Positive Signs For Notre Dame And College Football In 2020
Rumors popped up all over social media of a possible Alabama-Notre Dame matchup to start the season. Those rumors were quickly shot down by Alabama Athletics Director Greg Byrne, saying the two would not be playing in 2020. That news came a positive sign for football this fall.
The South's Move Towards Football
SEC commissioner, Greg Sankey recently did an interview with Clay Travis of Outkick and talked about scheduling in 2020.
When the Pac-12 announced its decision to go to a conference-only fall schedule for 2020, it affected two SEC teams. Alabama was scheduled to open the 2020 season against USC in Dallas. Texas A&M was scheduled to host Colorado on Sept. 19. ... Sankey discussed the schedule situation for the Crimson Tide and Aggies. He shared optimism that each program will be able to find a replacement opponent.
Finding a replacement in mid-July isn't a clear cut sign that football will be returning this fall. If anything, it is just being safe in case the season does roll out. The SEC wants to play a full schedule so getting the plans figured out makes sense.
However, Sankey also made comments that every player would have their scholarship honored even if they sat out the season. He also said after talking with multiple players, most said they wanted to play this fall.
Furthermore, a lot has been brought up about what will happen with Notre Dame being Independent. While Alabama isn't adding Notre Dame to the schedule, the opponent they are pursuing is a good sign.
Alabama appears to be closing in on a new Week 1 opponent. If the Crimson Tide ends up playing more than just SEC teams this year, there’s a strong possibility the Tide will open the season against BYU, sources told AL.com. Alabama and BYU were both originally set to open the year against teams from the Pac 12 — USC and Utah — but the Pac-12 recently moved to a conference only schedule for this year, thus canceling those games. (https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2020/07/alabama-appears-to-be-closing-in-on-new-week-1-opponent.html)
Alabama scheduling BYU would be a great sign for Notre Dame and its 2020 schedule. With Arkansas still on the schedule and three more games to fill, they could find new suitors.
Filling Out The Schedule
Saying I know what will happen this season would be a lie. With how quickly everything has changed over the last few months, nothing is a lock and plans could change multiple times.
As far as the season, Notre Dame will likely have some options to fill out those games canceled by the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Georgia-Georgia Tech falls on the same weekend as Notre Dame-USC. Georgia and Georgia Tech both want to play each other this year, but it is in trouble of being called off.
Notre Dame also has their relationship with the ACC, a few independent teams, and the SEC. The Big 12 is likely to follow the SEC's lead as well. FIlling out a schedule shouldn't be difficult for the Fighting Irish. Having all of the players and staff test negative is also a great sign. Things could change for the worse in the coming weeks. However, it looks like some positive news out of the South shows a push for football in 2020.
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