I love Athens in the spring.

Three months ago, I thought moving college football to the spring was a possibility.  Three weeks ago, I thought college football would start as scheduled in the fall, come hell or high water.  Now?  Welp ($$)

An impending choice by a conference that plays in the Football Championship Subdivision could have an impact that stretches across college football.

College athletics is bracing for the Ivy League’s decision regarding fall sports in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, an announcement that is expected to come down on Wednesday. Multiple football coaches in the Ivy League told The Athletic over the weekend that they expect Wednesday’s announcement to be that the league is moving all fall sports, including football, to spring 2021…

Could the Ivy League’s decision regarding football be a harbinger of what’s to come at other levels once again? It’s possible. As one Power 5 administrator put it, a lot of university presidents — particularly those at top academic institutions in the Power 5 — consider Ivy League schools their peers. And they respect the level of research and expertise coming out of those campuses, as society at large waits for a COVID-19 vaccine.

“My suspicion is that the majority of presidents in the FBS are uncomfortable with the notion of playing football this fall but for various reasons don’t want to be the first to step out and say that,” the Power 5 administrator told The Athletic. “So, more than anything else, that decision provides the cover they need. I expect it’ll be a big domino.”

I’m not buying the academic peer bullshit, but the cover they need?  Yeah, I could see that.  I don’t think the P5 are there yet, as they face money pressures the Ivy Leagues doesn’t, but if the news doesn’t improve soon and the IL moves to the spring, that option may become more attractive.  What do y’all think?

199 Comments

Filed under College Football, The Body Is A Temple

199 responses to “I love Athens in the spring.

  1. Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

    Cases aren’t deaths. The news has improved, the media simply won’t report it that way. The curve is completely the opposite of what it was: cases are up (mostly because of the protests / riots) and deaths are down now 92% since the high in late March. We are protecting our most vulnerable. Hospitals are still not overwhelmed. This is what is happening.

    If CFB doesn’t play this fall because of “cases” of a virus that kills less people under the age of 60 than the flu or pneumonia, the NFL will take over Saturday and never give it back. If you don’t think they will, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you on Craigslist, real cheap barely used.

    Like

    • I really have tried hard not to wade into this debate here, but there is one thing I have to say in response to your post: it is a mistake to read national numbers as some sort of uniform explanation of what’s going on statistically. You have to drill down at least to the state level and, in many cases, to a county level, to appreciate what’s happening.

      Needless to say, I don’t find your summary convincing. I am not saying this to provoke an argument, but simply to note that we should all be skeptical of general statistical assessments.

      Liked by 5 people

      • I share your skepticism of general statistical assessments, and also an added skepticism of the idea that COVID case rates are up “mostly” because of protests/riots.

        Like

        • Johnny Tomberlin

          Agree. And no mention of the Trump rallies where masks are pretty much forbidden. Oh wait, no one showed up for his rallies. Me thinks his own base is calling BS on this one.

          Like

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        Well, YMMV, but there’s nothing wrong with skepticism, it’s just strange how people seem to only point the skepticism in one direction in this case and not in the direction of those who continue to use the virus to control us.

        When this all started, we shut down the economy just to make sure hospitals weren’t overwhelmed, not to stop deaths or infections. Just to make sure there would be enough beds. Then after we did that, instead of reopening immediately, the media shifted to the number of deaths, not explaining that those dying were overwhelmingly over the age of 65 or had preexisting conditions, and that the majority of the deaths in NY and NJ were due to the terrible decision by each governor to send elderly patients back to their nursing homes. So after that and the curve “flattened” and we opened back up, which we have been open since late April, deaths continue to fall, but in the last 30 days cases are going up again precipitously in some areas (that coincides with the protests / riots, not reopening), so what does the media report? The cases, which they purposefully conflate with deaths.

        It’s not about the virus. If it was about the actual virus, they’d have come out against the protests and riots in the same exact way they came out against reopening “too early” or people going to religious services. It’s about control.

        Liked by 2 people

      • Russ

        We can do it! We’re almost as big as NYC and we’ll always do things bigger here in Texas!

        We certainly have more than our fair share of COVIDiots here. Plus a Lt. Gov. that says there are worse things than dying.

        Like

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        A politician saying something? It must be true, Derek. Just like all the stuff they said back in March. Wait… I mean in April. Wait… I mean in May. Wait… I mean in June.

        Like

        • Derek

          Yep. There is a politician who was wrong about everything: Feb-July.

          If we don’t have football we all know who lacks any credibility and who is to blame.

          Europe has live soccer matches right now.

          The difference is stark ain’t it?

          Liked by 2 people

          • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

            Funny Derek, I was going to say, every step of the way, the person who’s been the most wrong here about covid-19… has been you.

            But you do you. You always do.

            Like

            • Derek

              Thanks for refraining from saying the thing(s?) I was wrong about. I know you didn’t want to save my feelings and you certainly had the ammunition to bolster your argument with a list, but you relented. Thanks.

              But maybe you’re just fos.

              Like

          • Napoleon BonerFart

            Trump never even stockpiled ventilators! We’re still waiting!

            Liked by 1 person

            • Playpen.

              I’m really getting tired of the back and forth with you two. Just so you know…

              Like

              • Napoleon BonerFart

                I’m just trying to save lives and support the both of you.
                #FearMasks
                #Science

                Like

                • Nah. You’re just indulging in an adolescent pissing match with Derek.

                  Like

                • DCBasham

                  Seriously, please do something about these guys (Meyers, Bonerfart). Can’t they take their shit to DawgVent or DawgPost? Or make a way we can hide/mute their posts?

                  Like

                • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

                  Why are my point of view in question here DC, and not others? What makes me saying, “Look to the data which tells us this thing is not nearly as deadly as we’ve been told,” so objectionable while others bury their heads in the sand? Am I saying, “Don’t wear masks,” or “Don’t take precautions,” as others who very much make this a political issue say? No, I’m not. Why is basing a belief on actual hard data provided by the CDC now a “political” point? I’m guessing it’s because you don’t like that point of view.

                  Seriously, how is saying that “political?” And even if it was, why should only one prevailing point of view be allowed simply because you or others don’t like it a different point of view? Why is it always instead of proving a cogent argument, some people demand censorship or try to change the argument because they cannot argue the point?

                  Liked by 1 person

                • Because the three of you guys — and you know whom I’m talking about — are tiresome and predictable when you aren’t talking about football.

                  It’s a drag. I’ve had to formulate a time out rule because of you three.

                  And here you are, grinding a point into the dirt instead of ignoring someone like you should.

                  The three of you are currently responsible for about 17% of all comments and almost everything you post is something you’ve already said before. It’s gotten old.

                  Like

                • Look at your tribalism shine.

                  Like

                • Napoleon BonerFart

                  Corch, you should know by now that data is hate speech. Try calling people fucktards instead.
                  #Don’tQuestion

                  Like

      • Napoleon BonerFart

        It also helps to reclassify as many patients as possible to Coronavirus.
        “The number of hospitalized patients includes patients with a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19 even if the person is admitted to the hospital for a different reason,” – Texas Department of Public Health Services
        #SCIENCE

        Like

        • Russ

          Well, the ICU beds are still filling up and patients are being transferred to other hospitals with space, but they all just decided to go to the hospital to make Trump look bad.

          Like

          • 2675miller

            Pretty much nailed it. Hospitals all full in the Augusta region. Have two friends in the hospital right now. One died two weeks ago. Several more folks I know have cases with significant symptoms. All diagnosed because they are testing more I guess.

            Liked by 1 person

          • Napoleon BonerFart

            I think they probably all decided to go to the hospital now because the hospitals turned them away over the past few months. Or, they stayed away because they were scared shitless by the constant press reports of imminent death for us all. Unless you think the Coronavirus is giving people unrelated illnesses. That would certainly be diabolical. Trump absolutely did underestimate the virus if it’s capable of that!

            Like

    • Ken Wilkinson

      I think it is being reported accurately. Deaths per detected cases are down, because the spike in cases has skewed toward younger patients. However, A) deaths lag detection by weeks, so the death metric can still get worse, and B) not dying does not equal unaffected. Many surviving patients are suffering long-term health consequences from the blood clotting in multiple organs caused by the disease.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        You can suffer “long-term” effects from any respiratory disease. My father took a vacation a few years back, contracted pneumonia, is always a risk for reinfection, and now his lungs function at 80% capacity per his doctor.

        This virus does not have superpowers.

        Like

    • Definitely ‘riots’ and not people packed in, drunk and maskless at places like Kid Rock’s Big Ass Honkytonk. Gotta be the ‘riots’. ‘Riots’ all over southern Florida? Big ole Texas-Style ‘riots’? 😐

      Like

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        The spike in cases that the media is so interested about does not coincide with the virus’s natural incubation period from reopening “too soon” back in late April and early May. It almost perfectly coincides with the protests and riots.

        But you can believe what you’d like.

        Liked by 1 person

    • Jeff Sanchez

      This guy Clay Travises

      Liked by 1 person

    • SpellDawg

      “cases are up (mostly because of the protests / riots) and deaths are down”

      Deaths lag by 3-5 weeks, deaths are down because of the shutdown. 2-3 weeks from now, deaths will not be down.
      Lots of states/counties that had no protests are surging.
      Many, many hospitals are overwhelmed. 4 hospitals in the Tampa area are out of ICU beds, for one. Texas & Arizona are in deep shit. Google a bit.

      The news is not improving, the virus has not relented as predicted, it’s spreading in the hottest months in the hottest states. I knew no one with Corona through June, now two people on my street have it. Several friends have lost family members. Our biggest county hospital counts available ICU beds in the single-digits and is nearing capacity. Pumping sunshine and blaming the media needs to stop, we need to take this fucker on like it’s threatening to kill our family……or it soon will be.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        “Deaths lag behind cases.”

        Of course they do. Do you know what else is true, SpellDawg?

        COVID-19 doesn’t kill healthy people under the age of 65. It kills the elderly and it kills people with preexisting conditions. The vast majority of people under 30 who have contracted it don’t even know they had it.

        These things can be true together, they’re not mutually exclusive. We’ve seen a rise in cases for about a month, yet during that time deaths have decreased precipitously. According to your math, we should have seen a rise in deaths last week. We didn’t. We won’t this week either.

        Unlike what a certain Grady Grad still believes, we are not practicing human sacrifice. We are protecting the vulnerable and trying ourselves to go about our lives as best we can. It’s all we can do. If you want to hide away and be scared of something that’s less likely to kill a healthy person under the age of 65 than a shark or lightning or flu or pneumonia, well, you do what you think is best for you. In all seriousness.

        Like

        • Timphd

          “COVID-19 doesn’t kill healthy people under the age of 65”. Tell that to the family of Nick Cordero. He suffered for three months before dying at age 41. Married with a young child.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

            And as unfortunate as that is, it does nothing to change the facts. It does nothing to change what is.

            If your mother dies tomorrow in a plane crash, it doesn’t suddenly make flying any less safe.

            Good lord… some of you are bound and determined to fear irrationally no matter what.

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            • Will (the other one)

              You keep saying these are “facts” so I’m sure you can point some peer-reviewed medical journal studies that back it up, right? It’s been over a full quarter, they’ve had time to gather data. If not, then stop calling it “a fact” when it’s a hunch, educated guess, or wishful thinking.

              Liked by 1 person

              • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

                It is none of those things. It is a statistically insignificant number of people under the age of 65 without preexisting conditions who have died from covid-19.

                Under the age of 30 is practically an impossibility.

                And here’s where you can find that information, Will. I’ll let you decide if it’s a good source or not:

                cdc.gov

                Like

                • I’m going to try to beat people to the punch and not that “statistically insignificant” is a term of art, and it does not imply that the humans themselves were insignificant. Just insignificant in the same way the odds are so small you’ll win the lottery that you don’t plan your retirement based on it.

                  Like

                • Cojones

                  I call bs. An 11 yr old died in Fl last week and there are many deaths in the 30-40 range. Several athletes in early 20s died in the last 3 weeks. You should look at the death columns by age published by the CDC before using it as some bogus reference as if you have read it.

                  It’s time you dropped the cognitive dissonance routine and ask yourself why you want to intentionally put out misinformation that is impressing 3 people thus far.

                  Like

                • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

                  There is no bs to call. The amount of deaths in the US and the world from those under the age of 65 who are healthy and have no preexisting conditions is statistically insignificant. That is the reality of the situation. What you feel doesn’t change that, I’m sorry.

                  Like

            • SpellDawg

              Planes have been flying for over a generation, the odds are well-established. We are months into this, not years. The “facts” in supply are precious few, you are hanging your hat on (at best) educated guesses. May the odds forever be in your favor.

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              • Napoleon BonerFart

                So, your recommendation is to take the best educated guess from the CDC, and others, and then multiply it by several times just to be extra careful? You think that’s responsible? If we think the death from infection rate is 0.26%, we should just behave as if it’s 26% to be safe? I guess that’s one strategy.

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                • SpellDawg

                  No, I take the death rates being reported by John Hopkins for multiple countries and use rational judgement. US currently has a 4.5% mortality rate, UK has a 15.4% rate on the high end, Saudi Arabia is reporting .9% on the low end. It’s somewhere in-between, and that’s a lot deadlier than the seasonal flu. You do you buddy, sure would hate to lose your snark.
                  https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

                  Like

                • Napoleon BonerFart

                  You’ve ignored the infection mortality rate in favor of the observed case mortality rate. Understandable. It’s several times higher. But it doesn’t change reality.

                  Sorry if you interpret facts as “snark.” But I see no reason to focus on bad news and then recommend actions as if the good news didn’t even exist.

                  Like

                • SpellDawg

                  There is no reasonably accurate infection fatality rate, we would need to know the total number of Covid cases, and we’d also have to know every death that was Covid-related. If antibody testing was more of a US priority and efforts were made to make it readily available…but that’s another topic. National Geographic article from July 2nd that takes a stab at it:
                  “Using the handful of studies that have calculated infection-fatality rates for seasonal flu, Meyerowitz-Katz determined that somewhere between 1 and 10 people die for every 100,000 that are infected. For COVID-19, that number ranges between 500 and 1,000 deaths per 100,000 infections. By his calculations, the coronavirus is likely to be 50 to 100 times more deadly than the seasonal flu, which supports the Columbia University findings.”
                  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/07/coronavirus-deadlier-than-many-believed-infection-fatality-rate-cvd/

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                • Napoleon BonerFart

                  The difficulties with IFR calculation exist with every disease. Yet we still use it. Your own source states that the CFR is flawed and the IFR is the superior metric. It also refers to the latest CDC guidance as a “misinformed rate on social media.” Then, it uses a mathematical model, which is acknowledges skews high, to promote more fear.

                  The fact is, death rates are trending down. If the second wave apocalypse had actually started in late May, we should have started seeing the deaths two or three weeks later. We haven’t. Maybe the holiday weekend of the fourth has seriously skewed the latest data, but even the pre-holiday data was trending down.

                  Like

                • Woe to you for calling out statistics on Boner’s watch — he works for the Insurance Bund, you know. The friends of The People. You know?

                  Like

              • Woe unto you for arguing statistics with Boner —- he is part of the Insurance Bund, you know. The friend of The People. You know?

                Like

          • I think he was speaking statistically. But it’s a fair point. That is an awful, awful story.

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        • Will (the other one)

          Ok, so this is really easy to say “The vast majority of people under 30 who have contracted it don’t even know they had it.” but what’s your actual evidence behind it?

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        • SpellDawg

          No one would debate younger people handle the virus better, but we have multiple people under 30 on vents here at the hospital. Diabetes, obesity, smoking/vaping….those are all preexisting conditions that increase your risk of death by Covid. How many of your friends/family can check at least one of those boxes? ~30% of Americans keep refusing to wear masks pretty much guarantees they’ll all get their chance to see how they fare against Covid someday soon.

          We are 2 to 3 weeks into the surge in the hot zones, too soon to see any spike in deaths. It’s much deadlier than the flu, that’s meme has been proven wrong for quite awhile. Pneumonia is a curious comparison to make. Sharks & lightning though….

          Liked by 2 people

          • doofusdawg

            Think I read that from infection to death averaged appx twenty three days. Thanks for your work and your report.

            DHEC in South Carolina reported that the state had eight deaths yesterday. Five of them were elderly and three were middle age. No mention of any underlying conditions or what exactly is elderly or middle age. How can we make informed decisions for ourselves as well as football with that kind of statistic. Just trust them I guess and wear a mask. Because if there is no football then the narrative has already been created that it is the fault of all the deplorables who don’t wear a mask. Just trust them I guess. They will call off the dogs and let us have football in the spring if the election goes the right way. No thanks.

            Like

            • SpellDawg

              There’s also the lag in reporting. Last I heard our state was 6 to 14 days out on publishing figures, so when they give you numbers for yesterday, it’s not data from yesterday. That obviously cuts both ways when discussing a rise in cases/deaths. It’s all a mess, err on the side of caution and try to not be a statistic.

              Like

      • Napoleon BonerFart

        How many ICU beds are taken up by Coronavirus patients with serious symptoms vs patients who had medical treatment for unrelated conditions postponed by the shut downs and are now extremely ill?

        Like

    • “Deaths are down 92% since the high in late March.” If you’re looking at highest number of reported deaths in a single day versus lowest, maybe. But the numbers are skewed when looking at single-day reports. It’s best to look at something like a 7-day moving average. When you do you see that the peak was April 21st (2,255), and the low was yesterday. July 5th (511).

      This means deaths are down (nationally) by around 77% since the peak. Not 92%.

      https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

      Like

  2. Biggen

    Man spring football? The logistics of this would be, challenging to say the least.

    Wouldn’t this essentially be an admission that CFB is nothing more than a blatant cash grab?

    Like

  3. So, if CFB moved to spring 2021, what would that mean for the fall?

    Like

    • Biggen

      I have a hard time believing they could do a Spring football. Are high profile players actually going to play like Fields, Lawrence, etc??

      They will be wanting to get ready for the draft.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Union Jack

        Looks like Kirby brining in JT Daniels was pretty good insurance if the season moves to the Fall and Newman sits to prepare for the draft.

        Liked by 2 people

  4. Ben

    I think expecting these kids to play two seasons in a calendar year is ridiculous. There’s less downtime between season’s end and spring ball, or even summer ball, and they’d be kicking off a new season with a few months of finishing another.

    If you get a guy hurt in week one or two, he misses two seasons of eligibility, too. Where’s the justice in that?

    Fall ball or no ball is how I feel, but I don’t have any money at stake at all.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I’ve seen proposals that if cfb is played in the spring, fall ball would start much later and probably with fewer games.

      Like

    • Yea this spring thing is loaded with problems. Football is very tough on the body. No recovery time, no off season workouts (which can include a lot of therapy).

      Playing in February? Good lord.

      Like

  5. Ken Wilkinson

    Spring football is better than no football, but losing another spring practice and recruiting season? ouch.

    Like

    • Economically I hate the idea of no football for the tens of thousands of working people that need the income. However your regular fan and Disney can survive. The fact that Americans can’t prioritize and weather a storm is how we got to this point anyway.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        What no football would do to Athens… there’s a real chance it could never recover. The economic devastation would be real, and even more, leave Athens open to even more terrible franchises and even the presence of something like Wal-Mart which we narrowly defeated a few years back.

        Like

        • Well unfortunately the virus got weaponized all the way back to January and continues to be so. That has now resulted in leaders ( Not just politicians but all public officials) making decisions on polls and re election, and PR and the internets versus what we need to do and what needs to happen.

          I genuinely careand concerned for the economic recovery for the blue collar force and small businesses. It seems that no one fully gets it. Even that discussion got weapon ized about people wanting a hair cut.

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  6. Bright Idea

    They should plan as if Covid will be around forever. Fall, winter, spring doesn’t matter. A vaccine will be so scrutinized, politicized and monetized that it will take months, if not years to dispense. Herd immunity has already been declared impossible by most observers. I just don’t see a purely medical answer that will satisfy everybody.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Napoleon BonerFart

      Even the best vaccine won’t be totally effective. And the standard has now become, “if it saves even a single life.” Since death will never be eliminated, people will continue to demand the lock downs indefinitely.

      Like

      • Cojones

        Beginning to think that you are an orphan with no known family at risk for this virus.

        Like

        • Napoleon BonerFart

          Only heartless orphans can imagine unintended consequences.
          #IfItSavesEvenASingleLife
          #StayHomeStayPoor

          Like

  7. Paul

    I want to say that football will be played in empty stadiums before the decision is made to move to spring ball. But a lot of teams are reporting large numbers of players COVID positive. Some folks say this is great! This is exactly what we want. We’re developing herd immunity! To which I respond with my best Lee Carson imitation, not so fast my friend.

    Like

  8. I’ve never understood the belief held by many that goes something like: “Of course there’ll be SOME KIND of football season. How can there not be when so much money is at stake?”

    This idea has always ignored the possibility of a worst- or even bad-case scenario in which, over the course of this summer, COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths meet or exceed the peak of late April. (This “meeting or exceeding” can happen on a national level while being spread very unevenly among the 50 states, obviously. For instance, places which have already been a “hot spot” and been more strict in their easing of restrictions will probably not see another wave so deadly this summer. Instead there will be new hot spots driving national numbers.)

    This has always been, and continues to be, a very possible scenario feared by many (non-alarmist and reasonable!) people. Especially, (imagine that) well-respected epidemiologists.

    If we get to the bad-case scenario which is driven by college-football-loving-states-as-hot-spots, governors of said states will have no choice but to ban sporting events. And simply banning fans is not enough. It takes hundreds and hundreds of people to put on a college football game. How are you going to accurately/adequately test them all each week of the season? This question has still not been answered appropriately (on a national scale… some schools are doing better than others.)

    I think the chance of there being Some vs None games this year is roughly 50/50. Up from 70/30 a month ago.

    Liked by 1 person

    • JH

      Agreed…just on a practical level hard to see how things move forward unless there’s a drastic drop in cases or some miracle therapeutic drug is discovered. Even if there’s a season, the minimum required changes will be drastic for anyone watching, not to mention playing. There’s no way to test everyone involved in getting the game, field, team, tv/radio crews ready and crowds of people packed together are almost an essential for the college football experience. Just imagine ESPN’s College Game Day without anybody there…I’m sure their executives have been having nightmares about these kinds of questions for months.

      Like

    • Will (the other one)

      The number of idiots saying “it’s still not a big deal” even now keep upping the likelihood of no CFB this fall (or a truncated, fanless season) and I’d love a temporary law passed where, if we lose CFB, we can punch them with gloves on without assault charges or a civil suit. They still might not learn from all that, but I’d feel a little beter.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Well, I don’t want to punch anybody, but I’d throw a rotten tomato at someone.

        Liked by 1 person

      • HiAltDawg

        While we all want you to feel better, violence begets violence, you might just get punched (or worse) back

        Like

        • Will (the other one)

          But beating Clay Travis’s ass would feel good though.
          It’s an open wager: if you’re so confident the season will be fine, despite dire warnings from public health experts, you have nothing to lose. If we get a truncated season or cancelled season, you might not catch corona but you can catch some hands. If the “no big deal crowd” is confident, they’d take the offer.

          Like

          • doofusdawg

            Guess you would have to take on Jason Whitlock too.

            Like

          • Napoleon BonerFart

            That’s a “heads I win, tails you lose” kind of wager. The burden of proof is currently, “if it saves even a single life.” Of course, with that kind of reasoning, everything should be cancelled. What you term the “no big deal” crowd is actually people in favor of allowing people to make their own decisions. Can young healthy people at very little risk for developing serious symptoms live their lives while elderly people with serious comorbidities self-quarantine to mitigate their risks? Some say yes. Some say no.

            But if healthy people living their lives enrages you to the point of violence, God bless.

            Like

  9. 92 Grad

    My sort of yes or no to the likelihood of football hinges on something I dont really understand. First, it simply is not possible to stop the virus from spreading. Everyone will eventually be exposed. Second, do the powers that be think they need to have zero positive people in the stadiums and on the fields? I’m not sure what the goal is here, seems impossible to me to expect that there can be no one at the game with the virus.

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Dawg1

    Will that count as a super spring practice and therefore Monken, Newman, et al, will be doubly ready?

    Or will Zamir and others skip spring games to be ready for the draft? (The NFL has already said they will not postpone the 2021 draft.

    Lot of answers to questions TBD.

    Like

    • Milton Dawg

      I don’t think that there is any question that if football is moved to the spring that there will be numerous kids that have draft aspirations that decide not to play. If a kid is projected to be a first round pick, why risk injury in the spring before the draft? Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Jamie Newman, etc., etc., etc. For that matter, why risk it if you are projected to be a second or third round pick that usually gets that bigger second contract? Getting to that pension after the rookie deal is a nice deal.

      The NCAA has been devoid of leadership when it comes to college football. If the NCAA isn’t going to step in and give solid protocols across the board, then conferences will have to handle that and the SEC would have to have a standardized protocol for every member school of what practices, games, testing, etc. look like. If things are left up to the individual conferences, subject to mandates from governors, I could easily see a season where teams plan to play an 8 or 9 game conference schedule this fall and no non-conference opponents. Hard to play games against OOC opponents if they don’t have the same protocols that an SEC team does. And as noted by the governor of South Carolina there may well be conference teams that are simply out for 2020 however it looks.

      Like

  11. PTC DAWG

    Coach Meyers is on point here….believe it or not.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Derek

      Someone has to deflect reality and he’s doing a helluva job!

      Was he the author of “Custer: The Victor of Little Bighorn?”

      Or was he the inspiration for the Black Knight?

      Both?

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Spring football may happen at the Ivy League where last year all of 1 player earned an invite to the combine.

    Let’s get to the real problems (source: Sporting News’s top 50 prospects for 2021). Depending on how the NFL changes its rules related to 3rd year players’ declarations, every draftable underclassmen who is a likely 1st rounder never plays a snap in the spring 2021. Say see ya to Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Penei Sewell, Gregory Rousseau, Ja’Marr Chase, Justyn Ross, Patrick Surtain, Shaun Wade, Micah Parsons, LaBryan Ray, Cade Mays, Jay Tufele, Andre Sisco, Joe Tryon, Trey Smith, Chuba Hubbard, Creed Humphrey, Jalen Mayfield, and Paulson Adebo. That doesn’t include others who determine another year of film isn’t going to improve their draft position. Top seniors may decide it’s not worth it to risk injury to play in the spring (put Richard LeCounte on that list). As soon as a top team has been eliminated from playoff contention, you’ll likely see every projected 1st or 2nd rounder leave the team. Let’s say we were to lose at Tuscaloosa and at home to Auburn. We possibly say good-bye to Richard LeCounte, Jamie Newman, Tyson Campbell, and Trey Hill halfway through the season. Think of the waves of players that decide to leave during the season at certain points.

    The networks already have contracts in place with leagues for sports in the spring. I doubt those leagues/sports are going to bend over backwards to allow Mickey, CBS, Fox, and NBC to show college football.

    If they don’t play in the fall, they ain’t playing at all. That’s why the best outcome for those who need the money and the players will be to play in the fall with no fans in attendance.

    Liked by 3 people

    • junkyardawg41

      ee, as usual I think you are right on point. I think your 3rd paragraph doesn’t get the traction with others as I think it should. I think the networks do not want to pit NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Baseball, NFL Football, NBA, and MLB against each other. Too much expense and not enough eye balls.
      I also agree if they don’t play in the fall, they aren’t going to play.
      I will also reiterate that MLB and NBA will definitely be the test cases for what sports might look like this fall and provide data on the possibility of it happening.

      Like

      • Could the conferences negotiate with their broadcast partners to move games to their sports networks (NBCSN, CBSSN, FS1, Fox regional networks, ESPN+) or move things around on the conference networks? Probably. That likely means games on week nights and odd times on weekends.

        Can you imagine driving from Atlanta to Athens on I-85 and 316 through Gwinnett County for a game on a week night? Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue on campus for parking during university operating hours?

        It’s a pure disaster in the making if they try that route.

        Like

    • Love reasonable takes.

      Like

    • Yeah, but….. Tyson Campbell in his current version? I can’t see that.

      Like

  13. ApalachDawg aux Bruxelles

    I don’t care how the other conferences do it but the SEC should…
    only play their currently scheduled conference games with no bye weeks (except for week before champ game).
    Division winners meet in ATL to crown the SEC champ.

    Another SEC championship banner would be just fine with me. Nobody can fuck with the SEC big dogs(or Dawgs!) anyway.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Paulwesterdawg

    Remember in March, the first schools to shut down hoops and pull out of tournaments were schools that had the best medical schools.

    Like

  15. As somebody who has worn a mask since March and been a dutiful little soldier about following the rules, I still hate that the CoronaBros are just gonna push and push and push so that normal never comes. What are the hospitalizations like ? Is the system overwhelmed ? No, OK, wear a mask and get the fuck on with life.

    DYK: we’ve NEVER had a vaccine for any coronavirus. When is this vaccine going to come ? Ever ?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

      People telling people not to wear masks is just as stupid as the people scared of COVID-19 who have no statistical probability of death.

      We can get back to mostly normal, but to do that, we need to continue protecting our most vulnerable, and to continue to protect our most vulnerable, yes, we need to wear masks and sanitizing our hands.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Will (the other one)

      With a lot of testing + contact tracing you can halt growth in its tracks, and then mask use of 95% can keep the spread down. Unfortunately that would require an order of magnitude more testing than we’re doing now, and our attempts at contact tracing are laughable.

      Like

      • Napoleon BonerFart

        Here’s some statistical contract tracing for you.

        Like

        • Dawgflan

          Holy shite I hate feeding the troll, but I seriously?

          Columbia University Scientis = #FakeScience but a twitter post by “Gummi Bear” sharing a chart by Hold2 LLC, a one-person financial investing company no doubt owned by Sir Gummy Bear, has done statistical work worth of your great intellect.

          You, Rolex Target Karen, and the rest of the QAnon citizen journalists are really something.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Napoleon BonerFart

            Showing data = trolling. Don’t address the data.
            #NothingToSeeHere

            Like

            • Dawgflan

              The Columbia University paper referenced above by a healthcare worker does a much better job of addressing the deficiencies of the data of your citizen journalist friend. Being critical of the source and the intellectual dishonesty of the persons posting it was just for my own satisfaction. I have no interest in engaging with people who argue with fixed mindsets, juvenile humor, and a bad faith argumentum ad absurdum schtick.

              Liked by 1 person

              • Napoleon BonerFart

                Data inconsistent with our fears is deficient. Continue to avoid addressing the data. CDC is trolling us with death counts.
                #IntellectualHonesty

                Like

          • Napoleon BonerFart

            You should also definitely ignore the trolls at the CDC.
            #LiterallyShaking
            #DeathComesForUsAll

            Like

  16. Silver Britches

    Maybe I’m giving the powers that be too much credit here, but I’m of the opinion that Spring has been kept off the table so it can be a fallback position. If the Fall season has to be postponed, or halted at some point, the Spring is in play for the season to start or resume. If you come out now and say we’re waiting until the Spring, you don’t really have a plan B.

    Like

  17. Do we really think they’re gonna let us have it in the Spring of 2021 ? After the winter, when everything spikes and we get lectures from Dan Fucking Wolken for 6 months about how we’re all idiots ? May as well just have it now.

    What if this vaccine never comes ? We’ve never had a coronavirus vaccine. We gonna tiptoe through history ?

    Liked by 1 person

  18. DawgPhan

    I dont think that postponing anything makes much sense. It just forces you to make an even harder decision than the one in front of you. AD cant figure out today, how could they attempt to predict what 9 months from now looks like.

    I think that they could likely safely play football this fall, but not the entire season. Play some number of conference games(6?). No fans. The conference picks up the testing tab.

    Run an 8-12 team playoff at the end.

    Like

  19. Derek

    I think the hard question for the decision-makers that hasn’t been addressed is what happens when a player tests positive during the season?

    Is it defensible to sit ONLY that guy? Do you have to sit everyone who has come in contact with them until the incubation period has expired?

    I think that’s where it gets very very hard. And believe me the decision makers didn’t get to where they are by making hard choices and defending them. They got there by ass kissing, not making waves and reading a room.

    Players WILL test positive if they play this fall (and probably in the Spring). Can these guys handle the pressure, internal and external, that comes with that? Would they rather dodge that inevitability?

    Is the easier choice to say: we’ll see you in the fall of 21?

    Seems like it.

    Like

    • “Is the easier choice to say: we’ll see you in the fall of 21?”

      That decision is economically painful for those in the athletic department at their $40k per year salary as they face salary cuts, forced reduced work, or furloughs. You can already see the effect it’s having and will continue to have on other sports. I saw an article the other day about a baseball player showing up at Boise State just to be told they are shuttering their baseball program. Of course, Cincinnati immediately canceled the men’s soccer program in the aftermath of the initial wave. It’s horrible for business owners and leaders in the local community who may see their life’s work go belly up with a lost football season. When an AD goes into a local restaurant and sees a whole bunch of heads with scowls on their faces turn his/her way, does that person want to deal with the potential of becoming a pariah overnight for circumstances beyond his/her control?

      There is no easy choice in this.

      Like

      • Derek

        Of course, cash is on the other side. I get that.

        But if you don’t have a good answer for my question, you start playing and maybe you still don’t make the money.

        I know they want/need the money. If you don’t give them a way of making it AFTER the inevitable happens, then isn’t the call not to take the risk?

        What I’m suggesting is that unless you can play enough to both get the money and deal with the consequences, why jump into the season?

        So if you’re advising a college president and he asks: what happens when a play tests positive on 9/15/20, two weeks into the season, what do you tell him?

        We play on?

        We’re done?

        We skip two games and come back?

        If you can’t answer that for these political animals, they will instinctively go into cya mode.

        Like

        • junkyardawg41

          I think you will see something akin to the concussion protocol process. There will be a set of generally agreeable medical conditions to allow a player to play and a set of medical standards for players who test positive. I think the political piece is definitely a wild card.

          Like

          • Derek

            What about contact tracing?

            Just ignore it?

            If you have one kid with it, you probably have a dozen and don’t know it yet.

            Do you let that become 40?

            I just think its a hard to see how administrators spin playing with players who are positive or presumed to be positive, i.e., those who should be under quarantine because of contact with a corona-positive person.

            You either have to say:

            asymptomatic college players can play with coronavirus because they are young and healthy and so are those who they come in contact with
            OR

            get ready to play with walk-ons and even be prepared to draft from the student body to fill a roster. .

            Like

            • junkyardawg41

              “What about contact tracing?” Do you see a path to that actually occurring anywhere in the US?
              WRT your either or, I would think players would have to be tested the day prior to a game in order to play in the game the next day. Obviously travel squads would have to be allowed to increase.

              Like

              • Derek

                ….and you get a positive result.

                What now?

                Go…………

                If you think the fact that the guy has been in close contact with his teammates is to be ignored, just say it.

                If East Tennessee State has one positive on Friday do you want to play them the next day if they only sit that one guy knowing a half dozen at least are now vectors?

                Like

        • I’m speaking to the questions beyond the immediate effect of not playing. The AD probably isn’t directly impacted by the businesses that close for good in the town. The AD and the president probably tell the golf program is closing and then run to hide under their desks because they have to cut costs.

          The typical AD is in a no win situation. There is no easy answer. That’s why the answer is going to be we’re going to play without fans because the season ticket holder is probably the most loyal supporter of the athletic department, and they take it for granted that the 50,000 of us who buy the tickets will meekly go to Section HD with plans to come back in 2021.

          Liked by 1 person

          • Derek

            Again, what do you tell the college president when he asks:

            “What happens when a player tests positive after the season starts?”

            We all know what these guys motives are and what is animating them.

            What do you tell a college president the plan is when a real life “battlefield” scenario plays out like “our starting qb has corona and so the entire qb room probably does too?”

            Like

            • You either forfeit or find a way to play with a WR who was a high school spread QB.

              Like

              • Derek

                I suppose so.

                Maybe this is Vandy’s year?!?!

                Like I’ve said this is more complicated because of the spikes in cases than just being a money grab.

                Theres no available deniability if it all goes wrong now. There’s no “we took all the precautions.” You KNOW someone is getting it and so a lot will get it and so you have to have a plan for when that happens and there aren’t any pleasant plans.

                Will they just stick their face in the fan or run for the hills?

                I’d like to see empty stadiums, waivers/pledges, free passes for the cautious/at risk, and only sit and quarantine the symptomatics.

                And yes I am available to take McGarrity’s job to promote that plan.

                Liked by 1 person

            • junkyardawg41

              “What do you tell a college president the plan is when a real life “battlefield” scenario plays out like “our starting qb has corona and so the entire qb room probably does too?”
              Knowing these coaches the way we know them, I would not be surprised if team meetings consisted of Hazmat suits for these guys.

              Like

    • sniffer

      I think the answer gets easier if we all abandon our National Championship aspirations. If we accept “club” football where you play who you got, not who you want, the fall season is doable and football stays on track for 2021. That’s assuming you have enough players week to week for a two-deep. I don’t see how a championship of any sort is possible if there’s fall football.

      Like

  20. W Cobb Dawg

    I see so many issues on the horizon:

    Considering how Covid spread between Memorial Day and Independence Day (and we still aren’t doing much to stop it), I don’t expect the situation to be very favorable for college football come Labor Day.

    The NFL, NBA, MLS, and MLB have far fewer cats to herd and are all gearing up. That will fill much of the sports-viewing void. That will shift people’s attention. Then the media will rightfully ask why unpaid student athletes are being put at risk.

    Kneeling during the anthem bother you? My childhood was during the era of college campus protests. How about imagining protests outside those empty football stadiums before, during, and after games. Those protesters would likely be many-a-player’s families and friends. Are cops gonna disperse those families and friends with batons, or gas, or bullets? And of course we’d have a President cheering on the most violent response. Should make for interesting nightly newscasts, though.

    The college game just has too many moving parts, and far, far too many things can go wrong. Maybe the P5 conferences can salvage something. I think the Ivy League is accepting reality, although I strongly doubt they would hold a delayed season in spring.

    Liked by 1 person

  21. stsbms

    We’re ascribing what’s occurring to a small percentage (~1.7%) of the country to the entire country. 100 counties compose 60% of our pandemic, & only 52 counties from this group, of all 3144 US counties are actually rising.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Derek

      About 80% of Americans live in urban areas. The counties that make up those areas are going to be a small fraction of the whole number of counties.

      Like

  22. Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

    Also guys, and I can’t believe I have to say this, but the continued rise in cases is ALSO occurring because of increases in testing. Every week we have more tests. Of course we’ll have more infections. We’re also seeing far more people who were previously infected and who are no longer infectious. Literally people had this virus months ago and didn’t realize it, and now have antibodies.

    Think about that for a minute, and maybe dial down the panic.

    Like

    • Russ

      So, that accounts for the lack of ICU beds? I guess people didn’t know they needed an ICU bed until they were tested, right?

      Like

    • Will (the other one)

      Hopefully your day job doesn’t involve statistical analysis:
      “More testing does, in fact, turn up more cases. However, if widespread testing was the entire reason for the rise in cases, you’d expect the share of positive tests to go down, or, at the very least, remain steady. Instead, that figure is rising in a number of states. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Arizona, Texas and Florida, where you can see a clear uptick in the percentage of tests that come back positive, even as the total number of tests grows:”
      https://time.com/5854572/covid-19-testing-florida-texas-arizona/

      Like

      • Napoleon BonerFart

        That’s because they’re not testing random people. They’re testing people who believe they might have the virus. So it’s both unsurprising, and unalarming.

        Liked by 1 person

        • doofusdawg

          Or folks who could have been exposed through contact tracing… many of whom could basically be symptom free. Would be nice to learn how many positives were through contact tracing vs. other reasons. I suspect it is a majority and that would surely explain the increasing percentage of positive tests being reported. But that info may not fit the narrative.

          Liked by 1 person

      • Corch Irvin Meyers, New USC Corch (2021)

        Yeah, you really missed the mark here as others have shown, Will.

        They did random testing back in March and April and that showed us just how many people already had antibodies, which means they contracted virus some time before then. Hundreds of thousands of people in major cities like Boston, LA, New York, etc. had antibodies. Proving far more people had been infected than originally thought and that Covid-19 had been here longer than we thought. And we lived for months without realizing it, without deaths, and without panic.

        Now the vast majority of testing are for those who believe they have contracted it. Again, which accounts for spike in cases.

        Like

  23. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!!

    Like

  24. Dylan Dreyer's Booty

    Can’t make a prediction because my damn crystal got struck by lightning a couple of days ago and they were on back order at Amazon. My wish is that whatever they decide to to do that it 1) rational and 2) uniform.

    But I am not betting on either just yet,

    There might be some silver lining for fans in all this: Games in late February, March, April would be far preferable than the steam baths we experience in August, September and even October in this neck of the woods. Also, what if all the TV money dries up? Will they now need fans and be willing to make things more fan friendly? Could this pandemic force a reset to a time when you could park for free at the Pharmacy School and after a gentile tailgate pick up your trash and amble down the hill to your seats and watch a game where the only music offered was by the Redcoats and whatever lesser band was visiting?

    Damn, those mushrooms are powerful. 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  25. BuffaloSpringfield

    For What it’s Worth:
    Following the Ivy League Track and Field events cut back for Spring Football. Track and Field athletes would have a spring class schedule so the Harvard graduates could finish MA’s in Molotov Cocktail making as two of Harvard’s grads were arrested for throwing them in a police car. Course would empathize the description of best get a way methods.

    Like

  26. FlyingPeakDawg

    Well, we’ll, well…the inevitable showdown. On one side, the tea sipping, pinky aloft college presidents hob-knobbing with the donor glitterati who so desperately want to be seen as equals among their Ivy League peers vs. the cold blooded AD’s operating their own private kingdoms built by TV revenues. Sure, in the past the AD’s have bent knee to the presidents when a scandal was afoot blemishing dear old State U’s reputation, but now we’re talking real money…real power. Will the AD’s as proxies for the coaches, agents, sponsors and Disney threaten economic suicide? Those new administrative offices and professor tenures don’t get funded with just alumni gifts despite the PR.

    This is going to be a classic power struggle to watch.

    P.S. It’s never been about the children.

    Liked by 1 person

  27. The other Doug

    My D is a rising senior being recruited by high academic D3’s like Chicago, Williams, Caltech, etc.. She is talking to Ivies, but not that good. All of the coaches have told her or hinted sports are very unlikely.

    Most of the high Academic schools including Stanford are only bringing about half of the undergrads to campus. It’s near impossible for these schools to make athletics so important that athletes get to be back while their academic peers sit at home with mom and dad.

    Most of these schools have left the door open to bring everyone back after the first of the year if there is a vaccine or the virus is under control. I think the spring will be the same and sports will ultimately be canceled in the Ivy League. The D3 schools will follow the Ivy League because it’s the easiest path and gives them cover.

    I don’t think this impacts P5 football though.

    Like

  28. ATL Dawg

    My guess is that a month from now all of Division I (FBS and FCS) will have officially pushed fall semester sports to the spring semester. They’ll take more time though to sketch out what they hope spring seasons will look like for these sports.

    Like

  29. stoopnagle

    I know nobody gives a shit, but how will they run cross country and track/field at the same time? As a former collegiate runner, that sounds exhausting.

    Like

    • ATL Dawg

      They’ll figure it out. Some/most sports would probably be reduced versions of what they normally are. That was most likely going to be the case anyway due to the pandemic, even if fall sports weren’t moved to the spring.

      This is all tentative of course. There’s no guarantee that college sports will be played in the spring either.

      Like

    • Derek

      Come on man, you can’t run a steeplechase and turn around and run a 10k?

      Weak!

      Like

    • Pace yourself? Run more slowly…?

      Like

  30. Bigshot

    As I have said all along, football is gone. Just look at all the pro baseball players who are opting out. We will be without sports for quite awhile.

    Like

    • ATL Dawg

      Markakis for the Braves just opted out. He said hearing how sick Freeman sounded this weekend opened his eyes. He also said he has no idea if there will actually be a season.

      Like

  31. Gaskilldawg

    This thread got derailed quickly. The post was about the feasibility of spring football. It devolved into a series of posts attempting to convince Ivy university presidents that the virus is no big deal. As awesome as the blog arguments are the Ivy Universities’ presidents are not going to change their minds about the risks and the remaining university presidents don’t seem willing to be persuaded either.
    They all take the risk seriously.
    The real debate is what is the best accommodation in light of the risks the university presidents perceive.

    Like

  32. California dawg

    I just want to say, because it cannot be said enough, fuck this virus. We should be less than 2 months out from kickoff. We should be watching highlights of our returning defensive starters from last season (I can’t bare to revisit highlights from Coley’s offense, even during the games we won). We should be in peak pre-season hype mode right now.

    First year coordinator angst aside, we finally have all the pieces in place from a roster and staff perspective to make this year The Season and then… corona happened and continues to happen and a truly special squad with so much potential will likely be squandered as a result. It’s the most UGA shit ever.

    I’m not trying to wade into the political debate here, tempting as that is. I’m just colossally bummed and pissed off and want to vent.

    Fuck this virus.

    Liked by 6 people

  33. Scuba

    The surgeon general of our country went on TV repeatedly when this started saying masks did not work. Its lies like that make people distrust government.

    Regarding college football this fall. It`s always going to be follow the money..
    If its still bad as the season approaches. I expect the Power 5 that can afford as many tests as needed will play a conference only schedule.

    This creates the special need for and we promise we`ll only be doing it for the students. An expanded playoff which includes all Power 5 champions and as many other teams as Disney will pay for. There is too much money laying on the table not to find a way to get it. If there is a single thing the people in charge of CFB can do its take money.

    Like

  34. ATL Dawg

    Golf fans – look for an announcement this week that the Ryder Cup is pushed back to 2021.

    Like

  35. I don’t want to kick off another right vs left debate, but for those that think that this virus can’t effect young people to a degree that is dangerous, it sounds like Freddie Freeman got pretty battered by his fight with Covid. Enough that it scared Nick Markakis to opt out this season. If pros are choosing to sit it out, can we really expect the schools to push these kids into playing?

    https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29417681/nick-markakis-becomes-second-braves-player-opt-season

    Like

    • PTC DAWG

      It was said Freddie had a fever and aches and pains, dudes on 680 said he was already much better. I have no doubt about the fever etc….it sucks.

      Markakis just don’t like getting less than 40% of his pay.

      Like

      • Like

        • PTC DAWG

          Bah, he was gonna ride the pine…and take less pay…I say good for him…it’s his choice…IF I had his dough, I doubt I would play either.

          Like

  36. Push the season back. Hold a handful of exhibition games. Or cancel. I’m more concerned about school at this point…a 3rd year of disrupted school is too much . Chinese Wutang corona virus is unstoppable now, best to just take care if your bubble.

    Like

  37. Think I just saw on the news that Harvard is going all on line 20 – 21.

    Like

  38. Mayor

    It’s either play in the Spring or miss a season entirely.

    Like

  39. Don in Mar-a-Lago

    Springtime for Athens and Football
    Winter for Poland and France

    Like

  40. Salty Dawg

    You MoFo trolls are seriously fucked up. That is all.

    Like