If football were not a major revenue sport, the season would be cancelled in a heartbeat. TV revenue is one of the bigger sources of income for schools, so games could be played in empty stadiums and schools would still get a big payday. My bet is that ADs are quietly looking at ways to minimize crowds while still publicly holding out hope for full stadiums in order to keep from angering season ticket holders and the rest of the fans who want to tailgate or attend games.

I'd bet LSU will be better than a lot are predicting.

BlackandGold, please consider this: State governors have access to the best experts out there, and in an election year they are doing things that make them less popular. They want to be re-elected, but they are still calling for things like mask-wearing and shutdowns. They are not making these decisions in ignorance. You could also check what the Vanderbilt U med school is saying. Yes, young people generally are not at much risk, but it doesn’t mean this isn’t a serious thing for our society as a whole.

It might make for an interesting experiment. We don’t know enough about this bug yet to know whether you’re one and done with it. Of course getting it past the IRB would be impossible.

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a d@mn.

Let’s look at it on a points allowed per game basis, using sports reference .com. In 2019, Auburn finished behind Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Kentucky and Mizzou. In 2018, Auburn finished behind Mississippi State, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia. All other teams are listed based on where the were ranked each year. Based on those numbers, I wouldn’t put Steele at the top of the list.

* lumping everyone ...

Cojones, just like every conservative is not a racist, every liberal is not antifa/Brees shaming. I love free speech, and I will support letting everyone have their say. As far as changing things, I draw the line at symbols of government. An official state flag needs to be for all. Likewise, if people want to see a government-funded monument gone, it's a fair point to discuss. You talk of inclusiveness, but one thing everyone on the liberal side of the fence and with socialism and antifa is a bit of a trollish take.

Cojones: People are free to believe whatever they want. Inclusive and respectful means taking into account the opinions of people whose ancestors suffered under the Confederacy and under Jim Crow, lynchings, etc. Inclusive and respectful means listening to them when they talk about how hurtful the flag is to them. It means including them, and not forcing them to live with that flag as one of their state symbols. When you cheer for the Florida Gators, you are cheering for ambassadors of a university. You are cheering for an institution that is calling for change. Remember that every time you watch the Gators play. Run your statement above by UF professors of history, anthropology, sociology, political science, or geography. The vast majority of them will back me up. Also, here's the part of the UF mission statement dealing with the issue: Commitment to Diversity The University of Florida is committed to creating a community that reflects the rich racial, cultural and ethnic diversity of the state and nation. No challenge that exists in higher education has greater importance than the challenge of enrolling students and hiring faculty and staff who are members of diverse racial, cultural or ethnic minority groups. This pluralism enriches the university community, offers opportunity for robust academic dialogue and contributes to better teaching and research. The university and its components benefit from the richness of a multicultural student body, faculty and staff who can learn from one another. Such diversity will empower and inspire respect and understanding among us. The university does not tolerate the actions of anyone who violates the rights of another. The university will strive to embody, through policy and practice, a diverse community. Our collective efforts will lead to a university that is truly diverse and reflects the state and nation.

Here ya go, Hogvillain: Mission: The University of Arkansas is determined to build a better world by providing transformational opportunities and skills, promoting an inclusive and diverse culture, nurturing creativity, and solving problems through research and discovery, all in service to Arkansas. If you don't like inclusive and diverse culture, which is the kind of culture that drives efforts to change flags, etc., you have no business cheering on a team that represents the university.

Those who don't like the effort to change the flag should go read the mission statement of their favorite University. This goes for fans of any team, not just Mississippi teams. These institutions promote the sort of inclusive respectful thinking that leads people to want to change things. It's pretty ridiculous to cheer on the team but despise everything in the University stands for. It's like saying man, I love those Papa John's commercials with Peyton Manning but I can't stand Pizza.

Unless their AD has their back, which may be the case here.

It’s not fear, it’s common sense — something you clearly lack. It’s a good thing that most of the people who actually make important decisions have more of a clue than you.

I'm paying all my own bills, and I never said I was a liberal. Both Republican and Democrat governors have put quarantines in place, and both Republican and Democrats in Congress voted for the economic bailouts that Trump signed into law. This isn't about being conservative or liberal, it's about recognizing the seriousness of what's going on. People with actual responsibilities, conservatives included, made the kind of decisions that only get made when there's a real threat. If you can't see that, you're an absolute moron.

Clueless? Look in the mirror. A down economy isn't good for all those lining the politicians' pockets. Sold-out politicians wouldn't be driving the economy down because they were paid off to do so.

And the GOP, which prefers less government spending, supported quarantines with billions in relief packages, for no good reason? Because COVID was a trivial little thing? If you seriously believe this thing isn’t serious you’re dumb as a brick.

Anyone who wants to pretend that everything is normal needs to be required to pay any health care costs they face from COVID out of pocket, and if it gets to the point that hospital space is limited, they need to be the first ones kicked out. I mean, do you really think all these state governors put quarantines in place that crippled their economies — during an election year — for no good reason? Are you really that stupid? Think about it — governors like keeping their jobs, and an economic downturn is one of the worst things an incumbent can face in an election year. Governors have access to the best experts out there, and you think they just did all this for no reason? Get a clue already!

It isn't going to be 3. Option 2 could work in outdoor venues even with cases on the rise. The big question for me is tailgating. Plenty of people come tailgate even if they don't have tickets, and communities would take an economic hit if it's curtailed. But enforcing social distancing among people milling about the tailgating area is impossible, and universities are going to feel responsible for what happens on their campuses. That makes me think they might limit tailgating opportunities as well.

So an athlete gets it, is asymptomatic, takes it home, and a grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle or parent dies. Contact tracing after the elder relative gets sick traces it back to the athlete, who now has to deal with the fact that he caused his loved one’s death. The universities also have to face the prospect of lawsuits from bereaved families. Even if the universities prevail and avoid a financial hit from lawsuits, the PR will be a nightmare. For these reasons, the universities will be careful about procedures. These kids don’t live in a vacuum. Just because they’re not dropping dead in large numbers doesn’t mean you can just ignore the consequences of disease spread via athletics.

I lived in Houston County, Ga. I know nothing of Jake Fromm personally, but I saw the depth of racism in the wider community there. Jake needs to go beyond an apology by speaking publicly about the reality that exists in his hometown and the need for change there. That community is by no means unique, but Jake needs to be part of the effort to improve it.

If teams find out who is positive now and quarantine appropriately, they could get things under control before the season starts. The big challenge will be to keep players from getting re-exposed, whether in classes or in social situations. It’d be wise for players to take online-only classes in the fall whenever possible. The most effective solution would be for the NCAA (or conferences) to allow for an “injured reserve” classification of quarantined players. Then, mandatory testing of active players could be carried out every week and any team with a positive case on the active squad would to be required to forfeit their game. Hopefully, no player would want to be the one to cost teammates the chance to compete, so they would be careful about exposure. Of course, there might not be enough tests to allow for weekly testing of a bunch of entertainers. Other priorities might rightly take precedence.

We have 5 QBs and a new OC. We’re nothing but question marks right now. And here’s a scenario to consider: UGA beats Bama and Florida beats LSU. Both are undefeated going into the cocktail party, but COVID comes roaring back during the fall and the season is cancelled in the week leading up to the 10/31 games. We’re both left with undefeated partial seasons, and UGA fans can say “we beat big bad Bama” while Fla fans can say “we beat the defending national champs.”

I didn’t get that from the article.

Hopefully, the switch from Coley to Monken will move UGA in the direction of that “party.”

And what I mean by that is, much of the coverage and commenting so far talks about Kirby and Kirby’s system. Granted, he’s head coach, but he’s more closely tied to the defense. I would really like to know how much of a free hand Monken will have to run the offense the way he wants. On the one hand, all the moves with QB seem to be aimed at maximizing potential, and giving the OC freedom also could help maximize that potential. On the other hand, I could see Kirby taking a “my team, my overall philosophy” approach. I think one of the keys to our offensive success will be finding the right offensive identity. Hopefully, the right chemistry emerges to let that happen.

I wonder how much input Monken had in this decision.

If the 2020 season doesn’t happen, it’ll make for a crazy 2021 QB competition at UGA. I wonder how it would work — whether a player who would have had to sit a year would be allowed to play after “sitting out” a non-season. If not, it’d be a hell of a long wait.

I’m fine with the pig taking top spot, as long as I get to choose the style of bbq sauce that comes on my portion.

Things are trending positively right now? North Carolina just saw its biggest 1-day jump in cases a couple of days ago, and we’re opening the state up even more. If there is any slowdown in new cases during the hot summer months, it’ll probably end by mid-September.

I hope you’re right; I’m just not very optimistic.