Weiberg: Oklahoma State Discussing All Scenarios for Football Season at this Stage

More is known about the COVID-19 virus now, more than ever before and possibilities are being discussed more regarding sports and what could happen when. Those discussions are taking place at Oklahoma State as well

STILLWATER -- Oklahoma State deputy athletic director Chad Weiberg was much more eager to remind Cowboys fans that Friday, May 1 was the final day for football season ticket renewals. In order to be motivated to renew football season tickets or to buy more tickets or season tickets for the first time then one needs to have some confidence there will be a season to watch. Weiberg can't promise that, but he was encouraging.

"Just think how much more we know now about this virus and we seem to be learning more each day, which allows us to move toward different options with more confidence," Weiberg said.

In fact, shortly after we spoke on Friday, Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis announced officially a phased re-opening to campus for June 1 and on campus classes for the fall semester.

#okstate President @BurnsHargis releases plan for fall in-person classes and a phased reopening of campus to employees and visitors on June 1.

We applaud the #CowboyFamily on your diligence in social distancing to help flatten the curve.

More info: https://t.co/FyGHq7SfaY pic.twitter.com/5Zt6q09ww9

— Oklahoma State Univ. (@okstate) May 1, 2020

The phased re-opening of campus started with this: 

"We are planning to begin a phased reopening of our campus to employees and visitors starting June 1," read the statement from Hargis. "This plan aligns with phase three of our state’s reopening date for all workplaces while also considering the needs of our vulnerable populations. Key functional areas across the university are actively working to provide a safe and supportive environment for our employees and students to return to campus." 

As the expected successor to current vice president of athletics and athletics director Mike Holder, Weiberg is involved in almost every aspect of the athletic department. One of his main tasks is football scheduling, but he branches into coaching relationships and negotiations, planning, fund raising, all of it.

Just in the past few days, head coach Mike Gundy has seemed antsy and he has been involved in some meetings at both the Big 12 Conference level and on campus. 

The Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who has been mostly guarded throughout the pandemic came out on Sirius-XM and the Big 12 Today Show with a more positive attitude about possibly starting the season on time this fall, but back to guarded about the finish and college sports from that point on in the next school year.  

"I think with the warmer weather I think we’ll get back to campus and we’ll get to practicing and we’ll start the season," Bowlsby said on the satellite radio show. "We may not start exactly on time but I think we’ll start the season.

“I worry more about the end of the season and the postseason than I do the beginning parts of the season, but I think we’ll figure it out in the near term," Bowlsby added. "If the virus comes roaring back in the traditional flu and virus season in December through March, I wonder if we’re going to get basketball seasons in. I wonder if we’re going to get the CFP playoff in. I wonder if we’re going to get the NCAA Tournament in."

Weiberg, who is included on all of the virtual meetings with the conference and within the Oklahoma State athletic department has a positive, as well as analytical, attitude to all of this. He explained, similar to NFL teams management talking through scenarios leading up to last week's NFL Draft, the Power Five athletic departments are talking through school year and football season scenarios.

"That is exactly right, we're trying to work through all of those," Weiberg explained. "I think we exhaustively thought through all of the options that you have heard of or that you hear may even become an option. We are obviously trying to prioritize which of the options that are more likely so that we are spending the majority of the time on those options."

Weiberg feels good about the schedule and he has been in contact with opening opponent Oregon State. He's heard all the same possibilities that we have. A season on time, a season starting slightly later, another starting way later. There is the season without fans in the stands, some fans, and more fans. He's heard some parts of the country playing football, others not. Then some talk of no football or even splitting the season into part fall and part spring. The constants are people want their college football and the athletic departments need football from a budgetary standpoint. 

"I think there is some thought that is being given to every option that is out there and has been presented," Weiberg added. "Again, with everyday that passes that scale tips one direction or another as we get more information. We hope that continues to be the case and that scenarios get narrowed down. That is only going to help with our planning, but until then we are going to consider and plan for every scenario out there."