While the 2021 recruiting cycle seems to be in full swing, there is still the unknown of how, when and if there will be a 2020 college football season. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby has his hands full on that front but there is an idea out there that seems to be a little farfetched but also could be a viable option.
Because of possibility of flu season/coronavirus causing issues in Nov, Dec, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told The Athletic's Seth Davis that "one of the [college football] models we’re looking at is a split season where some games happen in the fall and some happen in"spring
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 27, 2020
This idea of a split season doesn’t seem like a plausible one with so many logistical matters to attend. Obviously where would the split happen? For the Longhorns, they have South Florida and Texas El-Paso sandwiching a trip to Baton Rouge to take on the LSU Tigers. Following the non-conference schedule the Horns play Kansas State and a trip to Dallas to batter the Sooners in the Red River Rivalry. If it was an even split of the season, it would be cut off before a trip to Lubbock to play the Red Raiders.
That is just one aspect to observe, then there is the recruiting aspect of it. If teams were to split the year and resume in the fall, are the players who sign during the early signing period going to be eligible to play since it would come after the new year for early enrollees? Seems like that would create a competitive disadvantage for some. Players who can’t actually join until the summer after graduation wouldn’t be afforded the same opportunities. Which would also have an impact on their eligibility and create yet another headache itself.
That would likely not be the case but one argument that could be made. This feels like it should be a last ditch effort from the commissioner and the Big 12. With the clock ticking on the upcoming season, this is a situation that will be monitored and it will be updated as more information is released.