Clemson-FSU in 2020: What's Next?
A day has passed, but the dust has far from settled since Florida State refused to play Clemson on Saturday just hours before a noon kickoff in Tallahassee.
Trying to make sense of a situation that simply doesn't make sense might seem futile at this point. There is no blueprint or handbook for how to deal with COVID-19 or what to do when an entire team travels for a game only to be turned away from playing.
Why couldn't Clemson, which reportedly had a player test positive after arriving for the road game, stay in town a day or two, get fully tested and then play FSU on Monday, which head coach Dabo Swinney advocated for?
Why did the ACC sign off and Clemson meet every protocol but the league was OK with FSU calling the game?
How come this can't be a forfeit since the Tigers, a 5-touchdown favorite, were already there and wanting to play?
Optics play a huge role in this. There's no doubt, but too much doesn't add up. And that's 2020 in a nutshell.
However, the biggest question of all still lingers: Will this game get made up?
There could be some clarification on that later Sunday when Swinney will talk to the media for the first time since last Wednesday and likely address options that are on the table. Check back to AllClemson later in the day for updates.
But exactly what could those options be? FSU, a team ravaged with injuries and opt-outs, likely didn't have many healthy, able bodies, yet head coach Mike Norvell said his team was ready to play. This came down to medical staff decisions.
Let's take Norvell at his word, then. How do the coach and his university handle this moving forward? Are they willing to do what needs to happen to make this game up Dec. 12, the next time both teams are off? Will he have enough healthy bodies then?
Or, will FSU simply bail on any attempts to play this game? Could Clemson do the same? After all, the Tigers incurred nearly every single cost of their trip to Tallahassee. The team was about to leave the hotel before the game was called, and from there, would've gone from the stadium to the airport right after the game. The only thing they might not have paid in full for was the postgame meal. That's pretty much it.
Clemson simply might not be willing to return to Tallahassee, which athletic director Dan Radakovich eluded to when he spoke with The State on Saturday afternoon. It's not really feasible in a pandemic season where budget cuts are myriad that the Tigers would cough up another six figures to return to FSU.
The Seminoles could look into making the trip to Death Valley and offsetting the cost, but there's almost no incentive for them to do so. FSU isn't going anywhere this season. None of their remaining games mean anything in the standings for them. Their only goal is working on building a culture and growing up young players. Getting beat by 30 points or more on the road to Clemson wouldn't do much to advance that.
Could the ACC step in and just call the game a no contest and move on? Absolutely. They just did it with Duke and Wake Forest, which was canceled, not postponed any longer, last week. There are so many moving parts within a league that's already scrambled games throughout the next three weeks in hopes of balancing out the top of the standings.
Well, Clemson still has a chance at an ACC title and a trip to the College Football Playoff. Favoritism toward getting one of its top teams all 11 games should be a priority, and there's nothing wrong with the league admitting that.
Hopefully, there will be more light shed on the potential of a 2020 Clemson-FSU showdown in the coming days, but don't hold your breath. This is complicated and has way more questions than answers.
