Let’s turn this around & have a college football season

FILE – Will there be ACC or SEC football this year? (FILE – AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

DAN MATHEWS
680 THE FAN ATLANTA – Hey College Football: ‘Look at what baseball is doing.’

The goal in terms of college football, is to have a season.

Over the last week, we’ve been told that this possibility is looking less and less like a reality. But, there is still time to turn the trend around to a more favorable setting to play.

We’ve seen two major power five conferences announce that they will play a conference only season. The SEC, ACC and Big 12 are not one of those conferences.

Ryan McGee of ESPN and the SEC Network joined A To Z with Mark Zinno on Monday, after he and Marty Smith spoke with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey over the weekend. Something he said, stood out to me.

“I think this is probably part of why the ACC and SEC both are more than likely going to be the last conferences to make their announcement,” McGee said. “Because, no one crosses over like those two conferences. They crossover in their footprint. They crossover in their rivalry games. I think there’s absolutely conversations taking place between those two conferences. Because, they want to save Clemson-South Carolina, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State and all of those cross-conference games.

“And, if everyone decides to go regional. Which I’m surprised we’re not hearing more about that. Look at what baseball is doing.”

Those words from McGee got my mind going… What if these three conference’s decide to have at the very least, a loose partnership this season.

The words from McGee got me thinking, especially after being told by Sankey of his concern for college football in general in 2020. That concern was stated as ‘high to very high.’

Sankey was on the Paul Finebaum Show on Monday and said another statement that caught my attention. Maybe those conversations are already happening?

‘You’ve seen statements from my colleagues in the Big 12 and the ACC that are consistent with our thinking,” Sankey said. “That, let’s use time to the extent it’s available, to gather information and we’ll make our determinations in an appropriate time that we see fit.”

All three conferences have members who would not necessarily benefit from a non-conference schedule. Why would this benefit Missouri, Syracuse or West Virginia?

Let’s take Texas A&M as an example this season? Take them back to their old Southwest Conference/Big 12 days. Keep their games with Arkansas and LSU. Both are relatively easy games to make happen, in terms of travel

Conferences should get creative, in terms of moving conference games off team’s schedules, in favor of opponents who are closer in proximity. Why is it better for Georgia to play at Missouri, as opposed to having Georgia Tech come to Athens as originally scheduled?

This isn’t going to be a wave a wand type of fix. However, I do believe this gives you a better chance to have a more realistic version of a season.

Sankey also mentioned yesterday, about the need for ‘reliable, available and timely testing’ for COVID-19. Why not pool together your resources as these three leagues, in order to put together strict protocols? Seems like a win to me.

As far as the postseason goes? Sorry mid to late-December goal games. Let’s just go straight to the College Football Playoff. At the very least, keep the heritage bowl games. I mean the Fiesta, Cotton, Orange, Rose, Gator, Outback, Peach and Sugar Bowl(s).

At least for one season, we could go without the 6-6 MAC team playing in the Detroit bowl game. The goal in terms of football, should be to play. Let’s not complicate this!

Dan Mathews can be hard on The Chuck Oliver Show – A to Z with Mark Zinno – Anchor/Fill-In Host 
WCNN-AM 680 The Fan, also on FM at 93.7
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