COVID-19 and college football kickoffs

For Bobcat football fanatics, the thought of no college football this fall is devastating. This means no pregame revelry involving the band marching through all the exciting tailgates and no fireworks or horses galloping around the field as the team runs out to the cheers of “Go ‘Cats Go”.

Although no games will be played on Bobcat turf this fall, there will still be ways to get your fill of college football. While some teams have rescheduled games or postponed seasons, others are determined to play this fall. The first game of the 151st college football season was held on Sunday, Aug. 29 with Austin Peay playing Central Arkansas at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. Central Arkansas beat Austin Peay, who the Cats hosted last December for the FCS quarter finals. One person fixed on playing this fall is Mark Ingram, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletic Director 

"Is the virus going to be any better or different [in the spring]? No, probably not," said Ingram. "Are the numbers going to be remarkably different? No, probably not. Are we going to have a vaccine? No, probably not."

Ingram and 75 other leaders of the different Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conferences decided: Why not give it a go in the fall? His Blazers will play on Thursday, Sept. 3, with UAB hosting Central Arkansas. University of South Alabama will play Southern Miss the same night. The other leagues planning to continue with fall seasons are the ACC, C-USA, Big 12, SEC, AAC and the Sun Belt. These leagues are scheduled to play up to 12 games starting throughout September.

The future of the season for those playing is already in question as teams are faced with various challenges. Twenty one of the 30 teams with the highest recorded home attendances last season are preparing to play this fall, and are racing to organize public health mandates for spectators. At the first game of the season, tickets were distributed to 9% of their 22,000-seat capacity with mandatory face masks and social distancing restrictions in place. Several schools including the University of Alabama and Auburn University have even banned tailgating. Along with football fans, top players have opted out from playing, and medical advisors are indecisive as to what the best courses of action may be to keep football fans and players safe. It is unclear how long games will continue this fall. 

The Big Sky conference is currently planning to play a spring football season, which will work backward from the date the NCAA selects for an FCS Championship. To stay updated on the latest college football news and updates, visit https://www.ncaa.com.