The NCAA Division I Council’s decision on Wednesday has put the wheels in motion towards college football being played. Now with a plan in place to bring student-athletes back to campus in early June, we might have a timetable for when the college football season will begin.
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott appeared with SEC commissioner Greg Sankey on CNN. During the interview, both conference officials talked about the plans to bring student-athletes back safely and outlined when college football cans could see their teams play in 2020.
“If things continue to progress in a positive direction, then training camp for football could start as early as late July and we could be on a nice glide path to the start of the college football season at the end of August,” Scott said, via CNN.
The SEC recently announced it will allow student-athletes to participate in voluntary athletics activities on campus beginning on June 8. The Pac-12 is further behind other top conferences because states like California and Oregon keep stricter safety protocols in place. However, the conference recently released a plan for the upcoming season.
While student-athletes can return next month, there are still limitations on the workouts that can be done. The Division I Council created a plan that would have teams hold organized team activities in July, followed by a mandatory camp in August.
Scott’s timetable matches up with the proposal submitted this week by the council. It is similar to the NFL’s routine summer schedule with training camp beginning in mid-July and preseason games held in August. Although, NCAA teams would use that time to prepare more for the upcoming season with intrasquad scrimmages.
Under the current timetable, the NCAA wouldn’t experience a real delay to the start of the college football season. However, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby warned during an interview Thursday that disruptions during the season are inevitable.
The NCAA and schools across the country can afford a delay or slight disruptions to the upcoming college football season. If the COVID-19 pandemics worsens and football can’t be played, the financial ramifications would devastate Power 5 programs for years to come.