College Football Playoff all in when it comes to the 2020 fall season
When the Pac-12 and the Big Ten announced on the middle of August that they would be postponing the fall 2020 college football season, it caused quite a stir throughout the nation.
“We’ve known for some time that this was a possibility, however, it is still disappointing news for our program, our fans and especially for our student-athletes,” Whittingham said. “We respect the guidance of the Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee and the decision made today by the Pac-12 CEO group, and we will continue to put our focus on our player’s academics and their development. Our No. 1 priority is always the well-being of our players, and their health and safety come first.”
But with Power 5 conferences SEC, ACC and the Big 12 moving forward with a fall sports season, it appears that the College Football Playoff committee is moving forward with them.
"As fans are aware, six conferences have announced their intention to play, and so the selection committee has established its meeting schedule in order to be prepared," CFP executive director Bill Hancock said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and if anything changes, the committee will be ready to adjust as needed."
This decision goes against what NCAA president Mark Emmert announced last Thursday when he said there would be no NCAA sanctioned championships of any kind this fall.
“We cannot now, at this point, have fall NCAA championships because there’s not enough schools participating,” Emmert said. “The Board of Governors said, ‘If you don’t have half of the schools playing a sport, you can’t have a legitimate championship.’…sadly, tragically, that’s going to be the case this fall, full stop.”
With over 50% of NCAA Division I teams cancelling the fall sports season, the NCAA believes that crowning a champion wouldn't be the right thing to do — and forcing the athletes to play through the pandemic is as morally wrong as it is unsafe.
But not every sport was affected by the cancellation.
NCAA Division I college football — primarily the ACC, SEC and Big 12 — are still moving forward with a fall sports season and will compete in the College Football Playoff, which is unaffiliated with the NCAA.
“We don’t know right now what the season will bring, but as a committee, we are ready to use the protocol and the expertise of the 13 people who have been charged with selecting the teams,” Gary Barta, the Iowa athletic director who is beginning his first year as CFP committee chair, said in a statement. “The committee’s task is to rank the teams based on what happens on the field. This week gave us a great chance to catch up with the familiar faces and welcome our three new members to the process. If the board and management committee say we are having a CFP, we will be ready.”
The Rose Bowl (which ironically and typically sees the Pac-12 vs. the Big Ten) and the Allstate Sugar Bowl will host both of the CFP semifinal games on Friday, Jan. 1. The national championships will then kickoff on Monday, Jan. 11 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Below are the dates when the CFP will release its rankings...
- Tuesday, Nov. 17
- Tuesday, Nov. 24
- Tuesday, Dec. 1
- Tuesday, Dec. 8
- Tuesday, Dec. 15
- Sunday, Dec. 20 (Selection Day)
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