A JERSEY GUY: Judgment Day for CFB Season Rapidly Approaching

With classes beginning, Power 5 conferences still playing football must make an assessment whether they can control COVID-19 enough to start the season.

The students are back on campus.  The numbers are starting to come in, tests are now being conducted on a weekly or twice a week basis.

College football has reached the unofficial starting line—or finishing line—of the 2020 football season, which may come within the next few days.

According to numerous sources from the 6 conferences still playing football this season, meetings will be held on Tuesday to answer two basic questions.

"What are the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases with the main part of the student body back on campus?

And are they reasonable enough to allow us to play football?

"The issue has never been about waiting until COVID-19 went away,'' said one conference official. "That's not realistic at this time. It's whether we can control it enough to proceed in a safe way for our student athletes.''

It is also incredibly complicated with an assortment of issues, all of which must be considered by conferences with different standards of what is acceptable.

Adding to the confusion has been the lack of a united leadership, starting with the NCAA and working its way down right to the university level.

 As been the case for most of the past several weeks, the situation is close to chaotic.

The Big Ten has been dealing with a backlash from parents and players not happy with the decision by the conference—as well as the Pac-12–of shutting down for the fall last week.

The SEC, which remains rock solid in its intention of starting later—but starting—had the fanfare of a schedule announcement on Monday, with opponents matched with dates on a football calendar that does not start until Sept. 26th.

The Big 12 is dealing with a split decision which may match Oklahoma vs. Texas in a "we don't want to play'' vs. "we want to play'' Red River border war that is also expected to be discussed in the next few days.

The ACC also continues to prepare for a season which begins in less than a month, but has dealt with a variety of issues from positive numbers spiking on campus at places such as Notre Dame and North Carolina, a lack in trust in the way or manner in which Covid-19 tests are given at Syracuse to a general distrust of what the medical people are projecting.

On Monday, North Carolina, faced with several outbreaks of spiking numbers, changed its class room policy, eliminating all in person classes, which will create another issue for Carolina officials to discuss, regarding football.

Many of those issues will be addressed on a conference call among athletic directors on Tuesday, with the possibility of a Presidential zoom meeting as well.

With virtual classes at North Carolina, mean there is virtual football?

As of Monday afternoon, The Tar Heels were forging ahead with plans for a 2020 season opener

Any announcement which continues plans for season openers within the next three weeks will be contingent on not having a further spiking of the COVID numbers.

What has also complicated the issue is the unexpected (at least a few months ago) spiking of the numbers in August.

The original medical forecasts were a better chance of spiked numbers in November, which prompted many schools to move up the start of classes a few weeks to allow semesters to be concluded by the Thanksgiving break.

That caught athletic officials by surprise since they expected basically empty campuses during August, which is the prime time for preparation for the football season.

Now football coaches and players are dealing with packed campuses, spiked COVID numbers and a potential crisis which could very well shut the sport down.

It is just another factor in what will be the most significant season in the history of college football, a season which is likely to move forward or come ever closer to shutting down in the next few days.