2019 Miscellaneous college football news

[LouisEly]

Same thing happened with the Pac 10 a week or two ago.

[HiAndTight]

The Players Tribune is reporting that a group called College Athlete Unity is making demands of Big Ten schools on their preparedness for Covid, along with some social justice causes. They claim to represent the interest of more than 1,000 football players.

 

I don't think I can believe that number, since this is the first we have heard of the group, and 1,000 people can't both gather (even remotely) and keep quiet about it. But still, there could be some disruption to teams and schools, depending on how they manage their health and safety initiatives and social stances, and the cohesion of the members of this CAU group.

 

More to come, as schools react to this story, and as players stand up for their grievances.

 

I bet if universities threaten to pull the scholarships of those that don't want to play they will change their stance. I'm sure college athletics would love to trim the fat right now.

 

 

Yeah...a school could do that. And that school would look absolutely terrible in every imaginable way.

[LouisEly]

Harbaugh accuses Day of breaking rules, Day tells team to "hang 100" on them:

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29608850/michigan-jim-harbaugh-accuses-buckeyes-ryan-day-breaking-rules

[LouisEly]

The Players Tribune is reporting that a group called College Athlete Unity is making demands of Big Ten schools on their preparedness for Covid, along with some social justice causes. They claim to represent the interest of more than 1,000 football players.

If they're going to make demands about COVID preparedness, they better hope their fellow student athletes don't pull what several Louisville soccer players pulled:

 

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/29609680/louisville-soccer-team-dismisses-3-players-suspends-3-others-holding-party

[JimH5]

Add the MAC to conferences cancelling fall football.

 

Northern Illinois was the catalyst behind the conference's action.

[nate82]

Big Ten is also on no pad only helmet workouts. I am going to put the Big Ten completing a full season at 5% a half of a season at 8% and a quarter of a season at 50%. I don't believe the season will go all the way through to a national championship but if it does I expect there to be only a national championship game and that is it.

[LouisEly]

Power 5 Conference commissions held an emergency meeting today. Big Ten presidents leaning towards postponing the fall sports season, and are looking to see of other Power 5 conferences will follow suit.

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29629669/power-5-talking-no-fall-football

[nate82]

Power 5 Conference commissions held an emergency meeting today. Big Ten presidents leaning towards postponing the fall sports season, and are looking to see of other Power 5 conferences will follow suit.

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29629669/power-5-talking-no-fall-football

 

The ESPN article is somewhat inaccurate. It wasn't an emergency meeting as it was a scheduled meeting. But it doesn't look like there will be fall college sports.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/power-five-leaders-met-sunday-to-discuss-viability-of-2020-college-football-season-talks-continue-monday/

[JimH5]

Reports tonight say they're going to shut down Big Ten football sometime this week.

 

It seems inevitable. 160,000+ dead, no uniformity on masking, players balking over safety concerns.

 

Fans are going to be upset, but for the first time in a long time, schools are ignoring the fans and are doing what makes most sense for the short term health of their students, and the long term health of their football programs.

[PeaveyFury]

Interesting that the narrative has completely changed from 'Players organizing regarding player safety and won't play if issues aren't addressed' to 'Players organizing to try and change the mind of conferences that want to delay or cancel the season' in just a matter of days or even hours...

[nate82]

Interesting that the narrative has completely changed from 'Players organizing regarding player safety and won't play if issues aren't addressed' to 'Players organizing to try and change the mind of conferences that want to delay or cancel the season' in just a matter of days or even hours...

 

It is always about money. Well future money in this case each year that they are not playing means less for the players professionally. For the players looking to go pro having this season even if it is shortened is essential. Draft stock for some players may tank. Where someone who might sneak into the first round instead of the 2nd or 3rd is a lot of money. Depending on the position like RB you may only get one big payday and that is it.

[PeaveyFury]

Interesting that the narrative has completely changed from 'Players organizing regarding player safety and won't play if issues aren't addressed' to 'Players organizing to try and change the mind of conferences that want to delay or cancel the season' in just a matter of days or even hours...

 

It is always about money. Well future money in this case each year that they are not playing means less for the players professionally. For the players looking to go pro having this season even if it is shortened is essential. Draft stock for some players may tank. Where someone who might sneak into the first round instead of the 2nd or 3rd is a lot of money. Depending on the position like RB you may only get one big payday and that is it.

 

Yep. And it can only make things harder for the players in the future when they go from 'we're not going to play because you're not protecting us from this virus' to the conferences responding with 'you're right, the safe thing to do is delay the season until the spring', and the players essentially respond with 'Wait, what? We didn't REALLY mean that we weren't going to play due to concerns about the virus'.

[PeaveyFury]

Early reports that the Big Ten members voted 12-2 for the cancellation, with Nebraska and Iowa the dissenters.

[nate82]

Looking like there won't be college football this year.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-says-no-vote-has-been-held-despite-expectations-league-will-cancel-fall-2020-season/

[homer]

Cynically speaking this has to be about money. I wonder if there is no financial incentive for the schools if there aren't fans in the stands? Not sure how TV rights factor in to the equation.

[pacopete4]

Scott Frost looking at other options to play this season. Does he even have that ability as the head coach of Nebraska? Seems like he's puffing his chest to get players to see he "really" wanted to play.

[JimH5]

Cynically speaking this has to be about money. I wonder if there is no financial incentive for the schools if there aren't fans in the stands? Not sure how TV rights factor in to the equation.

 

I think the money issue is on the risk management/litigation end. Is there an insurance company willing to insure a university or conference against a wrongful death or disability claim in the event that a player, coach, school employee, referee, etc became sick or died because a school played a game requiring extreme physical exertion and closeness during a pandemic? And what of the potential fallout after such an incident? Every one of those university presidents would be forced out if a death occurred.

 

Most of these universities have medical schools within their academic programs. And each of them is recommending adherence to CDC guidelines. It would seem hypocritical to suggest that football programs are exempt from behavior expected of all other students and staff.

[LouisEly]

Cynically speaking this has to be about money. I wonder if there is no financial incentive for the schools if there aren't fans in the stands? Not sure how TV rights factor in to the equation.

I'm guessing, and it is nothing more than a logical guess, that the TV contracts are still enforced if games are postponed (which can and has happened for a number of reasons, recently hurricanes, etc.) but possibly not if canceled.

 

My guess is that they are looking to postpone to spring to still enforce the TV contracts and give more time for a vaccine/treatments to have a chance of having some fannies in the stands. Spring sports don't make any money, so moving football to spring is the best shot at salvaging any of the football revenue.

[PeaveyFury]

Mountain West joins the MAC in cancelling fall sports.

[homer]

I would not be surprised if that news about potentially cancelling the season was leaked just to gauge the reaction.

[PeaveyFury]

I would not be surprised if that news about potentially cancelling the season was leaked just to gauge the reaction.

 

I think that's possible, but I'd be astounded if the reaction was anything other than what they expected.

[nate82]

2020 season officially canceled for the Big 10. They are hoping to play in the spring.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-cancels-college-football-season-for-fall-2020-hopes-to-play-in-spring-2021/

[owbc]

I can't imagine the SEC is going to cancel the fall season, but one wonders what the point of playing will be if there is no postseason.

[pacopete4]

Buying time. Smart move on their part.

[homer]

Buying time. Smart move on their part.

 

Not sure how I'd feel as a player being asked to play two seasons so close together. (spring 2021, fall 2021)