How Will Penn State Handle Sports Cancellations?

Some teams are remaking schedules. Will football have to rethink its non-conference games?

Penn State's football schedule remains intact, for now, but other sports are untangling changes and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Football's deciding moment likely will come in late July.

Penn State's composite 2020 sports schedule lists only football games, beginning with the Sept. 5 home opener against Kent State. Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said last week that several opponents have canceled games in other sports, though that has not yet happened in football.

"At this point, we want to make sure that we can get as many games as are safe and healthy," Barbour said. "If it's not the right thing to do, most importantly for our students, we're just not doing it."

Penn State, like many schools, awaits further decisions from other conferences to help plan athletic schedules, particularly during the non-conference season.

Last month, the Patriot League announced that members can begin non-league play Sept. 4 but teams cannot fly to games and must limit overnight travel. The Ivy League is scheduled to announce its 2020 fall sports plan July 8.

At issue with non-conference games is differing testing, tracing and quarantine requirements between conferences and individual teams. Penn State is scheduled to play non-conference football games against teams from three different conferences: Kent State (MAC), Virginia Tech (ACC) and San Jose State (Mountain West).

San Jose State, which is part of the California State University system, which in May announced plans to deliver courses mostly online this fall. announced in May. The Mountain West Conference said then that no decisions had been made regarding sports.

Barbour said cancellations would generate financial issues, though Penn State could look for regional scheduling replacements in Olympic sports. It's also possible that MAC teams or FCS opponents might want to regionalize their football schedules and look into a game at Penn State.

"Yes, there would be a significant financial ramification to it," Barbour said of cancellations. "There would be a significant community, both economic and morale, and psyche implication to that. But none of that is worth risking the health and safety of our students and ultimately coaches, staff and community."

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