Options? Ferentz Has Heard Them All, But Doesn't Have The Answers
Kirk Ferentz could see a college football season where maybe a couple of Big Ten schools start later than the others, or not at all.
Or he could see a season that starts with no fans.
Or he could see a season that starts later for everyone.
Or, well, anything.
“I think,” the Iowa coach said Thursday on the Dan Patrick Show, “all of us right now are in limbo.”
Patrick presented Ferentz with several possibilities, and Ferentz said just about everything has been discussed.
Ferentz does know that starting back up again after the shutdown for the coronavirus pandemic isn’t going to be his decision.
Asked who would make the decision at Iowa, whether it would be Gov. Kim Reynolds, university president Bruce Harreld, athletics director Gary Barta, or the Big Ten, Ferentz said, “I think it’s probably all of the above. The conference is meeting regularly, I think everybody is on the same page there, certainly. Hopefully we don’t get to a scenario where we get into September and 12 teams can go and maybe two can’t. But that’s a possibility. So I think they look at all of those possibilities. I think the conference wants to be together as much as possible, like any league or any conference.
“Certainly, the governor, the president (of the university), the athletic director, all of those people (have) a prominent role (in the decision). At the bottom of the food chain are the coaches, I think.”
Given an option between starting the season on time without fans in the stadiums, or starting a few weeks later with fans in attendance, Ferentz said, “The problem there, if you slide the schedule back three or four weeks, I think that may be doable, although you would have finals in December to contend with. My guess is we would probably go without fans, but that’s one person’s opinion.
“If you’ve ever been to Kinnick Stadium, and it’s sold out and it’s rocking, that adds a lot to the atmosphere. Conversely, when you go on the road, it’s a big factor when you go on the road and play in a good environment, a tough environment.”
Ferentz said playing without fans would have an atmosphere comparable to a spring scrimmage.
“That’s really a strange feeling, quite frankly,” he said. “The players are still competing, but it doesn’t feel the same, not what we’re accustomed to.”
Ferentz repeated what he and others have said in the last few weeks — it would take at least a six-week preparation time to begin the season.
“As far as bare minimums, I think most of us, at least in the conference, agree that six weeks would be preferred,” he said. “I’m hopeful (of) at least maybe two more weeks with our strength and conditioning staff, prior to us being around our guys. I think eight weeks would give us a chance to be in a decent position to start the season.”
Could Ferentz see a scenario where some schools opt not to play this season?
“I think it is possible,” he said. “You can’t rule anything out right now. The bottom line for everything, it’s like everything we’re doing across the country now, it’s about the people’s welfare, whether it be the players, the coaches and the staff, certainly the fans in the stadium. I think that is a possibility. Hopefully it’s not a likelihood, but it is a possibility. That’s where some tough decisions are going to have to be made when it comes to game time.
“I think we’re just looking at all of the possible scenarios now, trying to plan for the better, and for the worst. Still a lot of questions to be answered, just like everything else going on in the country right now.”
It’s just wait-and-see, Ferentz said.
“Like most people in my profession, I guess I’ve probably watched more television and news in the last six weeks than probably the last six years, maybe the last 16 years,” he said. “You just hear a lot of opinions. The bottom line is a lot of us don’t have a lot of answers to the issues out there right now.”
