USC and Alabama’s season-opening game is in jeopardy due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Tide is exploring their options if the game is canceled.
There’s a lot we don’t know about the upcoming 2020 college football season, including whether the highly anticipated game between USC and Alabama will even take place.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has left some states with more uncertainty than others. California State Universities will be closed through the fall semester with online classes continuing.
For now, no decision has been made about USC and whether classes will be exclusively online or if some exceptions will be made. Previously, the thought was there would not be athletic participation if students are not allowed on campus. This could be a loophole to allow student-athletes of some fall sports to attend on-campus classes that will be adjusted to accommodate social distancing guidelines to keep the hope alive that they can play college football.
All of this leads to the possibility that the season-opening game between USC and Alabama could be canceled, moved to later in the season, or canceled outright and replaced with another opponent.
USC athletic director Mike Bohn said on Twitter on Tuesday night that they have every intention of playing their game with Alabama and conversations with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne are ongoing.
As Bohn says he’s keeping all options on the table, so is Alabama who is already working on a contingency plan in case they can’t play USC. The Trojans may not be able to start their season on time while Alabama may be able to. Again, this is all subject to change because of the uncertain coronavirus and how much information can be gained and gleaned in a short amount of time.
In the event, USC and Alabama can’t play, the Crimson Tide are planning a backup plan of playing TCU, according to Colin Cowherd, who says the Pac-12 may have to wait until the spring to play.
Told by two people I trust — USC v Alabama isn’t happening. Trojans can’t even practice in LA potentially for several months. This is why Bama already talking to other possible opponents. Not official but understood. Feeling now that Pac 12 football in spring — much more likely.
— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) May 13, 2020
And when the Pac-12 does play, they may have to schedule home-and-homes with conference opponents to fill in their schedule should other league-mates be unable to play, according to Stadium’s Brett McMurphy.
USC-Alabama scenarios in play
- The best-case scenario is the game is played as scheduled, the Trojans are able to practice in California and prepare for the season with the same amount of time as the Tide.
- The middle-of-the-road scenario is the two teams still play but have to push the game back to a mutual open date later in the season. It could be tricky to execute, but they’ll find a way to make it work.
- The worst-case scenario is the game is canceled outright and we don’t see USC and Alabama play.
- The worst, worst-case scenario is college football is canceled for everyone and there is no game.
- The alternative for Alabama is playing TCU in their season-opener while USC waits for clearance to potentially play a Pac-12 only schedule in the spring.
So that’s how things look today. Much can change from one day to the next, but the hope is the games will take place. It’s important to have hope but it’s also important to have contingency plans in place too. That’s why Alabama-TCU is, more than just in play, it could be a likelihood in a few weeks when more information is known about the state of California and their plans for the fall.
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