How Realistic Is A Spring Football Season In 2021?

After the Big Ten announced that its newly released football season would not take place, questions circulated on whether or not a schedule could take place in the Spring.

When the Big Ten announced that it would be postponing the Fall 2020 sports season to another time, the main question that jumped into most people's minds was probably along the lines of: 'So, when will football actually be played? In the Spring?'

Since the decision was made, the Big Ten has expertly failed to answer that question, so those surrounding the college football world, such as Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm, are left to speculate on what a Spring season could look like official news is released.

Last week, Brohm released a detailed plan that showed how he thinks the Big Ten could play an abbreviated football season in 2021 if all teams within the conference are on board. In this scenario, the Big Ten's 10-game slate would be shortened to an eight-game offering, and the schedule would begin with the first games falling towards the end of February. That would mean training camp would, in this model, be a six-week reintroduction to football at the beginning of the month.

While that is clearly a much shorter time frame of preparation, it is also predicated off of the idea that programs would be practicing throughout the Fall. At the moment, Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez says that each team is allotted 20 hours of practice time per week, and the Badgers intend to take advantage of that. Michigan is also continuing to practice during the week.

So, the next question that arises is will this eight-game season actually work?

Much of that answer depends on if the Big Ten plans on conducting its Fall 2021 season at a normal pace and schedule. If that is the case, players would report to school over the summer, just two months after the Spring 2021 season ended.

At the surface, that does not sound like enough time for players to heal and recuperate in the offseason, even if the season that they are recovering from is only of the eight-game variety. Now, it is understood that the players are high level athletes and would most likely be in the best shape of their lives as they continue to inch towards their physical primes, but two months of time to come back from injuries and to make any kind of progress in the offseason seems too short.

But the reality of the situation is that Big Ten football players, coaches and parents of players are overwhelmingly in favor of playing the season, whether that would be during the Fall of 2020 or the Spring of 2021. The petitions, formal letters and noted push back from those groups has been palpable over the last several days, and it shows the commitment from those involved to conduct a season for the student athletes in question.

Former Michigan OL Rueben Riley weighs in

While these are all important questions that weigh heavily on the decision makers at each school, perhaps a former college football player could shed some light on what needs to be considered in this case. And on that note, former Michigan offensive lineman Rueben Riley spoke with Michael Spath on Inside The Huddle last week to share his thoughts on the possibility, likelihood and feasibility of a Spring football season.

“I don't know if that eight game season is too much or too little, but I'd be in favor of it,” Riley said. “That's a quick turnaround, but you've got to understand, you know, the Pro Bowl, if you count preseason games and your team makes it to the playoffs, you're talking about 20-plus games in the NFL. So, I think it's doable.”

Granted, NFL players are exposed to a more difficult workload because they are paid professionals and the football players in this discussion are of the collegiate variety, but it does show that there could potentially be precedent for the type of physical undertaking that Big Ten players would be asked to fulfill.

“You definitely have to take care of your student athletes in between that time, before the fall season,” Riley said. “Training camp can't be knock-down, drag-out like it usually is. You have to take care of your players, but it's definitely doable.”

With the proper adjustments, Riley thinks that a Spring season that only lasts for eight games is a possibility. Granted, teams may need to exercise more discretion than normal in terms of how much certain players enter the game or are worked during practice, but if that is the price that must be paid in order to have football, it is one ask that many would be willing to fulfill.

To be certain, this decision is not one that will be made solely off the opinions of former players, parents of players or even the individual athletes themselves. However, this group of informed people can potentially influence those that actually do have a say in the discussion. That means Michigan President Mark Schlissel, U-M athletic director Wade Manuel and Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren. These three are tasked with a difficult decision that weighs the potential pros versus the very possible cons that could arise from playing a football season during a pandemic.

This is not a decision that can be described as easy for anybody, player or administrator alike. Playing an eight-game schedule during the Spring is clearly an idea that has a lot of traction behind it. But as Reuben Riley reiterated, “is that what's best for the student athlete?”

What do you think should happen regarding the football season? How would you set up a schedule if that was your job right now? Let us know!