College football could move to the spring, and it may be the only way to save the 2020 season and avoid a financial disaster

• The NCAA is formulating a contingency plan in the event that the world has not recovered from the coronavirus pandemic by the time college football is set to kick off in the fall.
• ESPN commentator and college football analyst Paul Finebaum reported Wednesday morning that conference commissioners are considering a scenario where games are played in the winter and spring.
• AAC Commissioner Michael Aresco told Finebaum that the unprecedented move is "being seriously considered" by the decision-makers of the college football world.
• ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler added that his sources have suggested that "the most prudent course of action" may be playing football in the spring.
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Months before college football is scheduled to kick-off for the 2020 season, the NCAA is already consumed with formulating a contingency plan in the event that the world has not recovered from the coronavirus pandemic by the fall.

ESPN commentator and college football analyst Paul Finebaum reported Wednesday morning that conference commissioners across the NCAA are toying with the idea of pushing the season back and playing games through the winter and spring.

AAC Commissioner Michael Aresco told Finebaum that the unprecedented move is "being seriously considered" by the decision-makers of the college football world.

"There's a possibility of playing football in the winter/spring and into late next spring," Aresco said. "Football's that important."

Though Aresco admits that "there's not a lot to it yet," he said it's something that commissioners have discussed and that they're "certainly thinking about it."

"I don't want to be the one to go on record saying 'Oh yeah, there will be spring football or winter football," Aresco added. "In talking to my colleagues and talking to our own group, it's something that you would have to consider if in fact you couldn't start the season on time or the season had to be postponed significantly."

Many events across the sporting world have been postponed or canceled in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and NCAA and NFL football could be next on the chopping block. Spring football has already been canceled, and the longer the country remains under lockdown, the less likely it appears football season will commence as scheduled.

In a video posted on his Instagram page, ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler said it's "impossible" for the NCAA to carry out a college football season the way it has in years past.

"The good news is I am convinced there will be a college football season in the academic year," Fowler said. "What might that look like? When might it start? That is the topic of this video and I would call this informed speculation... I've had conversations with people who are in the planning stages. Not the decision makers, but they're planning the various scenarios and what ifs."

Fowler then laid out the different plans he's discussed with his sources. First, and least likely, is that the college football season goes on as scheduled.

"Time is running out, though, unless you think 4-6 weeks is a whole lot of time," Fowler said. "Because I'm told by the end of May, there has to be clarity and if you are going to have college campuses open, which you will have to bring the players back, that's about the deadline to get things going on time."

Next, Fowler floated the idea of a season that begins later in the fall and "maybe gets shortened a bit." He ackowledged that it "sounds problematic" because of fears of the coronavirus regaining momentum as the temperature drops in the late fall and early winter.

"You want to start a season then have to shut it down?" Fowler asked. "To me, that would be disastrous."

Finally, Fowler described "a third scenario that's gaining momentum" that echoes what Aresco told Finebaum.

"[It] may sound preposterous on the surface but I think a lot of reasonable people feel like it might be the most prudent course of action, and that is football in the spring," Fowler said. "Beginning some point in February, getting into March, April, May, maybe have the postseason in June. That would have to be reshuffled a bit, it would be bizarre, it would wreak havoc on some other sports in that time of year, but to avoid the financial disaster of having no football in the academic year, I think it might be a fallback position."

NCAA President Mark Emmert has yet to weigh in on the status of the upcoming college football season, but as Fowler said, the window for the season to begin on schedule is rapidly narrowing.

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