by: Ian Curtis, staff reporter
2020: It’s as if the world looked at 2016 and decided it needed to make things a little bit more interesting this time around. Or if you prefer to put it a bit more eloquently, this is a year in which decades happen. You can describe it however you see fit, the point is that things have been absolutely bonkers since January.
But the mayhem is not limited to politics, the economy, or other serious topics. Even the great American institution that is college football has been rocked by the forces of chaos. Is truly nothing sacred?
Now, I’m not here to debate whether or not football should be played. I am completely unqualified to do such a thing. Nor can I give you dates and starting times for all of your favorite team’s games. First of all, the answer has probably changed more than once since I began writing this piece, and they would be out of date again by the time you read this. Second of all, Google exists, and I am no match for its awesome power. But there is something I can do; I can tell you who is holding, who is folding, who is walking away, and who is running. And if you’re not familiar with the work of a certain Kenny Rogers, what I mean is I can tell you who is playing and who is not, and why it’s so hard for everyone to sit down and make a unified choice.
The short answer as to why it is so difficult to have a collective decision is that college football is structured differently from most other sports. While the NCAA is still the governing body of most of what we think of as “college football,” true power is vested in the conferences in a system that is much more decentralized than most sports leagues. Each conference is making an independent decision about whether to play or not this year, for better or for worse. And within each conference, that choice is often being left to school officials rather than coaches and athletic directors. The good news is that schools will come to a decision based on their unique circumstances, taking into account variables such as geographic location and access to adequate facilities. But the bad news is that the lack of a unified response has given the question of “will they play?” more will they/won’t they tension than Ross and Rachel could ever dream of.
The first of the Power Five conferences to fold their hand was the Pac-12, followed swiftly by the Big Ten. Neither group has put out a definitive statement on what they plan to do, other than not play games as scheduled. Both conferences are hoping to play a likely shortened season in either the winter or spring. If that does come to fruition, expect to see many top players sitting out in order to better prepare for the NFL Draft. Interestingly, rumors have begun to surface of a “second Rose Bowl” being played between the respective champions of the Big Ten and PAC-12. If that hypothetical game is played, we could perhaps see the first split national title in the College Football Playoff era, and only the third in over forty years (unless you count UCF’s 2017 claim, which is a column for another day).
In true Southern fashion, the ACC and SEC are rolling on this fall. They will be joined by the Big 12. Both the Big 12 and ACC are playing 11-game schedules, ten of those being within the conference, while schools are given the freedom to schedule one non-conference game. Interestingly, it’s the SEC who have revealed the most conservative schedule this fall. They will be playing a ten game, conference-only schedule that begins on September 26, the latest date by far of any conference that is still planning on playing. The aforementioned two still-playing conferences will begin on the 7th and 11th of the same month, respectively.
But wait, there’s more! The often-forgotten Group of Five still exists, as well as a few independent teams that do not call a conference home. So what are they up to?
Among the independents, the decisions have been mixed. On one side, Notre Dame is temporarily joining the ACC this year in order to secure a schedule, but they will in all likelihood leave as soon as things return to normal. The Army Black Knights are set to play a full 12-game schedule, and will play against both of their service academy rivals to obtain the Commander-in Chief’s trophy once again. Liberty University also plans to play a slate of games this fall, although it might be best for them to take a page out of their (now former) president’s book and sit back, relax, and let someone else do the work for a change. For BYU, their independent status is finally paying off, as they’ll be the only school west of Texas playing a full college football schedule this fall—at any level. But while those squads fight it out over these Autumn months, UMass, UConn, and New Mexico State will be preparing to return at a later date, be it as early as this spring or as late as a year from now.
Now, at long last, let’s take a look at Group of Five conferences. The Sun Belt, C-USA, and American Athletic Conference are all planning to play, while the Mountain West and MAC have both cancelled and/or delayed their seasons. Interestingly, here we see the only split decision this year, where some schools go against the rest of their conference. Old Dominion will not be following the rest of the C-USA and has cancelled their fall season. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Air Force, unlike the rest of the Mountain West, will be playing football this fall. However, the Falcons will only be playing against their rivals Army and Navy and not a single game more.
Air Force’s decision does make sense if you think about it. Most college outbreaks have been caused by Greek life events and other ill-advised gatherings. I dare you to walk into West Point and attempt to find a frat party. If you’re naïve enough to try, you will be sorely disappointed. It’s the military. They can actually control their student body. As a result, the service academies will likely all be solid teams this year since they will (in theory) have to deal with less COVID-related difficulties.
And there you have it, a picture of what to expect from the FBS this football season. Whatever happens, you can be sure this year will be one for the history books!
