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Could the Ivy League provide a blueprint for college football in the spring?

By Mike Phillips

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 17: Jack Cook #83 of the Harvard Crimson reacts after scoring a touchdown during a game against the Yale Bulldogs at Fenway Park on November 17, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 17: Jack Cook #83 of the Harvard Crimson reacts after scoring a touchdown during a game against the Yale Bulldogs at Fenway Park on November 17, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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The Ivy League could provide a blueprint for college football.

It turns out the Ivy League was ahead of the curve in March when they canceled spring sports. Ridiculed for being too extreme in the immediate aftermath of their decision, the Ivy League got the last laugh when the NCAA canceled all spring championships the following day.

College sports are still sorting out how to make their return to action and it is fraught with perils as programs attempting to start their football practices are seeing a ton of players test positive for the coronavirus. The NCAA hasn’t announced a plan yet for the football season, but the Ivy League could provide an example for the rest of the power conferences to follow.

The Ivy League will make a formal announcement on July 8 and the expectation is the conference will play college football in the spring.

https://twitter.com/IvyLeague/status/1278308623093923842

According to Forbes, it’s a 98 percent chance the Ivy League will play spring football, which could be the last resort for the FBS, which is complicated by the fact it’s a revenue sport. The Ivy League spring football season would consist of a seven-game slate of just conference games beginning in April and finishing by mid-May. Such a start date would likely push their season past the projected second wave of the coronavirus and potentially allow for a vaccine to be developed.

This is an option that college football should seriously consider since the economics of many athletic departments hinge on football revenue. The coronavirus is spiking across parts of the country with nearly 40 states reporting increases in their case totals, including many of the football-crazed southern states.

Even if the season starts on time it could be without roughly 75 percent fans in the stadiums, which would significantly limit the amount of revenue that could be generated. Waiting until February and kicking off a season that goes through May could make it safer for the athletes and potentially buy time for a vaccine to be developed and have more fans in the stands.

A vaccine is widely expected to be a game-changer for entertainment-based industries that rely on ticketed audiences to generate cash flow. The worst thing college football could afford is to start the season only to have certain schools sit out due to virus considerations or, in the worst case, stop the season halfway through.

It remains to be seen if the powers that be will give the Ivy League’s idea some consideration, but it makes a ton of sense on its merits. The future of many college sports depends on a successful football season so maximizing the chances of completing it successfully could come down to simply waiting longer to start.

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