No NCAA Football opens can of worms

[Rebel-Fan-74]

OK, so the Big Ten and Pac 12 have decided to not play in the fall and could possibly play in the spring.

Two quick questions:

85 Maximum Scholarships is the rule, so now with early signees coming for "Spring Practice" becoming the norm, what happens now the those incoming freshman because the Senior Class is still there?

What about the NFL draft? All those underclassmen who leave early for the draft that are still playing??? Do some players decide not to play and just focus on the draft?

I do have other questions about this, one specific player comes to mind, Jake Bentley left for Utah for his final year of eligibility and now the PAC 12 is not playing this fall. I wonder what he is thinking now? I'm sure there are other players in similar situations and it's only going to get worse.

I don't see how they can play in the Spring and come back and play again in September of 2021. That's a lot of wear and tear on a body.

Of course the trickle down to High School Football is similar. If in December, your dream school offers you a scholarship but tells you that you have to grey-shirt and basically postpone your signing until they get a vacancy, do you wait for them or take an offer from another school? I think you will become very familiar with these terms in the near future:

Shirt type On scholarship?....Can play?....Can practice?......Meaning
Redshirt ----- Yes ................... No ............... Yes .............Athlete sits from competition for a year, then gets another year to complete four seasons.
Grayshirt ----- No ................... No ............... No .............Athlete waits an extra semester to become a full-time student and part of the team.
Blueshirt ----- Yes ................... No ............... Yes .............Athlete is not formally recruited, but is put on scholarship at start of freshman practice.
Greenshirt ----- Yes ................... Yes ............... Yes .............Athlete enrolls in school a semester early.

[Penguin]

The 2nd Semester of college doesn't end until May of 2021. All of the current Seniors would still be enrolled in the spring anyway. What difference is any of that going to make with regards to scholarships? Those Seniors would still be on scholarship until May.

The 2nd point that you make if very important. Are these Universities going to force these athletes to compete during 8 or more months of a calendar year now? Mighty tough even on a young, in shape, human body.

The best option is to cancel the 2020 season for those universities. Those left playing will regret that decision before all is said and done.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

The 2nd Semester of college doesn't end until May of 2021. All of the current Seniors would still be enrolled in the spring anyway. What difference is any of that going to make with regards to scholarships? Those Seniors would still be on scholarship until May.

Yes, but once the season is over if they no longer have eligibility remaining, they no longer count toward the 85, usually in November or December, except for New Years Bowls and National Championship teams.

[Penguin]

I did not know that. I heard the PAC 12 Commissioner (Larry Scott) on ESPN last night and he was asked the question about players playing too much football in too short of a time. He indicated that they (PAC 12) were going to be instituting an investigation into that possibility. He hinted at the very real possibility of there being no spring season if the investigation indicated that it would be too much to endure. Player safety is the driving factor in their study.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

I did not know that. I heard the PAC 12 Commissioner (Larry Scott) on ESPN last night and he was asked the question about players playing too much football in too short of a time. He indicated that they (PAC 12) were going to be instituting an investigation into that possibility. He hinted at the very real possibility of there being no spring season if the investigation indicated that it would be too much to endure. Player safety is the driving factor in their study.

I doubt that a study will be necessary to determine that there was a HUGE possibility that spring football followed by fall football would be too much on the players.

If a TOP TEN potential draft pick plays next spring I will be beyond shocked. I mean why would they? It could cause millions of dollars of lost income and even potential future income with endorsements, etc.

[Penguin]

Thinking about how star players have declined to play in Bowl games recently, you have a more than valid point. I am also thinking about those players who do not get to play this year who "could" have played themselves into the NFL and now won't get that chance. The guys who waited for their turn to play. This is a real mess no matter which way that you turn.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

Yes, those who were on the borderline {may get drafted and may not} could have grown their standing with a good year and like you said, now can't play their way up the board. This list of things that can go wrong continues to grow and I'm sure it will grow more and more crazy as we go forward.

Should the remaining 3 from the Power 5 play, how does the committee compare teams as there are no "common opponents" and strength of schedule will be a complete myth and nothing but someone's opinion based on biased feelings. How do you compare an 8-2 Auburn who played Alabama, LSU, Georgia and Florida against say a 9-1 Notre Dame who played an ACC schedule and lost to Clemson.

[Penguin]

Going to have to have a 4 team playoff just as before. Some Group of 5 Conferences like the Sun Belt are still going to play. I do think that you are underestimating the ACC this year. Clemson, ND, Carolina, Virginia, and possibly a couple of others are going to formidable. That is the thing, until they get on the field, you really don't know what to expect.

Another thing to consider is the possibility of players from the B1G and PAC 12 entering the Transfer Portal in order to get a chance to play this year. Justin Fields could make any team in those conferences, an instant contender. SC and Oregon have some good players who could make an impact. Going to be an interesting month or 6 weeks, that's for sure.

[DeCav]

If someone else has submitted this point already then I apologize. Been too busy to keep up with the board topics...

People are arguing about it being a bad thing that we might skip a year. All the focus is on how this coming season would let players pad their stats and improve their chances for a better NFL draft.

I might be wrong to ask but is anyone assuming or playing Devil's advocate that it is either a wash or even maybe a good thing?

To argue that players need to play so they can mature and ripen and make a run at the NFL seems like a 50/50 proposition. What if this season we have college ball and some players actually fall off a bit and even worse, get a career ending injury? Lattimore would probably have elected given the choice to go back in time and not play a single game the year his career ended.....He might be currently on an NFL team if he'd sat out that season.

Plus if, like Peng says, we don't have college ball, if no team plays then it's a level field. Don't forget the combine. They will still have to measure up and that might really show off the more dedicated athlete. An athlete that takes care of himself in an off season situation will have an advantage over a player dealt the same hand but elects to sit at home playing video games and eating pizza.

The last thing to consider....

Hypothetically, the NCAA cancels ALL college football. I guarantee scientists and psychologists and educators will come in and get some extraordinary metrics. Ask yourself what percentage of athletes forced to take a sabattical will see an improvement in their academic pursuits. I just hope that if college's don't play that the teachers are able to take advantage of a once in a life time opportunity, the opportunity to have an athlete's undivided attention.

Just some thoughts.

Oh, remember that we could live in one of those countries where folks have real problems like, "Oh sh*t, they're cutting all of our heads off today!"

I'm kind of mystified that after nearly two hundred years of football, we can't suffer a single season without football. What if aliens invade and they hate football and destroy all football stadiums. Do we still have to play football?

Pardon my hyperbole. But how bad do things have to get for the most die hard football fan not to think that a year with no football is a catastrophe?

[Onion Rings]

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