JUCO football season moving to spring is latest ominious sign for FBS football in fall

There will be no junior college football this fall.

Another college football domino falls with the junior college season moving to the spring. The majority of fall sports, in fact, have been moved to the spring semester upon recommendations from the NJCAA Presidential Advisory Council and the NJCAA Board of Regents.

“Our greatest focus is and always has been providing the best opportunities for our student-athletes,” stated Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President & CEO. “Through a unified effort from our Presidential Advisory Council, the Board of Regents, and leadership staff, our most recent plan of action provides a path that keeps our student-athletes competing at the highest level with proper safety measures in place. As we move forward as an association, we will continue to provide opportunities for our student-athletes, coaches, and all those involved with the NJCAA to be safe and successful.”

The affected sports besides football include men’s and women’s soccer and court volleyball. But the winter sports will not begin until January at the earliest with some championships moved from March to April.

Spring sports remain unchanged for now.

Junior college football season is another bad sign for fans.

The decision from the junior colleges will have immediate and far-reaching effects on recruiting, writes Max Olson of The Athletic.

In addition to the impact it’ll have on the student-athletes who won’t be playing this fall, the decision also is the latest sign that playing any football in the fall is looking like a Hail Mary.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 have already canceled non-conference games, the Ivy Leagues pushed their season to the spring as have several lower-level programs, Texas high school football isn’t expected to be played and now there won’t be any JUCO football.

How is Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma, Florida, Oregon, Michigan, Notre Dame and all the other programs in the nation expect to play when they’re facing a 4th-and-long with no timeouts left and a running clock?

It’s an unfortunate reality. Being optimistic isn’t going to change anything now. It’s why college football coaches and players are hoping to convince the public to wear face masks with the hope it’ll slow the spread of the coronavirus and the season will be able to stick in the fall.

Time is running out and the decision by the NJCAA is the latest in a long sign of bad news for all of us hoping to see the season as scheduled.

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