Athletic Directors Considering College Football Contingency Plans amid COVID-19

Collegiate athletic directors are reportedly considering a number of options for holding a football season amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Brett McMurphy of Stadium reported that of 112 Football Bowl Subdivision athletic directors surveyed, some programs have considered such options as breaking up the 12 regular-season games throughout the fall and spring semesters, holding the College Football Playoff in May or possibly June, conducting a nine-game regular season or just having student athletes but not the student bodies at large return to school.

"If we have to delay the start of the season, we could split it between two semesters," a Power Five AD said. "Some bowls may not occur because of this, but we could play a full season, a majority of the bowls and the playoffs."

McMurphy called starting the season in January or February and extending it past the NFL draft "a last-gasp possibility." However, he added that it would at least increase the chances of holding the games in front of fans and allowing the schools and athletic departments to make some of the revenue they are so reliant on every year.

As for the potential of playing games in front of empty stadiums where only student athletes would return to campus, McMurphy called it "easily the most polarizing" contingency plan.

One AD said, "there is absolutely no way my president would allow something like that to occur."

If there is any silver lining for the college football world, it does have some time to make a decision before the fall season amid so much uncertainty. That is something leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS did not have at their disposal when they elected to suspend their current seasons.

However, college football also features games in cathedral-like stadiums, some of which hold more than 100,000 fans.

The sheer amount of people on campuses for games that goes beyond just the crowds with large rosters, large coaching staffs, television broadcasters, radio equipment, security and tailgaters, among others, would represent a significant challenge given the public health situation in place.

For now, athletic directors are discussing a number of options as they wait for further developments during the pandemic.