How Alabama Fans and Everyone Else Should Approach the 2020 Season: Don't Assume Anything

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The weirdest, most unconventional season that anyone can remember is about to ramp up with the Southeastern Conference entering the fray known as the 2020 college football season this weekend.

Even though October is right around the corner, we're still not even sure who's in and who's out yet. The Big Ten just released its third official schedule. The Pac-12 is still thinking about an Oct. 31 or Nov. 7 return.

As for the Big 12, which has been playing for two weeks, ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said while broadcasting UCF's win over Georgia Tech on Saturday that he was more impressed with the American Conference so far.

He may have been exaggerating, but still had a point.

In general, it's time for everyone to stop considering the 2020 season to be like any other we've seen. It's like a literal graphic image of the idiom trying to put a square peg in a round hole that will never fit.

The jerseys and helmets might look the same, but otherwise don't assume anything. Seriously.

Alabama may have 10 games on its regular-season schedule. Do not assume it'll play them all.

There are already examples galore as to why.

Among them: Just six days after Baylor added Houston to its schedule the game had to be postponed due to Baylor not meeting the Big 12's game cancellations thresholds related to COVID-19 testing.

Houston was supposed to play Memphis on Sept. 18, but a COVID-19 outbreak within the Tigers' program caused the game to be postponed. Baylor was to open its season against Louisiana Tech, but a COVID-19 outbreak on Tech's team caused a cancellation. Thus, the late-minute opening.

You may remember that Baylor was originally scheduled to open its season against Ole Miss.

Don't assume there won't be an outbreak on the Crimson Tide, or with its opponents.

Even with daily testing there's still a decent chance it'll happen.

Saturday's opponent, Missouri, is already expecting to be down at least 12 players due to COVID-19 protocols. For all we know one position group could already be out, and there could be more people sidelined by Saturday.

Charlotte had to cancel its game against North Carolina on Saturday because of depleted depth on its offensive line even though only one member of its program tested positive last Monday.

Don't assume that a player testing positive will quickly return.

NCAA and SEC guidelines stipulate that players who have been in contact with individuals who tested positive for 15 minutes without face coverings are deemed to have been in high-risk contact, and should be quarantined for 14 days.

Meanwhile, a positive test result will require a player to isolate for at least 10 days and be asymptomatic.

Regardless, there's a good chance that anyone out for even 10 days won't be immediately ready to play, which could mean three games even in the best of circumstances.

Something that you'll probably start hearing about are players who got sick, have had trouble shaking it and getting healthy, and miss the whole season.

Plus, players are still opting out.

Texas A&M linebacker Anthony Hines, who was second in team tackles last season, announced his decision on Saturday: "It is difficult to be 100 percent locked in to the game of football right now," he tweeted in reference to the pandemic and social injustice.

Last week the Aggies had leading receiver Jhamon Ausbon opt out to begin preparing for the 2012 NFL Draft.

Don't assume that no one on the coaching staff will ever test positive.

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell announced on Saturday he has, and will not be on the sideline when facing rival Miami next week.

Remember, each football program has scores of people on staff. It takes hundreds of people just for a team to hold a practice.

One of the first things Nick Saban was asked when doing his first press conference for the start of fall camp was his level of concern, personally. Saban is 68, and his birthday is coming up on Oct. 31. Last year he had hip replacement surgery.

"When I go see my mother who’s 88 years old, we sit 10 feet apart on a park bench and talk for 45 minutes or an hour and I say, ‘Mom, I’m not giving you a hug today because I love you,’" he said in August. "I think there’s a lot of changes that we all have to make in our lifestyle and the things that we do to try to stay safe, and we certainly have respected those things. We do the same thing when we’re in meetings with players."

Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had heart surgery in early July.

"I don't know if there's anybody that abides by the COVID rules that we have here more than me," he said.

Don't assume there won't be some major problems with the officiating. Some officials have opted out, and one has to wonder how safe the ones on the field are even wearing masks.

As for fans, all one has to do is watch a game with people in the stands and there are often some not wearing masks, especially when yelling in support or excitement.

Coughing and sneezing are obvious ways of spreading the coronavirus through respiratory droplets via mouth and nose secretions, like with the flu. But another way is by loudly vocalizing, shouting or cheering.

Face masks are required in college football stadiums. Don't assume that people will always wear them.

There's no on-campus tailgating allowed this season. Don't assume fans simply won't go elsewhere.

Fans who are feeling ill, or have even tested positive for the coronavirus, are being told to stay away. Don't assume they will.

How many of you know a die-hard fan who would go anyway?

Everyone should have their hand up.

Actually, there is one thing that everyone can assume regarding the coronavirus and the college football season, that some people are still going to do some very stupid things.

Last Thursday, Colorado director of football operations Bryan McGinnus was issued a ticket for violating a public health order banning gatherings of 25 or more people.

McGinnis led a team hike of 108 people.

The news came after the university said it would enforce a 14-day quarantine for all students living in Boulder.

Here's hoping we get through the season as well as possible, especially the players.

Did you notice?

• SI’s Conor Orr has a fix for NFL teams that don't have a kicking coach. Hire a kicking consultant for three days per week at an estimated cost of $50,000 per season, or roughly the same amount as six weeks salary for one practice squad player. He argues a consultant is the “alternative to the familiar cut-and-paste routine” of cutting a kicker after one subpar game.

• Several athletes honored Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her death.

• There will be a silly number of freshmen in college football in 2021.

• The parents of a top college football recruit had to legally dissolve their marriage so that he could transfer schools after California delayed the high school season.

• A soccer team in Germany lost 37–0 after fielding only seven players who practiced social distancing throughout the game.

• Before this unusual college football season was set to kick off, 60 Minutes spent four days in August with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron. SI senior writer Jon Wertheim sat down with Orgeron who didn't hold back discussing how COVID-19 has impacted his program. "We just won the national championship. We’re high as kites. And all of a sudden the whole world stops," he said. The piece aired Sunday on CBS and on 60minutes.com. One thing that we liked about the Q&A part if it was that Orgeron didn't mention Alabama once.

This is a preview of the kind of material that will soon be available on the premium page, BamaCentral+

Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW regularly appears on BamaCentral.