TFW you realize you don’t need to provide a game day preview

Because Mr. Conventional Wisdom is on the mother.

Georgia has won eight of its last 10 meetings with Auburn. We expect Stetson Bennett IV to start the game at quarterback for Georgia. But who finishes the game? Key: I think Auburn is going to have to be able to run it some. Bo Nix can't throw it 40-plus times and win.

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) October 3, 2020

BREAKING: Mr. CW calls it.

You heard it here first, people.

–@MrCFB on Georgia's QB situation heading into Auburn. “I would expect Stetson Bennett to start the game, all things considered.”

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 28, 2020

So much for that “running the Wilddawg with Zeus” rumor I was gonna start tomorrow.

Close, but no ceegar, Mr. CW.

Shot.

Four new head coaches will make their debuts in the SEC today. Have you noticed their opponents?

Lane Kiffin: Florida
Mike Leach: LSU
Eli Drinkwitz: Alabama
Sam Pittman: Georgia

Welcome to the SEC, fellas!!!!

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) September 26, 2020

Chaser.

Yes. @Lane_Kiffin will be making his 2020 debut as an SEC head coach. He had previously been at Tennessee. I appreciate the clarification.

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) September 26, 2020

Mr. Conventional Wisdom alert

BREAKING:  “Stay tuned.”

Nobody has a better grasp of the obvious than Tony Barnhart.  That’s why he’s Mr. College Football.

When you’ve lost Mr. Conventional Wisdom…

Oh, boy.

Back in late May I did a radio interview and was asked about my confidence level on whether or not we would have a 2020 college football season.

I said, in effect, that we would definitely play college football this Fall but we just didn’t know what it would look like. The only variable was whether or not there would be fans in the seats. Based on the folks I had talked to at the time, I was extremely confident that the 2020 season would start on time and play its entire schedule.

On June 26 in this space I wrote that I was starting to get a little nervous over the number positive tests among players who had returned to campus. But I still thought we were going to play.

Today, for the first time, I’m genuinely concerned that we’re not going to be able to play college football in 2020.

Sure hope I’m wrong.

But when you talk to college officials you can hear the frustration in their voices. They’ve been working daily since mid-March, participating in countless ZOOM calls, trying to put together a workable plan that would allow the games to be played safely. With enough work and enough planning, it could be a win-win for the players and the fans.

Their hope and belief was that as the summer moved along the numbers would get better and there would be positive momentum to play, even if there were no fans in the seats.

I’m not mocking here.  When all you’ve got for a plan is hope and belief in the face of a pandemic, you ain’t got much.  And that’s still all they’ve got.

**–We’re running out of time. A decision of some kind is coming late July or early August. The decision to go or not go with the season needs to be made a minimum of four weeks out from the first game. I expect the commissioners who run the Power 5 will wait as long as possible in order to get the best data possible.

**–If a conference like the SEC decides that the season will not start on time, it could cancel the season or leave it open ended to see if a window of opportunity appears.

Worth noting: There are five Saturdays in October and four in November if the SEC wanted to play a reduced schedule.

They’re going to hang on to the possibility of playing in 2020, stunted format or otherwise, as long as they can, so I expect postponement rather than outright cancellation in the short term.  They’ll hope as long as they can.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom’s pandemic advice

What it lacks in originality, it makes up for in detail.

Mr. Conventional Wisdom on…

Hell, do I really need to spell it out for you?

College football players have always had the power, but now they are figuring out how to use it.https://t.co/54DTIJeLuY

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) June 16, 2020

Mr. Conventional Wisdom, on you know what

… is as profound as you would expect.

College football players are returning to campus in June and that is a ray of hope for fans. But make no mistake: This is going to be extremely hard. It is the single biggest challenge the sport has ever faced.https://t.co/54DTIJeLuY

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) May 22, 2020

Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Zen and the art of being Mr. Conventional Wisdom

This is some deep shit, Yoda.

.@MrCFB on how the uncertainty of a college football season is impacting coaches. "Coaches are linear problem solvers. They see a problem, they come up with several possible answers, then they pick one. This is not something they can solve linearly."

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) April 6, 2020

In English:  Coaches are control freaks.  Coaches can’t control the coronavirus.  Coaches are frustrated.

Finis.

Well, Mr. Conventional Wisdom settles it.

"I like the Florida Gators, they are playing like a complete team right now. Georgia still has issues….and teams are seeing their issues on tape"@MrCFB on which SEC team he likes to win the East right now. #SECThisMorning @SECNetwork @SIRIUSXM

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsESPN) October 21, 2019

Guess I’m cancelling my Amelia Island reservations.  No reason to go now.