Editorial

Is College Football Being Played In The Spring As Bad Of An Idea As It Sounds?

OPINION
NCAA Football: Kent State at Wisconsin

(Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports - via Reuters)

David Hookstead Sports And Entertainment Editor
Font Size:

Is college football getting started in early 2021 as terrible of an idea as it might sound on the surface?

All options are on the table with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across America, and starting games in early 2021 through the spring has been talked about a lot. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wisconsin Football (@badgerfootball) on

Initially, I hated the idea. I was disgusted at the idea the games might not be played as scheduled. After all, we all know the fall is a time for football, beer and tailgates.

However, the more I think about it, the more I start to believe I could stomach it. Just hear me out for a moment.

Let’s say the games start in February and the regular season concludes at the end of April. Bowl games would then be played in the second of half of May.

Sounds pretty tough and awful right? Allow me to be the optimist here. Games in the spring means we’d get to double dip on college basketball and football.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wisconsin Football (@badgerfootball) on

Schools will just have to make sure their respective basketball and football games are never scheduled at the same time.

For example, Wisconsin can play a noon basketball game on Saturday, and then the football team can kick after 5:00. That gives fans plenty of time to do both.

Essentially we’d get an overdose of sports. Then, the weekend of the Final Four or the opening weekend of March Madness, every football team gets a bye.

That keeps everybody on the same schedule and still gives college basketball the spotlight it deserves. Basketball will be over after the opening weekend of April, and then we still have more football to keep us occupied.

The more I think about, the more momentum I feel the idea has. Do I want it? No, but I’m down with it if the games unfold like I laid out.

Basketball in early afternoon and football at night when they overlap on Saturdays, bye weeks during March Madness and the rest will take care of itself. Imagine waking up on a Saturday, crushing a noon basketball game, drinking some beers with the boys, eating dinner and then catching a football game to cap the night off.

Sounds like heaven on Earth.

Did I just save the NCAA and athletic programs billions of dollars? You can all thank me later.