It was just earlier on Thursday that the USC brass sent students a recommendation that they study online during the fall semester.
Apparently, that was a harbinger of things to come. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott held a conference call later on Thursday.
The previous optimism regarding the 2020 college football season starting on time amid the ongoing pandemic has been replaced with a sobering new reality.
Pac-12 Commissioner lays out doomsday scenarios for college football season
“I was cautiously optimistic. but the last couple weeks have changed everyone’s outlook because of the extent to which restarting the economy and loosening restrictions has led to significant outbreaks,” Scott said, via Jon Wilner of the Mercury News.
In terms of the scenarios for the upcoming college football season, they range from overly optimistic to downright doomsday in nature. At least, according to Scott.
- Playing all 12 games as scheduled
- A delayed start
- Conference-only schedules
- Moving the season to the spring
Scott also indicated that there’s a chance certain Pac-12 teams could play this fall while others sit the season out.
“There are scenarios where we move as a conference together,” Scott said, “and scenarios where not everyone can but most can.”
Scott also indicated that other Power Five commissioners are currently having the same internal conversations.
2020 college football in the spring?
This is becoming increasingly more likely due to the spread of COVID-19 around the United States. It’s going to be hard to get student-athletes back on campus before the season is slated to start late next month.
That’s only magnified by the dramatic number of outbreaks within some of the larger college football programs in the United States.
College football with no fans?
This is obviously the most-likely scenario should the 2020 college football season go on as planned next month. There’s no realistic reason to believe that campuses and teams would welcome fans into games.
That’s especially true in the western states. Arizona and California have been among those most hit by the current uptick of COVID-19 cases around the United States.
For now, things are not looking great as it relates to the 2020 season starting late next month. That’s for sure.