The news hit the wires on Saturday that Alabama is strongly considering Brigham Young as a replacement opponent for USC in Week 1.
The importance of this story is not that USC is specifically being replaced. The importance of the story — similar to what we told you about TCU reportedly discussing replacements for the California Golden Bears in Week 1 — is that SEC and Big 12 schools are not yet at a point where they are accepting a reduced schedule for 2020.
This doesn’t mean SEC and Big 12 schools will play 12 games. The coronavirus drives this bus, not college football or any of its conferences or schools. Yet, the obvious importance attached to Alabama’s desire to find a Week 1 opponent is that while the Big Ten and Pac-12 have already accepted a reduced schedule (the Pac-12 hasn’t yet announced its specific scheduling plan, but a conference-only schedule puts a cap at 11 games, less than the full 12-game slate), the SEC and Big 12 show clear signs of wanting to play as many games as possible. If Alabama and TCU are both trying to fill a Week 1 nonconference gap in their respective schedules, that points to a desire to play 12 games.
How long is this dance going to continue? How long will this uncertainty about the 2020 schedule persist? Those are good questions.
Thankfully, the answer is that this coming week is the last week in which we will live with these particular voids and vacuums.
Remember: If six weeks is the widely accepted timetable for college football teams to get ready for the start of the regular season, any team trying to play a game on Sept. 5 must start that six-week preparation period this coming Saturday, July 25.
The Big Ten and Pac-12, by reducing their seasons in length, don’t have to meet this commitment. They can therefore unveil their schedules after July 25.
The Big 12 and SEC, along with the ACC, haven’t said anything yet.
They will need to say something by the end of this week.
The next four or five days might be boring in college football, but the political and logistical pressure on schools and conferences will definitely increase next week. Things are going to get very interesting (though not necessarily in a good way or for happy and positive reasons).