There is no room for negotiation on one key point as Atlanta organizers consider multiple contingency plans for three season-opening games during the coronavirus pandemic: Without fans, the games can’t be played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl president Gary Stokan, whose organization is making plans for the Florida State-West Virginia, Georgia-Virginia and North Carolina-Auburn kickoff games, says fans must be allowed for the games to be played at the neutral site.
“If there are no fans allowed in the stadium, then we can’t do these games primarily because we only exist in our budget on ticket revenue and sponsor revenues,” Stokan told The Associated Press on Thursday. “All the TV monies are negotiated in a conference package. That money all goes to the conference.”
The Florida State-West Virginia game is scheduled for Sept. 5, followed by Georgia-Virginia on Sept. 7 and North Carolina-Auburn on Sept. 12.
This is the first year Stokan’s committee has planned three kickoff games on the neutral site field. The committee stages the Peach Bowl, part of the College Football Playoff.
Stokan is awaiting decisions from the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big 12 on plans for the 2020 season. Those plans could be announced by the end of the month.
If the leagues rule out nonconference games, as already announced by the Big Ten and Pac-12, the kickoff games would not be played.
One or more of the kickoff games also might not survive if the leagues decide on “plus-one” plans to play conference games and one non-conference game. That plan would protect such rivalry games as Georgia Tech-Georgia and Florida State-Florida but might not leave room for the nonconference kickoff game.
The coronavirus pandemic already has led to the cancellation or postponement of more than 300 Division I games.
The season could be pushed back one month or to the spring.
Stokan says he has assurances that dates will be found at Mercedes-Benz Stadium if the games are rescheduled for later dates.
The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons told season ticket holders this week they plan to have 10,000 to 20,000 fans at their home games this season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The team plans to leave 50,000 or more seats open to achieve necessary social distancing.
The stadium can be configured for 75,000 fans for college football.
Stokan says his committee is devising a plan with Ticketmaster “on software that would allow us to use the social distancing mechanism of six feet that would allow us to stay safe.”
Stokan says he has been told the conferences are studying the impacts of players returning to workouts at college facilities, students returning to campuses and professional sports returning to competition. It may be difficult for the conferences to have as much information as is needed to make the decision by the end of July to have games in September.
Most professional sports initially returned without fans. NASCAR has allowed some fans in its recent races.
Stokan said it will be more expensive to stage the games “because everybody is going to have to wear a mask.” He said adding expenses while cutting revenue is “a bad way to run a budget.”
Stokan said the latest guidance from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp clears the way for fans to attend with proper social distancing – if the conferences and schools agree.
With no fans, the only option may be to stage the kickoff games on campus sites.
“We’d have to go back to the teams and say we financially can’t do this,” Stokan said.
CFT is no more. At least, when it comes to NBC Sports.
The first of last month, I — this is John Taylor (pictured, catching the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XXIII) — began my 12th year with CFT and NBC Sports. This morning, I was informed that my position was being eliminated and I would not be completing that 12th year. Which, of course, meant I wouldn’t be eligible for the traditional 13th-anniversary gift of lace. Which really bummed me out. Because I really like lace.
The jarring phone call was both a slap in the face and a relief. Jarring because, well, it was completely unexpected. Out of the blue, even amidst the pandemic that is wreaking absolute and utter havoc across the country. A relief, on the other hand, because, every single day for the past four months, I woke up wondering if this would be the day I get that call.
Would this be the day? Would this be the day? A question played on an endless loop that just f***s with you mentally, emotionally, physically.
That’s no way to live.
Then again, being job-less is no way to live, either. But, here we are.
So many people I want to thank. First and foremost, Mike Florio and Larry Mazza. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Especially Mr. Mazza on the food front. Hopefully, lunch at Oliverio’s — best damn stuffed shells I have EVER had — can still be a thing, Larry.
And so many people that have worked for me. Not to single anyone out, but I’m going to single one out in Ben Kercheval. Ben, non-biological son of Hoppy, you were and continue to be the man. I appreciate you more than you know. Rasheed Wallace may indeed be your biological father, but I will forever consider you my illegitimate Internet stepson.
Mike Miller is the best boss anyone could ever ask for. Hire that man. You can thank me later.
Kevin McGuire, Zach Barnett, Bryan Fischer, I will always treasure what we did, together, these last few years. Things were on the uptick, and it’s sad that we won’t be able to see it through. Together. We should’ve — SHOULD’VE SHOULD’VE SHOULD’VE — been given that opportunity. And it will forever piss me off that we weren’t.
Brent and Chris and JJ, much love to you all as well.
Shortly after I received the job call of death, I called my dad. Told him what was going on in his son’s life. After I hung up the phone, he sent me a GIF in a text message a few minutes later. I’ll link it here to end whatever this is, because it’s appropriate. And old school.
And, well… bye.
via GIPHY
Virginia joined South Carolina over the weekend as Power Five football schools realizing a personnel benefit from a lower-level program’s loss.
Two weeks ago, the Colonial Athletic Association announced that it was canceling its 2020 college football season because of the coronavirus pandemic. One member of that FCS conference is Towson. Coincidentally or not, one standout member of the Tigers, Shane Simpson, took to Twitter last week to announce that he has entered his name into the NCAA transfer database.
On that same social media service Sunday, the running back confirmed that he has committed to the Virginia football team. Simpson had his transfer to-do list down to Virginia and Texas.
— 1️⃣3️⃣ (@Shane_Simpson18) August 2, 2020
As Simpson was a fifth-year senior in 2019, it appears he has been granted a sixth season of eligibility. Or, is fairly confident he will receive one.
Simpson would likely be eligible for that sixth season as he missed all but four games of his true freshman season in 2015 because of injury, then missed all but the first three games last season because of a serious knee injury.
In 2018, Simpson earned first-team All-American honors. He finished second in all of FCS with 171.5 all-purpose yards per game, totaling 2,058 yards on the season. That same season, the Pennsylvania product was the CAA’s Special Teams Player of the Year and earned three different all-conference honors: first-team at running back, second-team as a kick returner and third-team as a punt returner.
Simpson would be eligible to play immediately in 2020 at the FBS level.