Chris Fowler Says There's "Informed Speculation" College Football Could Play A Spring Season
"Chris Fowler said it would be “impossible” for there to be a normal college football season as the country continues to flatten the curve due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ESPN analyst, however, does believe there will be a season in the 2020-2021 academic season.
In an Instagram video in which he cites “informed speculation,” Fowler lays out a couple of scenarios that could play out after talking with people he said were planning - not deciding - college football’s course of action.
“The first scenario is the season starts on time and the season isn’t altered much,” Fowler said. “Time is running out, though, unless you think 4-6 weeks is a whole lot of time. Because I’m told by the end of May, there has to be clarity and if you are going to have college campuses open, which you will have to bring the players back, that’s about the deadline to get things going on time.”
“There is a third scenario that’s gaining momentum, which may sound preposterous on the surface but I think a lot of reasonable people feel like it might be the most prudent course of action, and that is football in the spring,” Fowler added. “Beginning some point in February, getting into March, April, May, maybe have the postseason in June. That would have to be reshuffled a bit, it would be bizarre, it would wreak havoc on some other sports in that time of year, but to avoid the financial disaster of having no football in the academic year, I think it might be a fallback position.”
Informed speculation. Sounds a lot like an oxymoron but this is where we are at this point.
I think the reality is we have to keep doing what we're doing and wait until Memorial Day weekend to see where we are. If nothing has drastically changed then the summer is off and there's no way the season will start on time.
So they wait it out until next spring, but then what happens to the 2021 season? They wouldn't make programs turn around from "bowl season" in May and the championship in June to then be ready to play a traditional fall schedule in September.
Would they?
I guess if the TV deals pay enough they will. I guess a random season in the spring would be better than absolutely nothing, but I don't know. Spring football is always just so weird - RIP XFL, AAFL.
It's like when you're a kid and you say "I wish it could always be Christmas time". Then you grow up and realize hell no I don't want that to be the case - then Christmas won't feel special at all. I like order. I like normalcy. I like things happening when they're supposed to be.
Unfortunately, we don't live in a normal world right now.
But on the positive side, if this does happen, College Gameday during a St. Paddy's Day party?
I'm there.