Big Ten is considering those sites “and others.”

As far as what those other sites might be, the only other domed stadiums within the Big Ten’s geographic footprint are Miller Park in Milwaukee, Northern Iowa’s UNI-Dome and Northern Michigan’s Superior Dome. It’s also possible that the Big Ten would consider stadiums outside its footprint, though that could be a lot more difficult to pull off considering travel.

Either way, it’s clear the Big Ten is trying to figure something out. Shortly after announcing the cancellation of the 2020 fall football season, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said the conference was putting together a “task force” to configure a plan for the winter or spring.

… Continue reading story here …

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Will early enrollees next January be allowed to play?

From Sports Illustrated … When California postponed its fall high school football season, Miller Moss took the news like so many others in the nation’s most populous state—sad, frustrated and maybe even angry. Already one of the nation’s top-ranked quarterbacks in the 2021 recruiting class, Moss lost his chance for a final high school hurrah. There would be no exclamation point on his star-studded career at Santa Ana-based powerhouse Mater Dei.

But as it turns out, he might not lose a season after all.

Moss, a USC commitment planning to enroll in January as a mid-year addition, hopes to play in a winter or spring season next year just weeks after arriving on the Los Angeles campus. And he’s not the only one. Several mid-year enrollees who are committed to Pac-12 and Big Ten programs are expecting to be eligible to participate in postponed 2020 seasons—many of whom learned of the possibility through the coaches recruiting them.

“We don’t have a definite answer, but everything I’ve heard is we could be eligible. The good thing is it might not count as a year of eligibility,” Moss says in an interview with SI this week. “It’s super exciting for me to hear. Nothing like it has ever happened before. It’s a unique opportunity. People talk about losing those (high school) game reps as a senior, but you could add game reps at a higher level.”

In a story published last week on a site covering Ohio State, Buckeyes offensive tackle commitment Jack Sawyer says he opted out of his high school senior season this fall because of the potential to play a winter or spring college football season. He told elevenwarriors.com that OSU coach Ryan Day is pushing hard for NCAA leaders to grant eligibility to mid-year enrollees. “We’re all just hoping and praying that they are gonna let us play,” he said.

The NCAA might dash those hopes. The buzz around this issue has reached one of the highest rule-making committees in NCAA Division I. The Football Oversight Committee explored the situation last week and plans to further examine it during its meeting next week, says West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons, chair of the Oversight Committee. He personally believes that mid-year arrivals should not be eligible to play a winter or spring season, but he’s not certain what course the committee will choose.

… Continue reading story here …

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August 25th

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UCLA loses two-year starter at offensive tackle – seeking ACC or SEC team to play for this fall

From CBS Sports … UCLA isn’t playing football this fall as a result of the Pac-12’s decision to postpone its season to the spring. When the Bruins do tee it up, they’ll do so without one of their top offensive players. Offensive tackle Jake Burton, a two-year starter for coach Chip Kelly, announced on Twitter that he will enter the transfer portal in the hopes of catching on somewhere this fall.

“I wish to thank God and my family for all of the love, guidance, and support they have given me during my time at UCLA,” he wrote … “I was looking forward to finishing my college career with my Bruin teammates. Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, that is not possible this year. After much though, I have decided to enter the portal in hopes of gaining the opportunity to play football this fall.”

Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reported on Twitter that Burton is targeting SEC and ACC schools as his transfer destination.

The 6-foot-6, 312-pound redshirt senior out of Granite Hills High School in Alpine, California, started at right tackle in all 12 games in 2019. He helped running back Joshua Kelly top the 1,000-yard mark on the ground for the second straight season. He started 11 games and played in all 12 as a sophomore, and played in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2017.

The NCAA’s new blanket eligibility waiver issued last week means that he can play as a redshirt senior in either 2020 or 2021.

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First crack in the dam? N.C. State may postpone first game due to positive tests

From WRALSportsFan.com … Based on the ACC’s COVID-19 protocols with contact tracing, the conference might have to move NC State’s game with Virginia Tech to Sept. 26.

That could mean the Wolfpack will open the season on Sept. 19 at home with Wake Forest.

NC State announced on Monday 22 new positive tests within the athletic department and that all sports activities had been put on pause.

According to two sources with knowledge of the situation, the football program was included in the positive tests, and one of the clusters the school identified was at the Wolf Village student apartment complex on campus, which is where the freshmen on the football team are required to live.

… Under the contact tracing guidelines provided by the ACC’s medical advisory group, any players who have come in contact with someone who has tested positive would need to be quarantined – including being held of out of practice – for 14 days.

NC State is scheduled to open the season in 18 days, at Virginia Tech on Sept. 12. That would leave little preparation time for coach Dave Doeren’s eighth Wolfpack team.

The team hasn’t practiced since Saturday’s scrimmage, and more than a dozen players were held out of that practice due to COVID protocols.

… Read full story here …

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Jon Wilner shifts gears: Did the Pac-12 act too quickly?

From Jon Wilner at the San Jose Mercury News … Two weeks ago today, the Pac-12 shuttered football for the first time in conference history.

Not much has changed over the fortnight:

The SEC, ACC and Big 12 continue churning forward despite positive tests, practice pauses and campus policy reversals.

At the same time, so much has changed:

The Covid-19 positivity rate is dropping in Arizona; the case counts are plunging in Washington; and the outbreak is receding in California.

Local conditions no longer seem quite so daunting across the Pac-12 footprint.

So we wonder: Did the presidents move too soon?

Absolutely not, and quite possibly yes.

Sorry for the waffling. But with college football as with so many coronavirus matters, the answer is steeped in complexity and nuance.

… The decision seemed aggressive at the time (July 31) based on the Covid-19 conditions across the west and the testing limitations across the country.

As the days passed and training camp drew closer, aggressive became unreasonable.

Had the conference instead crafted a more modest schedule — for example: eight or nine games, starting in the middle of October — then everything would have changed.

It could have started training camp in the middle of September, not the middle of August, which would have given the medical advisors three or four additional weeks to monitor.

Their skepticism that local conditions and testing limitations would remain unchanged into September played a key role in the recommendation and the vote.

But what if they had waited until after Labor Day to take stock of local conditions and testing technology?

What if they had taken another month to gather information on Myocarditis?

Instead of starting at Mile 1 and seeing no realistic path to the marathon’s finish, what if they had started at Mile 13?

Might the end-game have looked different?

Probably not.

But probably isn’t the bar — at least, it shouldn’t be the bar.

For its athletes and fans, the conference should have done everything possible to buy as much time as possible.

It should have avoided a vote until it absolutely, positively had to take a vote.

Based on the regular-season and training camp schedules that were announced at the end of July, the vote was, in fact, wholly necessary at the time it took place.

But did the conference box itself in with the calendar?

Would the outlook be any different now, today, at this moment, if the teams were still three weeks from starting training camp?

We can’t rule that out.

If you’re going to second guess the decision, that’s not an unfair place to start. — Jon Wilner.

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August 24th

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Nebraska at it again – parents threaten to sue

From The Sporting News … A group of Nebraska football parents wants the Big Ten to provide it with all documentation related to any votes that were taken to postpone or cancel the conference’s 2020 college football season and all fall sports, or else face a lawsuit to force their release.

The parents, through attorney Mike Flood, sent the conference a letter Thursday demanding transparency. Their focus is on the Big Ten’s voting procedures and any medical information it received prior to voting.

The conference has until Monday to provide the materials, Flood wrote. If it fails to meet that deadline, then the group will ask a federal judge in Nebraska to order their release. The parents will also ask for unspecified “immediate relief” from the judge.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren announced Aug. 11 that sports would not played in the fall semester. Warren did not announce a vote count. He cited athletes’ health as the reason for the cancellation.

“As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall,” Warren said in a statement.

Warren wrote in an open letter Wednesday that “(t)he vote by the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) was overwhelmingly in support of postponing fall sports and will not be revisited.”

Reports this week, including by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said that the Big Ten could begin playing football in early January.

… Continue reading story here …

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North Dakota State to play one fall game (to showcase first round quarterback)

Note … FCS powerhouse North Dakota State was scheduled to play Oregon on September 5th, and is slated to play CU in Boulder in 2024 … 

From ESPN … North Dakota State, the three-time defending FCS national champion, will face Central Arkansas in a non-league game Oct. 3 after having its fall season postponed earlier this month.

The Bison will host Central Arkansas, one of five Southland Conference teams playing a partial or full fall schedule. Central Arkansas is set to face three FBS opponents — Arkansas State, UAB and Louisiana — and play home-and-home series against Eastern Kentucky and Missouri State.

North Dakota State, led by star quarterback Trey Lance, has won 37 consecutive games and eight of the past nine FCS national titles. Lance will be among the top quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL draft, so the game represents a chance for him to showcase his talents to scouts.

SPN’s Todd McShay has Lance at No. 14 overall in his mock draft, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Lance No. 15 among his prospects for the 2021 draft. Kiper ranks him No. 3 among quarterback prospects, only behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.

North Dakota State is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, which, like most FCS leagues, postponed its fall season because of the coronavirus pandemic. The league allowed members to play one non-league game this fall, at their own discretion. The Bison will resume practice Sept. 1 in preparation for the Central Arkansas contest, part of a three-game agreement between the schools that also includes meetings in 2023 and 2025.

“Due to the challenge completing a full non-conference schedule, we took a pause to consider all our options for this fall, knowing full well it could mean not having the opportunity to play,” North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen said in a prepared statement. “Upon further consideration, coupled with recent information provided by the NCAA, we felt it was in the best interest of our football program to practice and play one game this fall.”

… Read full story here …

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AP Preseason poll released – Three Pac-12 teams included

From CBS Sports … The preseason AP Top 25 poll was released on Monday, and it has taken on a different look in what will be one of the strangest college football seasons in recent memory. Even though the Big Ten, Pac-12, Mountain West and MAC have chosen to postpone their fall seasons, the Associated Press decided to let voters include teams from those conferences in their initial polls. With that in mind, there wasn’t much of a surprise at the top.

Clemson, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Trevor Lawrence, chimed in as the preseason No. 1 team in America for the second straight season. The Tigers are followed by the first team from the Big Ten to be included — the Ohio State Buckeyes. Even though they won’t play this fall, Justin Fields and Co. were widely regarded as one of the top teams in the country prior to the shutdown.

Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma round out the top five, with defending national champion LSU coming in at No. 6.

Cincinnati is the highest-ranked Group of Five team at No. 20, with No. 21 UCF being the only other Group of Five team included in the poll.

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August 23rd

… Foe Pause … 

CBS: For playing conferences, “Student-athlete No. 1” being replaced by “Football No. 1”

From CBS Sports … Think about one of the biggest criticisms of big-time college athletics before the COVID-19 pandemic: Players are isolated from the student body, tucked away in the athletic facility spending more time on their sport than their major. Critics even used the word “bubble” to describe the world in which they lived.

Now for your weekly measure of coronavirus surrealism: A bubble might be the only thing that saves college football.

Not through any strategic planning, mind you. It might be all that’s left to try given the circumstances.

This week, three teams playing in the ACC this year (Notre Dame, North Carolina, NC State) either sent students home or paused in-person classes because of COVID-19 outbreaks.

That’s just a sample. UCLA has “drastically” reduced on-campus housing due to the virus. The Chronicle of Higher Education counted 86 students suspended at five schools for improper gatherings. Then there’s the 300 faculty members at Georgia that have called in-person classes “unwise.”

None of this impacts football directly. Rather, it is creating increasingly bad optics.

What kind of message are these schools sending? If students aren’t safe on campus, how can football plow on? It is the most intimate (100-plus players), physically demanding sport in collegiate athletics.

“You can’t put them in a bubble, because they’re students and they have to go to class,” former Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman told the Wall Street Journal.

A true bubble isn’t feasible for college football, particularly because teams will be traveling to play one another. There would always be open loops. Professional athletes can negotiate their working and testing conditions. On some level, college players still need the freedom to be students — socialize, see their families and friends … go to class.

Otherwise, they would be human shields — athletic mercenaries thrown out there to achieve an economic goal. That may be happening anyway. It depends how you look at it.

… As long as everyone can look themselves in the mirror, that’s fine. The feeling here is that won’t be possible. At least not for everyone. In fact, there’s already a lot of rationalization going on.

The cry of no students, no football has been lost to the fear that no football means no money.

Increasingly, the mantra of April (The student-athlete is No. 1) is being replaced by the demands of August: Football is No. 1.

… Continue reading story here …

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Options for Pac-12 spring include pods (round-robin with Utah/Arizona schools)

From BearInsider.com … Having canceled its fall football season, the Pac-12 will do everything it can to play the sport in the spring. It only makes sense. That’s sense as in dollars and..

The loss of the fall season will cost every school $50 million, give or take. A spring season won’t make up for all of that, but it could provide up to half. That makes for a pretty good motivation to get it done.

“We wouldn’t have said we were postponing if we didn’t think we could play in the spring,” said Colorado athletic director Rick George, the conference’s representative on the CFP selection committee.

Obstacles are not in short supply. First is the format/schedule. How many games? Over how long a span?

Jon Wilner, the well-respected writer for the San Jose Mercury News, proposed a nine-game season running from Feb. 20 through April 17, with a conference championship the following weekend.

Players could compete in only seven games to limit wear and tear. Even with a short bowl season, the whole shebang would be done by early May, leaving more than three months until the start of fall camp.

That’s one possibility.

The conference is apparently also considering a much shorter season with the conference divided into pods. Teams could sequester in certain areas (Bay Area, Los Angeles) and then play a round-robin, say five games, without leaving their home base. Then a conference title game, with maybe the Pac-12 champ facing its Big Ten counterpart in a bowl (dare we call it Rose?).

That is a lot of time off-campus, but so what. Most of the instruction this fall will be done online anyway.

Other ideas include a much-extended spring practice, which finishes up with a three or four-game schedule. This way the coaches get to work with the players over a longer period, and the risk of injury or exposure to the virus is lessened.

If the ACC, SEC and Big 12 go ahead with their fall schedules, a lot of the luster is taken off the Pac-12 and Big 10 spring seasons, The college football landscape would be as messy as it ever has been, with the NCAA powerless to correct it.

… Continue reading story here …

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This post, about the Colorado State game, from the 2020 Season, is filed under Article.
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