Making sense of a wild, weird 24 hours in the college football world
At about 2 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon, I saw that all hell had broken loose in college football.
Never mind the fact that it put a damper on the end of a lovely Saturday with my wife at Bok Tower Gardens (a hidden gem for all you Floridians). Reports of a couple of Power 5 officials predicting a COVID-fueled end of fall sports by week’s end quickly put a damper on a weekend that started with something that feels like a right of passage in the SEC — arguing about the schedule.
It felt like a standoff. We had reporters quoting anonymous athletic directors predicting the end of college football in 2020, we had college football personalities pointing their fingers at media members for getting us to this point and we had media members pointing the finger back at those people, as well as the college football administrators.
Weapons were drawn by midday Saturday. How did we get here, many want to know. And what does Saturday’s standoff say about college football in 2020?
Like you, my initial reaction to this was that of confusion:
Source: Big Ten presidents are meeting today. All options are on the table. There’s some presidential momentum for canceling the fall football season. It’s unknown if there’s enough support to make that decision today.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 8, 2020
Remember, this was just 3 days from the conference putting out a TV special announcing a schedule so that it could have a better chance at uninterrupted fall football. What possibly changed during those 3 days?
It couldn’t have simply been the MAC shutting down fall sports. That’s why the Big Ten and other Power 5 conferences eliminated their Group of 5/FCS matchups. Whether the MAC shut down entirely for safety or financial reasons of not having the funds to adequately test, especially without those 7-figure game checks from Power 5 teams, I don’t know.
What I do know is that it felt like a 180 from Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to go from a televised schedule unveiling to reportedly be in favor of a spring season in such a short time.
Did he get expert medical advice on Friday that shifted his philosophy? Keep in mind that the schedule came out after Rutgers reportedly had an outbreak that nearly doubled from 15 to 28 positive tests. The schedule came out after a Facebook post from the mom of Indiana football player Brady Feeney went viral because of the specifics it outlined about her son’s current struggle with the virus.
Or is it possible that this was the result of the Big Ten players releasing a Players’ Tribune statement that announced their list of safety demands to have a season during a pandemic? The schedule came out before that hit the masses. Unlike the Pac-12 players, the Big Ten statement never threatened to have players to sit out the 2020 season. Speaking of the Pac-12, commissioner Larry Scott reportedly called the #WeAreUnited movement “a PR stunt.”
It seems entirely possible that Power 5 commissioners are trying to call their bluff a bit instead of spending even more money on testing and protocols to grant all of the player safety requests. Otherwise, how does it leak that Warren suddenly prefers a spring season? I believe that information only sees the light of day if he wants it to. The same could be said for the report from CBS Sports on Saturday night that 2 Power 5 athletic directors said it’s “inevitable” that football will not be played this fall:
News from CBS Sports: 2 Power Five ADs: ‘Inevitable’ 2020 college football season will not be played this fall https://t.co/3XKwARGm6k
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) August 9, 2020
Hence, it would appear there’s a standoff between Power 5 administrators and Power 5 players.
What does that mean? Are we really going to see fall sports canceled by the end of the week? I’ll say this. Two of the 65 Power 5 athletic directors saying something is “inevitable” does not in fact mean with certainty that something is inevitable.
Again, why are Power 5 athletic directors speaking on the record anonymously unless they want that sentiment made public? I’m not discrediting the reporting from Dennis Dodd. That’s news-worthy information that there’s that sort of perception at all entering the second week of August. What doesn’t seem smart is to assume that 3% of Power 5 athletic directors speak for the other 97%.
That brings me to the other layer of Saturday’s standoff. That is, the standoff that resulted from this tweet:
Know a lot of college football writers have been accused of rooting against the season. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case but some absolutely want to be able to say “I told you so” because they’ve been peddling only the absolute worst headlines
Sadly might cost the season— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) August 8, 2020
Want an unpopular take for this website? I actually like Danny Kanell and legitimately respect his work. We’ve had him on the podcast and I enjoy a lot of our interactions, even if they often come from a place of disagreement.
But there are a couple big issues with that tweet that I had based on my personal experiences.
This is looking for a scapegoat. If we don’t have a season, it won’t be because of “some media members peddling the absolute worst headlines.” That’s is generalizing. That’s connecting dots and assigning blame for the sake of assigning blame.
Let’s understand a couple things here. The vast majority of college football writers I know, work with and follow all want college football. Our livelihoods depend on it, and to think that we’d sink our own ship deliberately “for the sake of a few clicks” is a lazy narrative that doesn’t make sense. If anything, we have all the motivation to cover up COVID-related headlines and press on like all is normal with the sport. Unfortunately, it’s not.
Plenty of college football programs literally email media members their latest COVID testing numbers. If we all collectively didn’t report information that a team had 20 positive cases out of 115 tests for the sake of us trying to ensure we have a season, that would be pushing a personal agenda.
Here’s the problem and why takes like Kanell’s gain momentum. Are there some writers who seemingly only report on COVID stories? Absolutely, though I do think very few teams offering player availability and the shutdown of most football activities the past 5 months certainly contributed to that shifted focus. Do many of those same writers seem to have a general snarky way about them that makes us question if they do in fact enjoy sports? I’d argue yes. I won’t name names. You know who they are.
But both of those things being true doesn’t add up to them wanting to “say I told you so.” And if there is a personal agenda going on with the stories they choose to write, the idea that athletic directors and presidents are letting that influence their decision-making is far-fetched. Reporting on bad news isn’t actively rooting for it. It’s acknowledging it, just like the Power 5 commissioners meeting daily throughout this offseason to figure out how best to navigate uncharted waters.
For example, when Vanderbilt kicker Oren Milstein opted out for the college football season last Monday, he became the first SEC player to do that. Even though that’s 1 player in a conference of thousands, that’s significant. It’s my job to recognize, hey, maybe instead of breaking down LSU’s defensive line shift today, I should call up a player who just made an unprecedented decision and find out what led to it. That’s topical. In the same way it would be my job to find out more about Josh Dobbs, the SEC quarterback who moonlights as a rocket scientist, it’s my job to learn about the concerns that led to the SEC’s first ever COVID opt-out.
Reporting on that does not mean “I’m only peddling the absolute worst headlines” or that publishing his perspective will “sadly cost us the season.”
If anything is going to cost us the season, it’s a global pandemic that changed life as we know it. It’s not your fault, it’s not my fault, it’s not Kanell’s fault, it’s not the players’ fault and dare I say, it’s not even the administrators’ faults.
Are there things that all of us could have done better during this process? Yeah, myself included. I’ll admit that I’ve spent too much time on Twitter, and that I let too many replies get in my head. I’ve generalized and gotten defensive when I should have taken a deep breath and actively tried to think more clearly.
As we enter this question-filled week, let me just say this. There’s nothing that would bring a bigger smile to my face than to tell you with confidence “COVID-19 is under control and we’re going to have a college football season.” But as decision-makers continue to express trepidation about a fall season, I can’t do that in good faith. After Saturday’s standoff, I honestly don’t know what to expect anymore. Whatever news we get, it doesn’t make sense for anyone to say “I told you so.”
It’s OK to be frustrated. It’s OK to be bummed out. It’s OK to simply keep your fingers crossed that we still get fall Saturdays with college football, even if they look different than they ever have in our lifetimes.
I opened Twitter early Saturday afternoon and found myself going through all of those emotions. I’ll be honest. Like many times throughout these confusing 5 months, it put me in a funk for the rest of the day. The morning after that wild Saturday, I have one conclusion.
College football is in an unfortunate standoff, and everyone is in need of a deep breath now more than ever.
Besides being a novel I stopped reading when he said he respected Danny Kanell.
Me too…Kanell is the most anti-SEC guy ever.
Connor forgot the political angle.
Definitely must have felt like Danny was firing shots at him to write this…whatever it is. (Bye might be first time I’ve ever agreed with Kannel
More often than not, I usually do not like your articles Connor. That being said, this was a great piece aside from your grammatical error “That’s is generalizing”. LOL
As a Gator booster and season ticket holder since I graduated UF, nothing would make me happier than being able to watch football in the fall. Unfortunately, I just don’t see it happening as this country has mismanaged the pandemic and just could not do what was necessary to make it an unquestionable reality.
Agreed.
How in world of dumb-ness did the Power-five conference administrators think, that the MAC wasn’t going to suffer season ending financial flu when 90% of their money was taken away, and nearly 100% of their TV exposure.
Honor the contracts. Test. Keep the positive test player isolated. Same as you would with ANY bad cold or flu in any other year and nobody would even talk about it, not a story even.
How in the world of dumb-ness do you figure it is the responsibility of any power 5 administrator to be concerned about the MAC’s financial situation? It seems like you only know how to make dumb comments.
Ever sign a contract with someone or otherwise make a promise?
Financially the MAC could not survive without the Out of Conference games against the Big 10, Big 12, and SEC. The home games and the MAC conference games basically break even. It was a money decision as much as a health decision. With the TV money the large conferences have, they have more freedom. I would love to see the kids play. I know Covid is bad, but for a lot of these kids, college football is a lifeline for them.
Nice to see you ignore Trevor Lawrence and all the player tweets that they want to play.
A school bus not crashing into a power pole doesn’t make news. So, when somebody opts out, that is news, while somebody not opting out is not news. Unfortunately, that’s how it’s always been.
I believe that making lemonade out of lemons is usually the best approach to any troubles. A Spring football season might be the most fun and entertaining college football season in many years.
Why would spring football be that entertaining? If that comes to fruition, we will have way more players opting out to get ready for the draft than are opting out due to the virus. That would also make for two college football seasons in one calendar year. That can’t be good for the players bodies. I see spring football as a bad idea.
If the college football season gets moved or cancelled, there will be many people in this site saying, I told you so. The vast majority of schools and players want to play. There isn’t much of a standoff there. Schools have to be concerned about safety and lawsuits. As a society, we have done terrible with the virus. If the season is cancelled, it’s on society.
Who gives a crap if the Big 10-14 cancels their season. It has no affect on the SEC’s ability to play their season out. Let the conferences that want to play proceed. It is nothing but political postering by those schools presidents and some of the AD’s in the Big10-14 to make themselves look like they care about what is “most important”.
Play ball and let the chips fall where they may….if the virus becomes overwhelming wide spread amongst the teams that are playing, then you can cancel the season and say “oh well, we tried.”
That’s a nice thought, but the SEC doesn’t have the leadership to go against the grain. Sankey is clearly a follower.
not a leadership bone in his body
Is anyone is really shocked that college football may not happen this fall? Look at MLB, they are having all sorts of problems keeping a season going. It sucks and I want to have a season too, but I have felt it was a long shot for a while in the time of covid. Had a much higher percentage of the population followed CDC guidelines, conditions might have proven more favorable. Meanwhile, in my part of the world it is still a challenge to get half the people to follow the guidelines to slow this train down and those same people keep screaming they won’t take the vaccine if one gets approved and released. It is as if they want to wallow in this virus. Lol
Same here in FL.
Nothing new, same public response to every cold and flu season advice since history recorded. Just another reason why teachers, coaches, and trainers exist. If young people already knew everything they wouldn’t need to go to college and they could just skip from high school football to the NFL. College degrees would be worthless. This year is no different. Put on your big boy pants and teach, coach, train, or play.
This makes no sense to me. My family and I have taken this coronavirus thing very seriously, from wearing masks to quarantining, so it’s not like I don’t think it’s serious. But if you’re going to have students on campus, then why does football put these kids at greater risk? From classes to parties to dorms, college campuses are ideal places for this virus spread, so if it’s safe enough for kids to be in classrooms and dorms, what difference does it make if they play football? The virus is going to spread like wildfire when colleges open, whether or not there is football, and many of these kids will get sick bc of the close quarters in college. If anything, the fact they are outside and exercising is probably safer. I just don’t get it. Give the kids the option to forgo the season, but my guess is that 90%+ of these kids want to play. Let them.
It’s the liability. If you play, then the institution is accepting responsibility to provide a safe environment. If anyone, staff or players, dies at has a server illness, then they have to assume they will be sued. This is all risk management. I keep reading knuckleheads on here claiming politics, but that’s absurd. NO ONE wants to cancel the season, especially any of the stakeholders that work/play in the system, but the college presidents and ADs have to recognize and weigh the risks of playing/not playing and anyone who has ever owned or managed a business knows how difficult that kind of challenge can be. We are in the middle of a black swan event and some people are complaining we don’t just step in the gas and pray. Glad they’re not leaders anywhere except their own minds.
Agreed, but if there’s kids on college campuses, then kids are going to get sick. God willing, we’ll have a vaccine soon and be playing by late January at least (& maybe with fans in the stands)
It’s not liability, because it is unreasonable to expect any institution to make their property safe from the thousands of viruses in circulation today. Those who leave their own homes take a risk they will be in contact with viruses EVERYWHERE.
We just need to schedule the season to start on November 7. After November 3, provided the dems get who they want in office, there won’t be a peep about COVID-19.
Ignorant comment of the day.
Really? I have two data points that say otherwise.
You remember the 2009 swine flu? Of course you don’t. It would have made Obama (D) look bad, so the MSM simply did not report on it.
When NY had the highest COVID-19 death rate in the country because of Cuomo (D) forcing the infected to go back into nursing homes, again, not a peep from the MSM.
so true!
I would rather have COVID than agree with a UT fan, BUT IbleedOrange is right. As a Dr.- this stuff is WAY over blown. Just the facts. H1N1 was FAR worse. Just play football if you feel safe; stay home if you dont. No problems as everyone just does what they think is best.
That will cure some of our ills, but not COVID unfortunately.
Then the vaccine will get released, they’ll say, we did something that Trump couldn’t do…. we stopped the protests and covid..we demorats are the best.
If we’ve really paid attention to anything over the last several months the #1 takeaway is how fluid decisions are, and have been. Just because a schedule comes doesn’t mean ‘and it’s Final!’ on football being played. Schedule releases are not a set in stone kind of thing for full steam ahead, full steam ahead is still as fluid, if not more-so, than it’s ever been. Assuming playing college football was set in stone and no longer fluid was a bad assumption on your part Connor.
Exactly right. The data coming in is chaotic and difficult to interpret. Then add competing political and public health agendas and it’s easy to understand that nothing is set in stone. I don’t even those having to make these decisions. At least a third of the population will be angry at every decision you make.
What “PANDEMIC”? You must mean the PLANDEMIC that is causing the usual hysterical people to act – well, hysterically! Sure some people have died WITH the virus, but VERY FEW have died BECAUSE of the virus – read something other than the Slimes or WaPo! When’s the last time you saw the CDC publish the deaths from THE REGULAR FLU?? I guess the Kung Fu Flu must have eaten it this year! As far as a kicker who transferred to Vandy “opts out” being SIGNIFICANT? WHY is that? What will the “opt outs” do – isolate themselves in a closet or something? I call BS on all this crap and have from day one! Did you know that deaths from MEDICAL MISTAKES are usually around 250 THOUSAND PER YEAR in the USA?? I’ll take my chances with the Kung Fu Flu!!
I’ve had it. Yesterday was my first day without fever since July 13. You do not want this virus, trust me.
He claims to have had it also. Do you know how you got it? Were you wearing a mask and practicing social distancing?
But her emails! Get lost dumb a$$.
The CDC reports flu deaths every year. Try Google, genius. The most flu related deaths in one year in the last ten years was 61,000 (out of an estimated 45,000,000 cases).
I swear, mainstream Media, they report the worst and never anything good, why? Because bad reports garner more attention. Covid-19, has a survivability of 99.96%. Its OK to Protest where the majority are screaming but can’t go to church. And watch, before its said and done with, they will say 25% capacity at games are too much. The Demodeamons (Democrat’s) are ruining out country.
You do realize Republicans control the Executive, Judicial and half of the Legislative branch, right?
Has anybody explained yet why a player getting tested 2 or 3 a week, spending most of his time with other tested players is at more risk than the average, party-going student who is never tested and hangs around with untested friends? Why do we want the players to be more like the other guy? How is that safer?
Well the real question should be whether it is ethical to test football players multiple times a week when the rest of the population has to have provably been exposed to a carrier or have symptoms to get a test and then wait sometimes as long as 10 days for a result, like my brother did. And for the idiotic comparison to the swine flu I saw earlier, around 18,000 Americans died of swine flu, we are at 160,000+ dead and climbing rapidly now. It sucks that we lost 18,000 to swine flu, but a first grader can look at those numbers and see where the horrific failure has been.
Ozark, I know you mean well, not trying to attack, but has a traveling Dr. in the the developing world as well as work here in the states- your comment just isn’t entirely accurate. What is different is the political weaponization of the virus, the data surrounding it, etc. The survival rate is well over 99.9% and there are mountains of reports of where non-covid deaths are being reported as a covid death for political and monetary gain. For the most part, it is dangerous if you are in a category where the flu is dangerous.
Still curious how a virus that killed 18,000 Americans is way worse than one that has killed 160,000+ and still claiming over 1,000 a day.
Imagine how many jobs are going to be lost if the season isn’t played.. Another liberal move to get people out of work before November gets here