Yes, but with a highly truncated season. The operative word is A SEASON. Whoops, two words. Seven games are better than a goose egg, don’t you agree.
No fans (thank goodness) will be allowed at any games on Pac-12 campuses, but conference officials will revisit the decision in January. PLEASE DON’T GET WEIRD)
What are the biggest remaining hurdles?
The coronavirus pandemic is about to collide with the flu season. While every school and conference that is attempting to play this fall has gone to great lengths to establish its testing and contact-tracing protocols, the first few weeks of the season have already proved that disruptions are inevitable and will continue.
The Pac-12 has had unique challenges because of its state and local restrictions, especially in California and Oregon, which Schill said pushed the league to a later time frame. “Once those barriers came down,” he said, the Pac-12 CEOs could seriously consider competition.
“We’ve received comfort and clarifications that are very, very helpful, in terms of the confidence to move forward,” Scott said, “but there’s still some exact details to work out on a school-by-school basis, which will be done locally.”
How will the regular-season schedule be structured?
All 12 teams will play seven games, with six coming before the Pac-12 title game on Dec. 18. Everyone will play the five teams in their division, plus a crossover divisional game, and all six will count toward the standings. Scott said there was discussion about not including the crossover game toward the standings — as a way to preserve some competitive equity — but ultimately they decided it was important for every game to matter. Once the title game is set, the remaining 10 teams will play an additional game against a team from the opposite division the same weekend.
What does this schedule mean for the College Football Playoff?
Don’t rule out the Pac-12, even with a seven-game schedule that starts on Nov. 6. The CFP management committee, which is comprised of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, has not set any cutoff dates for starting a season, or determined a minimum number of games that have to be played to qualify for a semifinal. That doesn’t mean the committee won’t — but it doesn’t have to right now.
Since the commissioners determine the playoff protocol — and they also are working in the best interests of their respective conferences — it would make sense to wait longer to see how many disruptions there are through at least mid-November before setting definitive benchmarks.
If Oregon were to finish the season 7-0, and another CFP contender saw its season disrupted because of the virus, the Ducks could be considered for a top-four spot. What if Alabama plays only seven games and loses one to finish 6-1?
“Our schools, knowing we’re going to be able to play a meaningful number of games, high-level games, with our championship concluding before that final CFP meeting, we absolutely have the opportunity to have a team in the mix for the playoff,” Scott said, “and I know our teams and our student-athletes are coming back, eager to compete for that.”
So that’s the skinny. I’ve pretty much given up on college football this season and it made me uneasy watching crowds in the stands out east making for possible super spreader activity and feared for the kids playing with all the college covid news without instant testing available. I think we did the right thing. Fans should NEVER dictate player safety situations.
Just my opinion.
