Syracuse AD John Wildhack Says ACC Hasn't Discussed Canceling 2020 CFB Season

Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said Thursday that the ACC has not discussed the possibility of canceling the 2020 college football season amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

According to ESPN's Andrea Adelson, Wildhack acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the season during a Zoom teleconference, but made it clear that the goal and intention is to have a season:

"We have not, as a conference, had any discussions in terms of not playing. We want to play. We plan to play. What we don't know is when we're going to start and what form or what format we're going to start. Do you play with fans, do you not play with fans? So much is unknown, but the ADs and the conference office, we meet twice a week, and there's not been one second of conversation about not having a football season in some way, shape or form."

Major professional sports leagues such as the NBA, MLB and NHL are currently suspended because of COVID-19, plus the NCAA canceled the 2020 men's and women's basketball tournaments, as well as all 2020 spring sports, including spring football practice and games.

Given the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has led to stay-at-home orders and the banning of large gatherings throughout the United States, speculation has begun about several alternative options for the 2020 college football campaign.

During an appearance on KVOI-AM in Tucson, Arizona (h/t ESPN's Mark Schlabach), on Wednesday, University of Arizona president Dr. Robert Robbins said it was "unlikely" that the college football season would occur this fall, adding: "I just don't see that happening."

Robbins also mentioned that it is a possibility the fall and winter sports could both begin in January or February and run through the spring.

Wildhack said the following with regard to the scenario Robbins brought up:

"There's so many things that people have stated that are floated out there, and the one thing I don't want to do is engage in speculation because there's so much we don't know and we don't control this. What we do as a university, what we do as a conference, it will be led by the progress we make against the virus. It will be led by our elected officials, the governors of the individual states, in our case here the county executive, obviously the medical experts."

Playing games without fans and at neutral sites could be among the options the NCAA considers. Even if fans are permitted to attend games at home stadiums by the time the college football season is scheduled to begin in August, teams may need more preparation time since spring practices have already been impacted.

If the decision is made to delay the start of the season and play through the spring, that could also cause logistical issues should the NFL still hold its draft in April 2021. It would also make for a much shorter offseason for college players between the 2020 and 2021 campaigns.

While the NCAA is still seemingly far away from coming up with some concrete answers, Wildhack's comments suggest that finding any possible way to play in 2020 is the No. 1 priority with canceling the season being a last resort.