We have to give credit to others for original ideas. This is not my epiphany; it belongs instead to the great Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News, one of the best Pac-12 journalists in the United States. In his suggested conference-only scheduling plan for the Pac-12 this fall — which came before the conference’s announcement of a conference-only schedule this past Friday — Wilner said that Thursday and Friday games can’t be part of the schedule.
He’s right.
This isn’t an overreaction or a panic move. This isn’t hysterical or fearful.
It’s actually a sensible move with a simple guiding reason behind it: The 14-day isolation or quarantine period required for positive COVID-19 cases.
If two Pac-12 teams play on Saturday, October 17, and they then tried to play on Thursday, Oct. 29 or Friday, Oct. 30, any positive cases arising from the Oct. 17 game would rule out players (or coaches) for the next game. (Even with a two-week gap, it might not be allowed, but certainly not with a 12- or 13-day gap.)
That point aside, having any week in which Pac-12 teams are playing games on different days creates imbalances which — in the event of positive COVID-19 cases — could create differences in roster availability for the subsequent week or weeks. That can’t happen.
Again — as we have constantly said throughout this pandemic — we can’t be conditioned to accept anything which resembles normalcy. We would never apply this thought process to a normal season… and that’s the point: None of this is normal. Don’t think any of it CAN be normal. Playing any football without a serious illness or a death would rate as an amazing achievement under these circumstances. If it means giving up on Thursday or Friday games, so be it. It’s a small price to pay… if a price at all.
The idea that athletes won’t have to play Thursday games would be a welcome change, but let’s bring the emphasis back to where it should be: In the interests of the safety of the athletes and a balanced, equitable schedule with an airtight structure which makes it easier to hold all Pac-12 football programs to the same standards — something which aids in increasing safety — there can’t be weeknight games this fall, if we play any football.