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2020 College Football Season/Playoff Thread

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Whatever is occurring today, it sounds convoluted as shit.
 
Since nothing has changed since they released the schedule a week ago it should be an easy yes.
 
I smell a change of heart coming.
 
I smell a change of heart coming.

i was gonna ask... any chance this was all a stunt to gauge reaction? Seems goofy but I cant help but think that.
 
i was gonna ask... any chance this was all a stunt to gauge reaction? Seems goofy but I cant help but think that.
There is the theory that this has all been a charade to stop the player movement.
 
There is the theory that this has all been a charade to stop the player movement.
Also held them hostage for a supplemental draft. Would the NFL have had one if they postponed the season back in May/June when it was clear the virus will be around for a long time?
 
I'm not going to waste my time dreaming up scenarios where the team can play. If it happens, it happens. All of his conference jumping sounds like fairy-tale land. I hope I'm wrong.
 
Big Ten has denied this report, but I would not be surprised if the dominoes starting falling soon with the MAC already out.


Don't know if it's an actual factor, but someone alluded to the P5 canceling all at once to avoid any potential transfer portal nonsense while the participating schools whittle down.

Michigan finally figured out how not to lose to us every year!
 

Whatever is occurring today, it sounds convoluted as shit.

I don't think they have the momentum to do it. They will most likely push the season by a month and kick the can down the road.
 

Bootlicking for universities is common among the media whom they roll the red carpet out for.

Hey kids, if you REALLY want to play football, how about signing away your right to hold universities accountable for the enormous risk you're taking in exchange for no pay.

So you take on even MORE risk, while allowing schools to cut costs on the testing and safety protocols needed to see through a season in the safest possible way.
 

Bootlicking for universities is common among the media whom they roll the red carpet out for.

Hey kids, if you REALLY want to play football, how about signing away your right to hold universities accountable for the enormous risk you're taking in exchange for no pay.

So you take on even MORE risk, while allowing schools to cut costs on the testing and safety protocols needed to see through a season in the safest possible way.
They're not kids.
 
I'm copying a response I made to AZ discussing college football in the NFL thread:

It seems to be about colleges and universities not ponying up the dollars to fund testing and safety protocols like the other leagues, due to players organizing and voicing support for those protections in a way that makes it appear like they're negotiating as an organized body.

I don't think it's about that at all. I think the differences between the pros and colleges in terms of protocols are huge, and are being overlooked.

1) The professional leagues have been in their "bubble", because that's the player's normal job, and the NFL exists for the sole purpose of playing football. So their entire world can be bent to make them as safe as possible.

2) But college athletes are actually in college, and most colleges are still holding in person classes this fall. All those players will be mingling with all those other students who are not in a "football bubble". We may forget it in here because this is a sports-oriented board and we are all fans of college football, but the primary purpose of college is not as a vehicle for playing football, but rather education. Football is incidental to college. The vast, vast majority of college students don't play football. The vast majority of college kids who do play football will never even sniff the NFL. They truly are in college for the education. The big-name college athletes with NFL aspirations who are the most vocal about this -- along with the coaches, etc. -- don't have the same interests/priorities as do other players throughout college football.

3) Because of this, the school Presidents (as opposed to some AD's, coaches, and players) are not willing to give football players massive additional protections that are not offered to other students, because other parents and all those people affiliated with the school who are not enthralled with the football program (and colleges have many of those) would justifiably go apeshit:

"You mean my kid has to attend in person classes, but football players don't because it isn't safe and they might get the virus??"

"You mean football players can get multiple tests each day to protect them from potentially transmitting the virus to other football players, but my kid and everyone he associates with can't, and just have to run the risk that the students around them don't have it??"

I mean, yikes. That is an absolutely terrible look for colleges. It's one thing for football players to get some usual privileges that don't really impact other students. It is an entirely different matter when we're talking potential life/health/death. Football people may delude themselves into thinking the tale wags the dog, but ultimately, it doesn't. You could eliminate football and still have a perfectly functioning school. You can't eliminate the school and still have a school football team. And again -- the vast majority of college football players have no NFL aspirations, and want that education. So even if the schools would agree to let football players (only) take all classes remotely, you'd have a lot of players that wouldn't want to do that, and the school wouldn't want to be perceived as pressuring them not to attend classes when everyone else is.

The college bubble can't happen. Maybe a conference like the SEC where many of the schools have shit for academic standards doesn't care. But "real" academic schools should care, and they will.

Hence why the Big Ten went from releasing a schedule and developing their plan to play just last week, before nearly cancelling the season after it appeared the players were making demands about their own health and safety.

If the players are making demands about their health and safety that go beyond what the schools can reasonably provide to other students -- which is almost certainly the case -- then yeah. That's a perfectly valid reason to slam on the brakes. Especially in light of the report about there being some (rare) some form of encephalitis relating to Covid-19. The schools may feel that they're being set up for a PR disaster if they don't give the players what they are demanding -- which they cannot provide to other students in their daily lives - and so decided to punt. If they don't give in to all the player demands, they'll be accused of putting those players at risk. And if they do give in, they'll be accused of prioritizing the health/lives of football players over the lives of the 99% of the rest of the student body.

Not all schools are in the same boat on this. Some probably aren't having in person classes for any student, some may be permitting students to opt-out, etc.. So that may be why some schools feel differently than others. But there certainly are valid reasons for some schools to oppose double standards when it comes to the lives/health of their students.
 
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I'm copying a response I made to AZ discussing college football in the NFL thread:



I don't think it's about that at all. I think the differences between the pros and colleges in terms of protocols are huge, and are being overlooked.

1) The leagues have been in their "bubble", because that's the player's normal job, and the NFL exists for the sole purpose of playing football. So their entire world can be bent to make them as safe as possible.

But college athletes are actually in college, and most colleges are still holding in person classes this fall. All those players will be mingling with all those other students who are not in a "football bubble". We may forget it in here because this is a sports-oriented board and we are all fans of college football, but the primary purpose of college is not as a vehicle for playing football, but rather education. Football is incidental to college. The vast, vast majority of college students don't play football. The vast majority of college kids who do play football will never even sniff the NFL. They truly are in college for the education.

2) Because of this, the school Presidents (as opposed to some AD's, coaches, and players) are not willing to give football players massive additional protections that are not offered to other students, because other parents and all those people affiliated with the school who are not enthralled with the football program (and colleges have many of those) would justifiably go apeshit:

"You mean my kid has to attend in person classes, but football players don't because it isn't safe and they might get the virus??"

"You mean football players can get multiple tests each day to protect them from potentially transmitting the virus to other football players, but my kid and everyone he associates with can't, and just have to run the risk that the students around them don't have it??"

I mean, yikes. That is an absolutely terrible look for colleges. It's one thing for football players to get some usual privileges that don't really impact other students. It is an entirely different matter when we're talking potential life/health/death. Football people may delude themselves into thinking the tale wags the dog, but ultimately, it doesn't. You could eliminate football and still have a perfectly functioning school. You can't eliminate the school and still have a school football team. And again -- the vast majority of college football players have no NFL aspirations, and want that education. So even if the schools would agree to let football players (only) take all classes remotely, you'd have a lot of players that wouldn't want to do that, and the school wouldn't want to be perceived as pressuring them not to attend classes when everyone else is.

The college bubble can't happen. Maybe a conference like the SEC where many of the schools have shit for academic standards doesn't care. But "real" academic schools should care, and they will.



If the players are making demands about their health and safety that go beyond what the schools can reasonably provide to other students -- which is almost certainly the case -- then yeah. That's a perfectly valid reason to slam on the brakes. Especially in light of the report about there being some (rare) some form of encephalitis relating to Covid-19. The schools may feel that they're being set up for a PR disaster if they don't give the players what they are demanding -- which they cannot provide to other students in their daily lives - and so decided to punt. If they don't give in to all the player demands, they'll be accused of putting those players at risk. And if they do give in, they'll be accused of prioritizing the health/lives of football players over the lives of the 99% of the rest of the student body.

Not all schools are in the same boat on this. Some probably aren't having in person classes, some may be permitting students to opt-out, etc.. So that may be why some schools feel differently than others. But there certainly are valid reasons for some schools to oppose double standards when it comes to the lives/health of their students.

1. I agree that its a bit about the hypocrisy of being able to test for your cash cow (football), while not ponying up the testing for students as well.

2. Undeniably, the dynamic changed only after players decided to organize and voice their very legitimate demands about health and safety protocols, prompting this response from the administrators. The causation case seems crystal clear here.

3. The NFL isn't in a "bubble," like the NBA or NHL teams are. But they should be able to stand up a similar set up, given the dollars at stake and the desire for kids to try. Such profitability is attainable if the financial burden is shared equitably, and we know it can be.

But administrators, as I've said, would rather die than provide precedent for organization among student athletes.
 

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