How a spring season could work
Today's news is obviously a bummer, but I'm already seeing a ton of people on twitter saying there is no way a spring season could work logistically. While I'm not too optimistic at this point that we'll be in that much of a better place with respect to controlling COVID in the spring, I think there's certainly a way to make some version of spring football work. Let's address the most common objections one by one:
You can't ask students to play two seasons in a calendar year
This is the hardest thing to work around for sure and I'd agree you can't ask anyone to play two full seasons within that short of a time frame. Any version of spring football would likely be pretty significantly compressed. You'd want to start spring camp in late jan/feb, with a goal of playing games starting in March. With an 8 game schedule and a B1G Championship game, you could be done by mid May. That would give teams a ~3 month offseason before you start fall 2021 camp (which could be pushed back a couple of weeks if need be.
The NFL draft is in the spring, you can't play then
The baseball draft takes play during the end of the college baseball season, and that seems to work. There's also no reason the draft can't be moved back a month or so
Draft-eligible players won't want to risk injury
Will there be some people that sit out; for sure. But more than half the roster isn't draft-eligible, and there's plenty of players who will want to play to improve their draft stock.
I'm not saying it will be easy or that it's even likely to happen. But there are several options to get some form of a spring season if people are willing to be somewhat creative/flexible.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:29 PM ^
Trying to stay positive, but I feel like I'm just moving the cheese from "I hope we play OOC games" to "I hope we play conference games" to "I hope we play in the spring". Getting beaten down a few times leave me skeptical.
Kind of coming to grips with strictly focusing on the NFL for a year so that I don't let myself down.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:42 PM ^
So you're hanging your hopes on the NFL... the only major sport other than MLB to not start in a bubble... with a season that will run thru the heart of cold & flu season...
August 11th, 2020 at 4:43 PM ^
I might have to start watching the Lions again. Strange times.
August 11th, 2020 at 5:25 PM ^
What's the over/under on how many weeks the NFL lasts?
August 11th, 2020 at 9:35 PM ^
It will last as least as long as the in-division portion of the B1G conference schedule was supposed to last. NFL players aren't moving from their homes to college campuses filled with people who may not do the most responsible thing all the time.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
Start in March end in late May. Title game in June. Start fall practice in late August or September and play through December instead of having it off.
It is doable.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:46 PM ^
I’d rather have 1 normal season in 2021 than two weird off cycle seasons
especially if some p5 conferences have a season this fall
August 11th, 2020 at 6:44 PM ^
One idea that should be considered:
If people are really concerned about the players playing too many games in a calendar year, they should consider putting a limit on how many plays each player is allowed to play per game (only for 2021). If it's really all about player safety, that's a common sense solution. Teams would have to rotate in more backups, which would be interesting but not necessarily worse, and it would keep the players safer.
Liga MX does something similar - each team is required to play its young players for at least 1,000 minutes per season to promote talent development. Obviously the motivation here would be safety, but the outcome would be the same - teams would have to use young players more than they otherwise would have. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, especially if it's a short term solution.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
You hit it right on the head. You have all of those new issues by trying to play in the spring and you still have to address how you're going to keep athletes safe from the virus, which they never did this year
This would be like a person skipping the easy first exam of a class because they think they're gonna do better on the final, it makes no sense
August 11th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
Yea - I bet the NFL would move their draft back a month if it meant seeing the results of a CFB season. But would they if half of CFB played in fall/winter?
August 11th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
I'm sure the NFL can come up with a 1 year exception plan for their free labor/development factory.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:09 PM ^
The NFL commissioner can move the NFL draft back from late April to May 4. The dates are part of the agreement with the players' union, so it's not going to be easy to move back further than that.
I have a hard time seeing how the draft won't be very disruptive to a spring season. The weeks leading up to it are now spent on evaluating the players up close; combines, interviews and workouts. Players skipping those for games are going to be told they're at a disadvantage and that's not even factoring in the risk of injury.
There's one other factor to consider. We're talking about the need to play a delayed and shortened season next fall if there is Spring football. Would we really expect players to compete in college games through May and start practicing for a long NFL season in June? Unless the NFL ends up drastically changing their schedule because of Covid, Spring football is going to lose a lot of it's better players.
August 11th, 2020 at 8:23 PM ^
There is no chance in hell the NFL is moving the draft. If they didn’t move it this past year, they ain’t ever moving it.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:30 PM ^
why not? It kind of worked for the USFL
August 11th, 2020 at 3:33 PM ^
I think draft eligible high picks will stay away in droves. Any football is better than none
August 11th, 2020 at 3:34 PM ^
Good call? Bad call? I’ll let all you “scientists” out there figure it out. However, spring football ain’t happening. Too many draft eligible players will opt out so close to the NFL Draft. The product will be severely watered down so close to summer practice dates for the next season and logistically trying to pack 100,000 fans onto a campus for football at the same time basketball is winding down and spring sports are starting is lunacy. The fact is young fall sport athletes just got a season ripped away from them they most likely will never get back. Necessary? Maybe. Reality? Yes.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^
"At the same time basketball is winding down..." Do we think that the football season is going to be "postponed" but basketball season is going to go full force? With fans?
August 11th, 2020 at 5:10 PM ^
Depends on so many extraneous variables right now, but your guess is as good as mine. Who the hell knows?
August 11th, 2020 at 3:38 PM ^
Skip a season in the spring and just do a post season. Full FBS single elimination tournament.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
All I know is that spring starts on March 20th. I want the season to start then, and for Ann Arbor to have one of those famous "late March foot-of-snow storms." Then, I want a home game played on a Saturday in a foot of slush with the sun shining brightly. That would be amazing...
August 11th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
I don't think the draft will play a role in whether they will play in the spring or not. Top 20 teams may lose between 2 and 10 players per team at most. Assuming some if not most players would still play if they weren't top picks. If they can get 2-3 months of between seasons, we know more about the virus and it gets under control they will play in the spring. Lot of ifs.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:51 PM ^
I agree, I don't think the draft will have much of a role into whether there is a Spring season, but I'd make a much bigger estimate for how many players sit out because of the NFL.
It won't just be prospective high draft picks. It's going to include a lot of other players who think they're hurting their draft stock or chances of signing as an UDFA. Those players may not all sit out the whole season, but they're going to leave to prepare for the draft unless there's some distance between that and the end of the season.
The transfer portal has the potential to be wild. Especially if there are conferences playing in the fall, but either way teams will be looking to replace a lot of players in the Spring.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:48 PM ^
Double post
August 11th, 2020 at 3:51 PM ^
I don't think there's really a way they have a spring season but they want to keep the options open at least. Beyond the issues listed here (which are all real and relevant), you've got your usual coaching changes, player movement, recruiting, etc. that will all be happening in parallel to a degree we haven't seen before. That feels...tough.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:51 PM ^
If draft eligible players want out (for any season, not just a hypothetical spring), that's fine. I will be happy to watch the backups and walkons play against other backups/walkons.
August 11th, 2020 at 9:46 PM ^
OSU has us beat in number of 5-star walkons. Do not want.
/s
August 11th, 2020 at 3:53 PM ^
I can see a spring season working, but it would likely require pushing back the 2021 season a month or so.
I am however not optimistic at this point that this nation has what it takes to defeat Covid-19. If I had to put money on whether a year from now we'll be discussing how current events have impacted life in 2021, or whether we'll be debating whether there will be a 2021 season because people need freedom from mask wearin', even as deaths pass 1 million... my money is going all in on American stupidity.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:56 PM ^
yeah, spring season, cause everyone is pumped up for that, lol.
August 11th, 2020 at 3:57 PM ^
This is ridiculous. Play spring season and then go back to regular season next September, they better allow for expanded rosters because guys will be going down in droves without a proper off season of rest, recovery and training. Only good news is OSU will likely have 8-10 1st or 2nd day draftees sit out, unless they want to hang 100 for Day!
Just skip this season and start new next fall and follow a normal schedule, maybe provide an extend spring practice season.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
Mid January to end of March
Detroit, Minny and Indy all have domes
7 games each weekend - no problem
August 11th, 2020 at 4:07 PM ^
At this point I would think a format of only playing divisional games, conference title game, then who knows after that would work.... maybe?
August 11th, 2020 at 4:35 PM ^
Why? There is no correlation between division opponents and safety of playing. It's easier, faster, and safer to just play teams in Michigan than it is to fly out to fucking New Jersey and Maryland just because they're in our division
It's a consequence of the asinine expansion and realignment: conferences and divisions don't make any geographical sense like they used to
August 11th, 2020 at 8:49 PM ^
You could be right. This could start in mid-March with the conference championship on the first weekend in May. A 4 - 8 team CPF could even follow, and still be done before the beginning of June. Begin the 2021 season at the end of September/beginning of October and you have a 4 - 5 month break for the players to recuperate.
Of course, this depends on either a vaccine, or Americans willing to wear masks and maintain social distancing with adequate testing and contact tracing. Not sure I'm so optimistic about that.
Anyway, this is what we have to work with, and your idea sounds like a workable starting point.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:12 PM ^
Also, weather. The fields will be rock hard though the beginning of March. Not really suitable for a contact sport involving forcefully shoving opponents into the ground. The turf was not engineered for play after months of freeze. The sport would have to move indoors.
If it was only the MAc playing in spring, you could plausibly play all the games out of a few indoor stadiums. BG, UT, and the three Michigan teams could all share Ford Field and play games at noon, 4, and 8. Ball State and NIU could share Lucas Oil. Etc. Creative scheduling.
But throw Big Ten into the mix and the only plausible indoor solution I see is using indoor practice fields as stadiums, no fans, no band.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:20 PM ^
NFL plays on turf in January, have had 1-2 games in NE over the past 20 years. On the bright side, Ford Field is always open and available in January.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:39 PM ^
Gillette Stadium had a system to heat the turf to thaw it during cold months. The field was designed to be used in NFL playoff time. I don't think any Big Ten stadium has the same because at the end of November, it is cold but is not following months of freeze.
I could see Michigan and MSU sharing Ford Field and playing two games a day. Add five local MAC teams and it is tougher. MAC football might have to move to Sunday.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
Very true. Here's a fun climate fact from Detroit Metro Airport...normal high/low on March 1st is 40/24. On Nov 29, after Thanksgiving it's 42/30. Might seem like much but the regular season is over in late Nov and is played under much milder conditions (Sep & Oct).
On March 31st normals are up to 53/34 but record lows are still in the single digits so winter doesn't let go it's grip that quickly.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:24 PM ^
Sorry, your first point rules the day. You cannot ask players to play two full season of contact within one calendar year. If health and safety is really driving this other than being terrified of getting sued then there is no realistic way you have a Spring season. Sorry, just not happening, honestly I don't understand even floating the idea.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:25 PM ^
The sentences in bold pretty much explains the roadblocks. It will be more than draft eligible players risking injury. Injuries happen; so if a 1st or 2nd year player gets injured then the recovery time might not be ample to return for a full fall season.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:50 PM ^
Assuming a Vaccine is approved by the end of the year. The conferences get all players vaccinated.
Spring: 8 game conference season, 6 divisional games, 2 crossovers. + B1G Championship game. Takes place over 10 weeks starting on March 6th, ending on May 9th. No college football playoff.
Fall: 10 game conference season how this fall was supposed to be. Takes place over 12 weeks starting on October 2nd. B1G Championship game played on December 18th. Bowl Games and Playoff condensed to the first full 2 weeks of January.
This gives nearly 5 full months between seasons.
2022 Season back to Normal.
Just an idea I had yesterday but I really have doubts about a Spring season.
August 11th, 2020 at 5:40 PM ^
That’s an awfully big and unlikely assumption.
August 11th, 2020 at 7:27 PM ^
Yeah its unlikely the conferences could actually secure vaccines for all athletes. It would need to be for every sport, not just football. Having an approved vaccine by the end of the year doesn't seem that unlikely to me. Getting people to trust that they are safe will be another story.
August 11th, 2020 at 4:55 PM ^
What about early enrollees? Do they get to play if they have a spring season? Does that count as their freshman season so they're effectively ahead one season of the other incoming freshman that would enroll next fall?
August 11th, 2020 at 5:00 PM ^
Spring football can be like the Spring Game. Let the underclassmen / 3rd string players, who are not the starters, be the primary players.
College Football's own exhibition season.
I'd still watch, even though I wouldn't care that much. Just like the Spring game.
August 11th, 2020 at 5:11 PM ^
Trevor Lawrence is basically saying he won't be playing a spring season...without actually saying it. He'll be joined by most any player thinking he's got a shot at the NFL. I'd estimate 200-300 players across FBS would just not play. Could teams cobble together rosters? Sure. Would it be the football that we really want to see? I doubt it. You really think players like Hutchinson or McGrone (even if they aren't thinking of leaving early) would come back for a spring season that is completely unknown, and then expect to turn around for their final fall season?
August 11th, 2020 at 5:35 PM ^
August 11th, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
Spring football is dead on arrival and the Big Presidents know it! There are so many problems with this suggestion that I won't try and start.
August 11th, 2020 at 5:19 PM ^
Is it too cynical to think that the key to spring football happening would be the ability of fans to attend and as a result generate something close to the $40 plus million in revenue they generate annually for the program? If that is the case, I suspect the chances of Spring Football are fairly close to the chances we will be able to fill stadiums come February.
August 11th, 2020 at 5:19 PM ^
Just play in Glick if you need to start earlier. If you don't have fans does it matter? How many B1G teams don't have an indoor facility?