[jwplayer ncJlHWOg-XNcErKyb]
As of this writing on May 8, we still do not know the future plans for either the State of Michigan or the University of Michigan when it comes to college attendance this fall.
The university, which did not offer online classes before the COVID-19 pandemic, made a very quick transition in less than a week, having canceled in-person classes midweek one week, and resuming online at the beginning of the following week. But, could the football team play games if classes are online only without students on campus?
Again, we don’t know what the plans are for Michigan, but we do know now what the plans are for Washington, who the Wolverines are set to face off against in the 2020 season opener.
According to the Associated Press, Washington is indeed planning to return students to campus this fall, barring any setbacks posed by the novel coronavirus.
Many more steps still need to be taken before football or any other sport is going to played in 2020 as the world copes with the coronavirus pandemic. The football season begins Aug. 29 with a slate of games that include three Pac-12 schools.
Both Arizona schools, both Washington schools and Oregon anticipate holding in-person classes in the fall, but that leaves seven others still mulling whether to follow suit or continue holding online classes.
Naturally, intentions and actions are not mutually exclusive, but it could pave the way for that high-powered Sept. 5 matchup to still happen.
[lawrence-related id=24052,24042,24030]
Of course, it’s also up to the conference commissioners as to whether or not conferences play their games. There’s been some speculation that college football could return in a limited capacity, with the non-conference going by the wayside while the conference games happen. But that’s not a certainty either.
Several conference commissioners spoke to Stadium’s Brett McMurphy about whether or not programs could play football without students on campus. While it’s somewhat of a mixed bag, the PAC-12’s Larry Scott indicated that he couldn’t foresee football happening without students on campus, but could with limited in-person attendance.
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said he would not favor student-athletes playing football if they were the only students on campus. However, he said he would if “at least some students are back on campus.”
That could clear the way for the Washington game to happen, but it isn’t close to a certainty, especially because we don’t know where the Big Ten stands on the matter. Commissioner Kevin Warren declined to comment for the Stadium piece, and the conference is on a moratorium of team-organized activities until June 1.
As for Michigan’s part, earlier this month, athletic director Warde Manuel indicated it would be difficult to start up the season without students being on campus.
“It is very difficult, if not impossible, for me to ask our student-athletes to return to campus to play a game when other students are not going to be returning,” Manuel said on a “Get Lit” virtual town hall with Edyoucore, a financial literacy advocacy group.
“That is just unfathomable to me as I think about it. I could listen to arguments and be a part of discussions, but it is just hard for me to imagine that happening.”
Manuel pointed to the comments made by league commissioners on a conference call with Vice President Mike Pence in mid-April, many of whom said the very same thing. For football games to take place as scheduled — Michigan’s season opener is Sept. 5 at Washington — then practices need to happen. And for practices to happen, there’s a commonly held belief that teams will need at least six to eight weeks of time to get back into playing shape.
“We need our students — our campuses to be open, first and foremost before we can bring our student-athletes to campus in order to just play a game,” Manuel said.
There are still a lot of hurdles to overcome, but there’s still a lot of time. As for the State of Michigan, plans are currently for ‘stay at home’ to continue until May 28, but some industries are eligible to start up again as soon as May 11.
[vertical-gallery id=24009]