Jump to content

College Football in 2020 in danger?


The_Great_Hornsby

Recommended Posts

3 hours ago, Don Johnson said:

Before I get to your questions this week, I wanted to address something that’s been weighing on me — and many of you.

Writing and tweeting about college football in the time of COVID-19 has been the greatest challenge of my career because the topic is so emotional and has become so divisive. I’ve been accused at times of being too negative, or even that I’m trying to bring down college football due to some political agenda. Up until recently I mostly brushed off those comments. Once in a while I would snap back.

But over the last couple of weeks the tenor intensified — both from myself and my readers/followers. I’ve caught myself on a few occasions having to delete tweets that were just plain condescending.

A Californian being condescending toward everyone else?! Perish the thought!

My feeling all along has been to wait and see. We know so much more than we did in March, yet there is still so much we don't know. Texas HS football will provide a lot of information for us to work through.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, perfectchaos007 said:

There's going to be an outbreak at every campus I feel like, which will give schools the excuse needed to send everyone (other than student athletes) home. The only reason why they're allowing students on campus initially is to justify not lowering tuition and they can shrug their shoulders and say "well we tried to have in person learning but students kept spreading covid!"

Yup.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Don Johnson said:

Mandel finally realized he was being a bit of a bitch.

Before I get to your questions this week, I wanted to address something that’s been weighing on me — and many of you.

Writing and tweeting about college football in the time of COVID-19 has been the greatest challenge of my career because the topic is so emotional and has become so divisive. I’ve been accused at times of being too negative, or even that I’m trying to bring down college football due to some political agenda. Up until recently I mostly brushed off those comments. Once in a while I would snap back.

But over the last couple of weeks the tenor intensified — both from myself and my readers/followers. I’ve caught myself on a few occasions having to delete tweets that were just plain condescending. On Monday, after the preseason AP poll came out, I published a seemingly fun and innocuous piece making “predictions” on how the now-canceled marquee September matchups would have transpired. When the comments section quickly deteriorated into angry readers blaming me for those cancellations — and those comments getting lots of “thumbs ups” — it was time to stage a self-intervention.

The simplest explanation I can give you is, I’ve still got a lot of fears about COVID-19, both for myself and my family members. I live in a part of the country (California) that is still being super cautious (bars and indoor dining never reopened, outdoor gatherings are still severely limited), and every university in my time zone has canceled football. So it definitely feels foreign and alarming when I see pictures/videos of students at bars or news that a school is going to be allowing 20,000 fans at its games. And so I’m probably projecting some of my own fears in my tweets/comments about that kind of stuff.

Although my concerns aren’t going away (yet), I don’t think I’ve done a good job of taking the time to understand and accept that my reality is not necessarily the same as many of yours. I’m aware that in the South and elsewhere, people are increasingly returning to regular life (albeit in masks). High schools are playing football games. My brother’s ’90s party band in Cincinnati played in front of a socially distanced crowd at a bar last weekend. For many people — myself included — college football returning will be the most seminal milestone yet. And though I assure you I have neither the desire nor the influence to prevent that from occurring, I haven’t been reading the room with some of my more flippant tweets recently.

So, what do you say we hit the reset button? While I’m not going to stop reporting/commenting on pertinent COVID-related news, I’m going to be more mindful of my tone. Also: There are games being played barely more than a week from now. We at The Athletic are rolling out a lot of season preview content this week and next.

https://theathletic.com/2023736/2020/08/26/mandels-mailbag-who-are-the-best-new-offensive-and-defensive-coordinators/?source=emp_shared_article

That's actually a legit reset, good on him

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Lidig8r said:

So, any idea how long the Pink Faders are going to boycott practice? Any chance we can substitute the Whiny Children of the Corn for Tech for one year?

I don’t mind TTU. They are what they are. 
Now trading Corn for BU? That’s change I can get behind. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, 927 E. 41st said:

What do you mean "hah" that's gonna be the cornerstone of my weekend, and I'll be praying for overtime!

I already told the Mrs. that I will be unavailable tomorrow night. I wouldn't miss it for anything and I can't wait for the Surly thread on fucking UCA football.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Don Johnson said:

If they're just going to start the season in November, right after the election, it really doesn't help the argument that the decision wasn't political.

 

If they're discussing it now, before the election, how is that political?

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Starting on Thanksgiving would be in line with what NCAA basketball is looking at...most campuses are set to empty out at that time, so conditions would possibly be safer. But we've seen over and over that COVID doesn't respect anyone's timeline.

It's a good move in terms of maybe keeping some NFL candidates on the field, since they could still hit the combine on time. It won't do anything in terms of influencing the playoff. No one outside Ohio and Michigan will care if those teams are playing opposite a CFP semifinal on Jan. 1. The by-the-books AP poll would probably go ahead and rank them once they kick off,  so everyone would cry, "The No. 2 team in the country isn't in the playoff!" But CFP isn't putting a 5-0 team in over an 8-1 team that started in September.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, perfectchaos007 said:

There's going to be an outbreak at every campus I feel like, which will give schools the excuse needed to send everyone (other than student athletes) home. The only reason why they're allowing students on campus initially is to justify not lowering tuition and they can shrug their shoulders and say "well we tried to have in person learning but students kept spreading covid!"

Obviously. But sending regular students home while keeping fb players on campus leads to other issues for the universities. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Bartles said:

Starting on Thanksgiving would be in line with what NCAA basketball is looking at...most campuses are set to empty out at that time, so conditions would possibly be safer. But we've seen over and over that COVID doesn't respect anyone's timeline.

It's a good move in terms of maybe keeping some NFL candidates on the field, since they could still hit the combine on time. It won't do anything in terms of influencing the playoff. No one outside Ohio and Michigan will care if those teams are playing opposite a CFP semifinal on Jan. 1. The by-the-books AP poll would probably go ahead and rank them once they kick off,  so everyone would cry, "The No. 2 team in the country isn't in the playoff!" But CFP isn't putting a 5-0 team in over an 8-1 team that started in September.

The stupid part is its cold as balls up there after Thanksgiving.  They already do not play night games ever in November.

So, they are going to move the games indoors?  WTF?  And where?  Not every school is located right beside a domed facility.  You basically have the Colts, Vikings and Lions facilities.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Royalfan5 said:

Really makes them look like employees in that case. 

For sure.  Which is yet another reason the B1G and PAC don't want any part of that.  They're already staring the potential for  "student-athlete unions" right in the face.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Don Johnson said:

The stupid part is its cold as balls up there after Thanksgiving.  They already do not play night games ever in November.

So, they are going to move the games indoors?  WTF?  And where?  Not every school is located right beside a domed facility.  You basically have the Colts, Vikings and Lions facilities.  

Syracuse was also mentioned in an article I read. As well as multiple games on the same day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stupid part is its cold as balls up there after Thanksgiving.  They already do not play night games ever in November.

So, they are going to move the games indoors?  WTF?  And where?  Not every school is located right beside a domed facility.  You basically have the Colts, Vikings and Lions facilities.  

It’s cold as balls after January 1.

 

Nov-Dec not very often get the wind chills late Jan and February see. Snow will happen but doesn’t mean it’ll be -10

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Brothahorn said:

Syracuse was also mentioned in an article I read. As well as multiple games on the same day.

Syracuse is 4 hours from the closest Big 10 school (PSU).  It would be pretty funny for them to have to borrow an ACC school's facility to pull this off.

I guess the Big 10 programs will have 90% of their practices indoor as well.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, Don Johnson said:

Mandel finally realized he was being a bit of a bitch.

Before I get to your questions this week, I wanted to address something that’s been weighing on me — and many of you.

Writing and tweeting about college football in the time of COVID-19 has been the greatest challenge of my career because the topic is so emotional and has become so divisive. I’ve been accused at times of being too negative, or even that I’m trying to bring down college football due to some political agenda. Up until recently I mostly brushed off those comments. Once in a while I would snap back.

But over the last couple of weeks the tenor intensified — both from myself and my readers/followers. I’ve caught myself on a few occasions having to delete tweets that were just plain condescending. On Monday, after the preseason AP poll came out, I published a seemingly fun and innocuous piece making “predictions” on how the now-canceled marquee September matchups would have transpired. When the comments section quickly deteriorated into angry readers blaming me for those cancellations — and those comments getting lots of “thumbs ups” — it was time to stage a self-intervention.

The simplest explanation I can give you is, I’ve still got a lot of fears about COVID-19, both for myself and my family members. I live in a part of the country (California) that is still being super cautious (bars and indoor dining never reopened, outdoor gatherings are still severely limited), and every university in my time zone has canceled football. So it definitely feels foreign and alarming when I see pictures/videos of students at bars or news that a school is going to be allowing 20,000 fans at its games. And so I’m probably projecting some of my own fears in my tweets/comments about that kind of stuff.

Although my concerns aren’t going away (yet), I don’t think I’ve done a good job of taking the time to understand and accept that my reality is not necessarily the same as many of yours. I’m aware that in the South and elsewhere, people are increasingly returning to regular life (albeit in masks). High schools are playing football games. My brother’s ’90s party band in Cincinnati played in front of a socially distanced crowd at a bar last weekend. For many people — myself included — college football returning will be the most seminal milestone yet. And though I assure you I have neither the desire nor the influence to prevent that from occurring, I haven’t been reading the room with some of my more flippant tweets recently.

So, what do you say we hit the reset button? While I’m not going to stop reporting/commenting on pertinent COVID-related news, I’m going to be more mindful of my tone. Also: There are games being played barely more than a week from now. We at The Athletic are rolling out a lot of season preview content this week and next.

https://theathletic.com/2023736/2020/08/26/mandels-mailbag-who-are-the-best-new-offensive-and-defensive-coordinators/?source=emp_shared_article

Hard to sell content when one of your big name writers is shitting on the product. So much for genuine self awareness.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Don Johnson said:

Syracuse is 4 hours from the closest Big 10 school (PSU).  It would be pretty funny for them to have to borrow an ACC school's facility to pull this off.

I guess the Big 10 programs will have 90% of their practices indoor as well.  

Well that is crazy and perfectly 2020.

Quote

 

Amanda Babb, the president of the Ohio State football parents group, said in an interview Wednesday that she had heard that indoor stadiums in Indianapolis, St. Louis, Detroit, Minneapolis and possibly even Syracuse, New York, were under consideration as venues. Games are not expected to be played on campus in the proposed schedule that could start in January.

Later Wednesday, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith confirmed the plan, texting “Yes and others” when asked about those potential sites. He declined to add details.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2020/08/26/big-ten-college-football-plan-early-2021-includes-nfl-domed-stadiums/5635274002/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Brothahorn said:

Screwing it up from the very beginning and then scrambling for fourth-rate options to avoid an apocalypse. They should contact College Station for tips; aggy is well-versed in that sort of scenario. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Bartles said:

The best would be 9-0 Cincinnati in the Rose Bowl semifinal the same weekend Ohio State trashes Michigan to improve to 6-0

I don't know about the RoseB but the reality of Cincinatti and Pitt playing college football with anOSU and PSU on the the sidelines is starting to disturb the BUG big wigs. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, notre dame joe said:

I don't know about the RoseB but the reality of Cincinatti and Pitt playing college football with anOSU and PSU on the the sidelines is starting to disturb the BUG big wigs. 

Cincinnati has already had some recent success at the Rose Bowl.

spacer.png

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...