Hey, the SEC is interested in a fourteen-week football schedule! What could go wrong?
The football rules committee will meet in February to discuss the possibility further with one of its primary focuses being to ensure that the goals of the student athletes are met without putting them at risk both academically and from a health standpoint.
If camps get cranked up earlier, players could be finishing up summer semesters when things get started up and limit their opportunities to go home between semester breaks and take advantage of the few chances they get to unwind.
From the health standpoint, it’s a double-edged sword.
An expanded season with two built-in bye weeks would put less strain on student-athletes during the season, but if it comes at the expense of a fall camp session that is condensed due to the stated goal of keeping the camp window relatively intact, is that really a net positive?
The P5 will pump that two-bye week feature until the wheels fall off, if there’s an advantage for them to do so. Doing it for the kids always sells, even when they’re really not.
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Really? They’re thinking about taking away a football player’s ability to go home before the fall semester starts. They practically don’t get a Christmas break now if their team is in a bowl game. They can’t get a summer internship because of training requirements, but we’re supposed to consider they do what they do for the love of the game and a scholarship.
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Kirby just said that several of the players were doing internships during the May short semester. They may have even learned a few of their coworkers’ names in the time.
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Maybe you start at the same time and just have fewer practices in training camp? If everyone does it then I don’t see it putting anyone at a disadvantage.
Personally, I’d love for the second bye week to come back so I can have some semblance of a non-football life in the fall. But, obviously, the concerns of the student athlete are more important than mine as a fan. I’ve got the option of skipping a game… but who would want to?
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Fewer practices? Little Nicky would like a word with you.
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This is stealth playoff expansion talk. What?? 14 games too much for everyone? Ok, let’s just try it with, I dunno…16 teams in a playoff? ESPN says it should work.
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What really should happen is the regular season should go back to 11 games. The expansion to 12 games was a negative thing IMHO.
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