Here’s how a summer college football schedule could save the 2020 season

A seven-game college football schedule taking place from the Fourth of July to Labor Day could be the only way to save the season. Here’s how it could work.

Sports are at a standstill with the coronavirus pandemic canceling March Madness, halting NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and postponing the Tokyo Olympics. The 2020 college football season will be impacted by this with coaches like Mack Brown worried about the potential for a condensed season and ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit saying he’d be shocked if there’s even a season.

There is a chance the season is canceled.

A chance the season is delayed and teams playing a reduced schedule.

There’s a chance the season plays out but without fans in the stands.

And according to Michael Smith of Sports Business Journal, playing a reduced schedule in the summer is on the table.

It’s a radical idea but if this is the only for college football to be played, the fans will support it, even if it prevents them from attending games in person.

Could a college football summer schedule work?

The thought of a college football season from SBJ is the spread of the novel coronavirus will be slowed in the warmer summer months only to have a second outbreak in the fall.

"But staging an abbreviated college football season in the summer presents an opportunity to play games when the warm weather could help prevent the spread of the virus."

Such a radical idea leads to a number of questions.

When would student-athletes need to report to campus? Teams will need at least a month of practice and strength and conditioning to prep for a season after such a prolonged period of unorganized team activities.

When would the season start? The Fourth of July is the first Saturday in July. Could that make for a marketable event? It’s a big day for MLB so it could be the same for college football in some regions.

How many practices would teams get before the first game? Spring football was already abbreviated or canceled entirely so teams are already behind.

What games would be dropped from the schedule? Would the schedule be limited to conference games or maybe even only division games?

How will the FCS programs recoup the lost revenue from scheduling Power 5 teams for a big payday? These small schools depend on these checks to keep the athletic department budget afloat. Will the NCAA bail them out?

Would fans be allowed to attend the games? The NCAA first ruled conference tournament games would take place without fans before ultimately canceling the NCAA Tournament. Would this be on the table for football? What do those universities do with that loss of revenue?

If fans allowed, how many would run the risk? I would be hesitant to watch my favorite team in 98-degree heat and 84-percent humidity.

How does this affect the TV networks who hold the broadcast rights to games? TV ratings are notoriously low in the summer when reruns are the norm and new summer programming fills the empty time slots. Airing a Texas-Oklahoma game on Aug. 8 would be an adjustment. Just like watching Alabama-Auburn and Ohio State-Michigan in late August. Would TV networks ask for some money back?

Would teams have an open week? Playing an abbreviated schedule would suggest cramming in as many games in a limited window at the price of player safety. That would be a massive mistake. Considering the lack of a spring practice window and an assumed rushed training camp in addition to playing games in extreme heat, they may need an open week once a month.

What does it mean for the bowl system? For the “there’s too many bowls” crowd, they’ll advocate for slashing all but the New Year’s Six games (Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl). That could result in a Friday-Saturday doubleheader with three games on each night, potentially. But could you imagine the Rose Bowl on Labor Day weekend and not on New Year’s Day? A National Championship Game on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7 would have people tuning in, I’m sure. Opening Week on July 4th and a championship game on Sept. 7 would only leave time for seven regular-season games, one open week, a bowl week on Aug. 29-30 before the title game. If this is the only way to make it work, sign me up.

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