The 蜜柚直播 Wildcats never have participated in the New Year鈥檚 Day game every Pac-12 and Big Ten football program strives to reach every season 鈥 the Rose Bowl.
But 蜜柚直播 conceivably could play its next game on Jan. 1 under one of the proposals for 鈥渟pring鈥 football being discussed among coaches 鈥 a general concept UA athletic director Dave Heeke heartily endorsed Friday.
鈥淚鈥檓 a strong advocate of playing football and developing an acceptable, approved model for football in the spring,鈥 Heeke said during a Zoom news conference. 鈥淚 clearly understand there鈥檚 lots of complications and issues that surround that. But I believe that we can come together, nationally, and pull some really good plans and develop something that allows our student-athletes to play 鈥 and hopefully we can have people be engaged in the games and come and watch them.鈥
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That sentiment represents a departure from the previous prevailing thought process in the Pac-12. But what once was deemed a last resort has become an aspiration for the Pac-12, Big Ten and other conferences that decided to scrap fall football because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Is a spring, or spring-adjacent, season a viable alternative? Maybe. It might be closer to a pipe dream than a dream.
But as of now, for the Pac-12, Big Ten, Mid-American and Mountain West conferences, it鈥檚 the only alternative.
蜜柚直播 athletic director Dave Heeke would like to see the 2020 football season played, even if it takes until spring 2021. The Pac-12 and Big Ten both canceled their fall seasons this week.
Men with a plan
The decisions by the Pac-12 and Big Ten to postpone fall sports came down Tuesday. The leagues haven鈥檛 had sufficient time to formulate spring plans yet. Heeke said the Pac-12 is still in the 鈥渂ack of the napkin鈥 phase.
鈥淏ut we have a workgroup,鈥 Heeke said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had a football working group for several months now that has been planning forward and that continued to be engaged, and they鈥檙e working now on plans for the spring.
鈥淚 want to hear the feedback from our coaches who are engaged in that. We have athletic directors on that as well. We have medical staff on that. So all of that information needs to be talked about, brought to the front and then start to assemble models with justification of how they can work.鈥
Two Big Ten coaches already have promoted scheduling concepts that would enable two seasons to be squeezed into about 13 months. Ohio State coach Ryan Day 鈥 whose team arguably had more to lose than any other in the Big Ten or Pac-12 with the postponement of fall football 鈥 has suggested starting 鈥渟pring鈥 ball the first week of January. An eight- or nine-game season would wrap up by March.
鈥淭hat way,鈥 , 鈥渢here is some separation between that season and the next season.鈥
. The highlights include:
- A two-week conditioning buildup starting Jan. 16
- A four-week training camp starting Jan. 30
- An eight-game season running Feb. 27-April 17
- Postseason games conducted May 1-15
- No mandatory workouts for non-postseason participants from April 18-July 18
- A four-week training camp for the 2021 fall season starting Sept. 4
- A 10-game season starting Oct. 2, leading into the usual postseason bowl/playoff slate
- No traditional spring practice the following year
Brohm鈥檚 plan calls for a reduction in padded practices (about 2陆 fewer per month) and only a slight increase in games per month compared to a usual two-season gauntlet. (Remember, consecutive seasons for non-playoff participants generally take place over a 16-month span. For example: 蜜柚直播 began the 2019 season in late August and, if it had qualified for a bowl game, would have wrapped up the 鈥20 season in December.)
Heeke said it鈥檚 critical to frame planning for 2021 as a 鈥渢wo-season exercise.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to look at the spring and how that impacts the fall, and then that middle part, the summer,鈥 Heeke said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly not traditional. 鈥 It鈥檚 not just, well, we鈥檙e looking at spring and how do we pivot quickly and put a plan together for playing games.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to think long on this 鈥 because it does impact some different periods of training, practices and future games and seasons (starting) next fall.鈥
Quarterback Grant Gunnell and 蜜柚直播 could still have a shot at the Rose Bowl this school year. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to look at the spring and how that impacts the fall, and then that middle part, the summer,鈥 said UA AD Dave Heeke.
Obstacles remain
Getting there won鈥檛 be easy.
Based primarily on guidance from their medical experts, the Pac-12 and Big Ten concluded they weren鈥檛 ready to conduct a fall football campaign (or any sports) in a safe manner. Starting a 鈥渟pring鈥 season on or about Jan. 1 would require training camp to begin in late November 鈥 just over three months from now. Brohm鈥檚 proposed start date for training is five months off 鈥 the same amount of time the leagues had to plan for the fall season they ultimately nixed.
Some factors were beyond their control, and one of the requirements for starting up again 鈥 greatly decreased spread of the virus in the community 鈥 remains an uncertainty.
The other changes that must occur, per Heeke, are improved testing capabilities across all schools and a firmer grasp on the longer-term effects of COVID-19, particularly the heart condition myocarditis.
If/when those hurdles are cleared, the leagues must determine whether it鈥檚 wise to play two football seasons in one year, even if they鈥檙e shortened and measures are taken to reduce wear and tear on players鈥 bodies. Additional issues that must be sorted out include eligibility for returning players and midyear enrollees; scholarship caps; and overlap with pro prospects鈥 preparation for the 2021 NFL draft.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported that NFL teams 鈥渉ave discussed what it would take鈥 to move back the scouting combine and draft. , according to Breer.
He also reported that NFL teams would be willing to accommodate Big Ten schools in need of domed stadiums to play January and February games. At least four cities have such venues in or near the Big Ten footprint: Detroit, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and St. Louis. Weather wouldn鈥檛 be nearly as big a problem for most of the Pac-12, and cooler climes would be embraced by 蜜柚直播 and 蜜柚直播 State fans (if they鈥檙e able to attend games).
Heeke acknowledged that there鈥檚 a financial incentive behind spring football. The UA stands to lose about $65 million in revenue without a fall season. A spring alternative could offset that loss to some degree.
鈥淭hat is certainly a benefit to a spring season, but it鈥檚 not the driving force,鈥 Heeke said. 鈥淲e will, first and foremost, want to make sure that we can build a model that is appropriate for our student-athletes. There is support and interest in the spring from our television partners and our marketing partners.鈥
Is there a strong enough appetite overall for spring football 鈥 especially if the ACC, Big 12 and SEC aren鈥檛 involved? As of Friday, those conferences, among others, continued to plan for a modified fall season.
If the Pac-12 and Big Ten were the only Power Five participants, their champions at least could meet in the Rose Bowl. Same venue, different date 鈥 a traditional conclusion to a decidedly untraditional season.
