I guess we need a new topic now that everything is done including the final letters of intent for the 2021 class were all signed and submitted on Wed. Next up will be Spring Practice. I did see that Ryan Day said he expected to be back to a normal Spring Practice at Ohio State and I imagine that will be true for everybody. Teams are still at risk though for having to shut things down if Covid pops up since I imagine no college football team is vaccinated, maybe some of the coaches and staff but not the whole program. I do know that you get X number of practices ( i think it's 15) and I guess if you have to shutdown for a week that you just extend your Spring Practice till you get your 15 practices. I do wonder what we can expect for the 2021 season, I really don't think we'll be back to full stadiums, maybe more than last season. I'm sure the issue will still be the % of people who have been vaccinated and the numbers regarding hospitalization/deaths in the local area of the schools.
I wonder how many schools can afford not to have full stadium capacity? Even if you only have 50K seats... at $50 a pop that's $2.5mill per game. Cutting that down to 1/4 is a big hit.
I see that the Big 10 has released it's 2021 schedule. A few changes, but one game I didn't know was going to happen. Neb vs Illinois in Dublin Ireland!! Will AJ be making the trip to the real motherland? The official schedule also features a couple of neutral-site games -- Nebraska and Illinois will tentatively kick off the Big Ten season in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 28, while Wisconsin will face Notre Dame on Sept. 25 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Also a new bill in Congress seeks to remove any and all restrictions on college athletes using their NIL. I don't know when all of this is going to start, it won't likely be in play for 2021. But it's coming in some form or fashion that much we know. How it will all shake out, I fear for the worse. A new federal bill introduced Thursday would make it illegal for the NCAA or other college sports associations to place any restrictions on the type or size of endorsements deals that college athletes could sign in the future. Bill pushes for unrestricted NIL endorsements
So, the silver lining... Husker fans save a few thousand bucks by canceling their Irish vacation and they can still buy this at home.
This is from Sports Illustrated -- Of the 964 [scholarship players who entered the portal since August], nearly 60% (558) are uncommitted and still searching for a landing spot. * * * In a striking statistic, of the 299 Power 5 players who have committed to a new school, 60% took a step down in level, their next destination a Group of Five or FCS school. Just one-third of Group of Five transfers stepped up to the Power 5. * * * “Right now, there are a lot of kids in the portal that are not going to find scholarships,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby says. “There may be twice as many people in the portal as there are places to transfer. There will be some who won’t be able to go to college if they don’t get a scholarship.” * * * In the 2022 and 2023 recruiting cycles, coaches have one of two choices: retain their scholarship players and add fewer signees, or push out scholarship players and sign a normal class. “The biggest challenge are these juniors who are going to be seniors [in 2022],” says Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell. “Those are going to be hard discussions.” Players who are pushed out have one option: the transfer portal. One Sun Belt assistant coach expects as many as 500 to 1,000 more players to enter the portal by June, a ghastly large number that will almost certainly end some careers. * * * Nearly 600 players sit in portal purgatory, hoping that coaches hold open enough signee slots to add them over the spring and summer. For that to happen, the 130 FBS programs would have to each leave open roughly five of their 25 spots after this week’s signing period. That is unlikely given the number already signed in December’s early signing period. But coaches do plan to adjust their recruiting approach given the transfer surge. Todd Berry, the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association, says he’s heard from coaches who are planning in the future to dedicate half of their 25-player signee spots for transfers. That could adversely impact high school and junior college recruiting.
Purdue had a streak going but got stopped this year. Also had a year earlier where they had to include a guy on the practice squad.
Well here's something I never expected to happen! The Univ of Florida Gators and Notre Dame have a home/home football series set for 2031 and 2032, with the Gators visiting South Bend first. Of course I'll be 85 (if I make it)! Maybe I'll get to see it on my Holographic TV!
Was just going to post this, and I would be 94 for the first game. Florida, Notre Dame Announce Home-And-Home Series in 2031-32 - Florida Gators
Just checked... The Irish visit Kyle Field August 31 of 2024. Whose idea was it for that to not only be a first game of the season but also in August???? Pray for an 8pm kickoff!
Sounds like a death wish. I probably won't be around, if so will be 94. Would like to see those games.
I'd be willing to bet that will be the featured game at night, just like the game with UGA 2 years ago.