We all miss football. While we might not have it at the moment, the promise of a 2020 season is a welcomed distraction in these trying days. To help pass the time, BamaInsider is answering 20 important questions concerning the 2020 football season.
What you need to know
University of Alabama president Stuart R. Bell expressed optimism toward a football season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., this year despite complications due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Certainly, our plan is that we’ll have a season and we’ll have fans as part of that season in our stadium,” Bell told television station CBS 42 on Thursday. “So, we’re working towards that. We’re at April 30, and our first games are in September.”
Bell said that along with a football season, Alabama is also planning on the return of 38,000 students to campus this fall. Earlier this week, University of Georgia president Jere Morehead and Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp also expressed optimism toward a return to normalcy this fall.
Friday, the NCAA released a 9-point core of principles for the resocialization of collegiate sports. The guideline coincides with The White House’s Opening Up America Again document and includes three phases addressing the aspects of daily life for which restrictions remain appropriate due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The NCAA reaffirmed the primary student status of collegiate athletes and thus “resocialization of collegiate sport must be grounded in resocialization of college campuses.”
In order for Alabama to play out its full schedule, it would need all of its opponents to fall in line with the latest guidelines. That could be tricky as reintegration measures vary from state to state.
With that said, do you think Alabama will have a football season this year?
