This is what we should have led with back in March. If Americans knew that fall football rested on how seriously they took covid 19 then maybe we would be in a different situation.
Does anyone actually think any of these schedules are going to play out? The B12, SEC, and ACC are delaying things, but cancellation seems inevitable at this point. These schools are pretty delusional to the point of thinking they can actually have fans in attendance.
They are going to make it work cause of the money involved. Can you skip every other row in the outdoor stadiums?
Loaded question but I'll take the bait. Yes, I think they're going to at least start the season. Money is a big reason as @tinman pointed out. No, I am not bullish that there will be any fans, or if there are fans, it'll be 25% or less. My opinion is that the testing and medical protocols that they're implementing for the players are rigorous and give the season a chance but nothing more than that.
The #1 issue for college football is that they are college kids and it's been impossible to stop them from partying
You can skip rows. But that's not going to separate people at entry and especially at exit, when 25,000 people are all trying to leave at the same time. Houston a few weeks ago didn't allow the GOP to have their state political convention with maybe 500 people - and that's an essential part of democracy. Austin has shut down swimming pools, tennis courts and golf courses. How do we then say, within 6 weeks, that putting 25,000 people in a stadium to watch a football game is OK? I agree about the money - but the B10 and Pac-12 had money involved too. It's one thing to put paid professionals in harm's way when they have union representation to look after their interests - but here, we're talking about sending free labor into risky situations so big business can make big money. It's notable that outside of Nebraska, the most vocal programs/players are those in contention for national titles or top NFL draft spots - Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, etc. I wonder what the Kansas's and Vanderbilt's think? It's interesting that the B10/P12 concerns were not so much cases or deaths, but long-term heart conditions. The minute a player from one of these schools has an enlarged heart, what happens?
Have you been to a Pac-12 game? I've been to several When Texas played USC there were significantly more Texas fans in LA Nobody in the Pac 12 cares about Pac 12 Football It's the complete opposite of the SEC
Fans-wise, sure. But dollars-wise, they all have mega-TV contracts. Even playing without fans would have been really lucrative.
True but the Pac 12 colleges charge way more tuition than the SEC 60K / year for an undergrad at Stanford