Brace yourselves: we may not get college football in the fall

Published 4:12 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2020

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Iam no longer in denial.

When the Big Ten Conference and Pac-12 Conference all but canceled their non-conference football games, reality set inside my soul.

From where I sit, the chances of having no college football season in the fall increased dramatically because of the deadly coronavirus.

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You won’t hear any more denying from yours truly. I’ve been asked throughout the spring and summer about my thoughts if we’ll have a 2020 football season.

My answer has been yes every time to anyone who asked me. At this moment, I have serious doubts.

The Big Ten’s  and Pac-12 announcements opened up my eyes. This is a serious pandemic we’re going through, not only in the U.S., but the world as well.

In the state of Alabama and the SEC, football is considered a religion. Dallas County is mixed mostly of Alabama and Auburn fanatics.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said last month that Alabama football has a $200 million impact to the city each year. In my opinion, I thought the number would be higher, but I’ll take Maddox at his word.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey addressed the league’s football situation last weekend.

Sankey said the SEC is still looking at a late July timeframe to make a decision on its season.

“That literally is playing out in front of us every day,” Sankey told ESPN. “That’s why I don’t feel any pressure because of somebody else’s decisions. We’re trying to make the right decisions for us, for the SEC. It does have an impact because I’ve said publicly we’re all linked nationally, so when other people make decisions, yup, there’s an impact, but also we’re going to look at our situation and make a decision that’s appropriate for the Southeastern Conference and most importantly for the health of our student-athletes.”

Sankey said the right things, but it looks like we won’t be having college football between August and January.

No college football would leave a huge void in my world as the tempartures and leaves change color. Chants of “Roll Tide,” “War Eagle,” and even “Geaux Tigers” will be missed by me and the other 11 SEC fanbases. I’ll also miss the assorted foods at tailgating.

Fall won’t be the same without college football.