You must be in elite physical condition to play a dangerous, violent contact sport like football. How may weeks does it take players to get in shape and coordinate their plays? Add that timeline to the end of the COVID-19 threat and you can better determine whether or not fall football is realistic.

Is 90 days enough time to get everyone in shape and on the same page to play football full speed safely?

If the virus is contained by June 1 and we can all go back to school, church, bars, etc., does that give football players enough time to be ready to play full speed on September 1?

If we get the green light to go back to school and work on July 1 and the NCAA cancels all non-con games and plans an October 1 start to an 8-game season, that might be what allows us to have a football season.

Even if they’re not back until July 1 i’d bet the season goes on as planned. Guys will be in shape as far as cardio and weights. “Football shape” is really just a matter of contact. That’s limited as it is these days. Ncaa has so many rules now I don’t think guys are smashing into each other like they did before.

The ncaa will probably extend the 20 hour rule to 25 or more if extra time is needed.

A normal season is not likely. Maybe a modified season with less games and modified spectator rules. At best.

No football in the fall. Who cares if the players are ready.

https://www.si.com/nba/2020/04/04/legal-...irus-trump

Sports can’t resume until 99% of state/city governments are on board with it.

I don’t see that happening until there’s a vaccine or some breakthrough, universally-accessible treatment.

Empty stadiums are out of the picture, imo. Once you add in all players, coaches, staff, operations, etc. you’re over 250 people. That won’t fly politically, especially for amateur sports.

A lot will depend if this virus is seasonal like influenza and sars.

Didn't know quite where to put this, so moving it here from another thread where I originally posted. No matter which way the 2020 season goes (or doesn't), a big financial impact is on the way. Just one is loss of $$ from those games at Iowa and Maryland, if it goes that way. And student fees are about $9m in about a $26m budget. Anyway, here's a CBS pickup:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...r-options/

Just wanted to add that priority 1 is safety/health. Love the Huskies, but ...

I'm thinking creatively here, don't shoot me.

A healthcare worker fortunate enuf to have good PPE seems to wear a plastic shield, and under that, a N95 mask. The shield protects from splatter, and, the mask is something like 95% effective in blocking virus particles.

What if...a new 2020 only requirement for players is a complete face shield, and, a N95 caliber mask. The shield could go down and cover the mouth and chin (like a hockey goalie has), so that prevents spit and snot going in or out of a players face. A snugly fitting N95 mask would be needed, some sports equipment company would need to find strapping to keep that snug during big movements and hits. Feel free to tell me I'm nuts, I'm expecting that. Just wondering what how the heck could we possibly see something like football this year!

Maybe 7 player game. With strict rules on how close lineman can be, only shotgun snaps, and best of all, no huddles!

I'll hang up and wait for my answer.

I would think the administration is worried about what NIU will look like in the fall. If not they better start planning. We may not have students in the dorms next year. We may not have students on campus in the fall. Do parents want to send their kids to NIU? How about we lock the place up and go online for a semester?

And we are worried about football?

150,000 cases March 29
300, 000 cases April 4
600,000 cases projected by April 11
1.2 million projected cases by late April


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Us non math majors can figure out an exponential curve.

And we are worried about football?

75, pls don't think I'm being flip or mis-guided. The spirit of the thread was to speculate on 'when' for FB. I was passing the time with speculating and some wild 'what if' ideas.

For what it's worth, certainly US cases are increasing, at an increasing rate. We are on the heavy growth side of the curve, it's horrible. As you gave a source of current statistics, let me share, for what it's worth (you judge!) a highly referenced forecast showing an end to the first wave of the epidemic in June/July(depend on area). See this site: https://covid19.healthdata.org/. It's from one of a few forecasts being used in government planning now(federal and state); and it was directly quoted in the white house press briefing materials this week.

There will be a time in a month or 2 where cases decrease significantly, and restarting things occurs in a way to minimize the size of a 2nd wave. I guess I should have prefaced my crazy ideas with this comment.

Right now no one cares about sports. In 2-3 months we'll be hearing plans for all of it.

Sorry you're worried. The rest of us are interested.

(04-04-2020 11:35 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  150,000 cases March 29
300, 000 cases April 4
600,000 cases projected by April 11
1.2 million projected cases by late April


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Us non math majors can figure out an exponential curve.

And we are worried about football?

(04-04-2020 11:35 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  150,000 cases March 29
300, 000 cases April 4
600,000 cases projected by April 11
1.2 million projected cases by late April


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Us non math majors can figure out an exponential curve.

And we are worried about football?

This thing got a running head start. So pre quarantine the cases are going to pile up quickly. I’m waiting to see what the numbers look like 3 weeks after quarantining has been in place. The numbers today are a result of letting it run wild. A month from now the numbers will be with a society consciously aware. No idea what those numbers will be.

(04-05-2020 07:38 AM)Huckin Fuskie Wrote:  Sorry you're worried. The rest of us are interested.

(04-04-2020 11:35 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  150,000 cases March 29
300, 000 cases April 4
600,000 cases projected by April 11
1.2 million projected cases by late April


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Us non math majors can figure out an exponential curve.

And we are worried about football?

Thank you my God!

The reality is nobody knows where this is going. You hear anywhere from mid-June to all Fall into 2021 that we will be still social distancing. My gut is the Fall sports will go without delays and play a full season. I will enjoy the RI first game tailgate this year more than I ever have!

I think that if there is a season it will be played in the Spring of 2021 rather than the Fall of 2020. It will be interesting to see what happens to enrollment this Fall and how much of a drop is sustainable before there is an existential threat to NIU as a going concern.

(04-05-2020 09:39 PM)bikechuck Wrote:  I think that if there is a season it will be played in the Spring of 2021 rather than the Fall of 2020. It will be interesting to see what happens to enrollment this Fall and how much of a drop is sustainable before there is an existential threat to NIU as a going concern.

Maybe there will be an increase for NIU enrollment this Fall. Instead of the usual mass exodus from Illinios maybe more families will decide to keep their kids closer to home.

Without a vaccine it's hard to believe universities will allow students back on campus, and without that there won't be sports. So let's root hard for that vaccine. Good news: Covid-19 shares some characteristics with influenza and some things that originated in China recently, like SARS, so researchers are not starting from a dead stop. Bad news: No one knows how long it will take to find a vaccine. There still isn't one for AIDS 45+ years on.

(04-05-2020 11:57 AM)Chicago_sportsfan Wrote:  

(04-05-2020 07:38 AM)Huckin Fuskie Wrote:  Sorry you're worried. The rest of us are interested.

(04-04-2020 11:35 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  150,000 cases March 29
300, 000 cases April 4
600,000 cases projected by April 11
1.2 million projected cases by late April


https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

Us non math majors can figure out an exponential curve.

And we are worried about football?

Thank you my God!

NIU75,

Of course, everyone is worried. Yes, there are more important things than football, obviously.

But this is an NIU sports message board. How dare someone mention, by far the most popular topic, NIU Football?!

I don't understand your gripe, GTFO. I normally just lurk but this pissed me off.

Unless there is a vaccine or a medicine that protects all people there will not be sports. The arena's and organizations cannot otherwise provide for the safety of all attending. Best case scenario is for them to say it's your decision to attend meaning you've been exposed or are willing to take a chance should at some point it get's minimal. I have Bears season tickets and I hope if they get to this point I have the option of a refund. I have diabetes and have contact with my 80 year old parents.

That said, I think it will get to a point late summer where teams will practice. They will be able to test players daily which will lower the risk. But I bet some will not go along with it at all levels. Whether they play games is another story.