Octopus Overlords

Dr. Sheldon Jacobson told CBS Sports he expects a 30%-50% infection rate of the approximately 13,000 players competing in FBS this season. Based on his research, he also projects 3-7 deaths among those players due to COVID-19.

"A few of them could end up in the hospital, and you'll have a small number who could die," Jacobson told CBS Sports. "I don't want to sugar coat it for you. I just want to give you the facts. … If everybody comes together under normal circumstances, we'll probably see that kind of outcome."

Jacobson made his projections from CDC data that estimates one death per 1,000 people who have symptoms in the college age group (18-22). Taking into account that range and medical care provided for football players, the death rate would be lower than the general population, Jacobson said.

If everybody comes together under normal circumstances, we'll probably see that kind of outcome.

Tuscaloosa City Councilor Sonya McKinstry said students have been organizing "COVID parties" as a game to intentionally infect each other with the contagion that has killed more than 127,000 people in the United States. She said she recently learned of the behavior and informed the city council of the parties occurring in the city.

She said the organizers of the parties are purposely inviting guests who have COVID-19.

"They put money in a pot and they try to get COVID. Whoever gets COVID first gets the pot. It makes no sense," McKinstry said. "They're intentionally doing it."

Pac-12 presidents are considering buying commissioner Larry Scott out of his contract early ahead of the upcoming round of TV negotiations, according to a report Monday from John Canzano of The Oregonian.

Scott has run the conference since 2009, and all but two of the conference’s 12 presidents or chancellors have switched chairs since then.

“There’s serious talk amongst the Pac-12 CEO Group,” one high-level conference administrator told the paper, “to end his contract ahead of the expiration date to have a fighting chance to save the (conference) Networks.”

Stanford University announced Wednesday that it will cut nearly one-third of its Division I sports programs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year as the COVID-19 crisis has threatened to worsen an already existing athletics department deficit. The move will affect more than 240 student-athletes and 22 coaches, according to a letter from school leadership.

The 11 sports that will be discontinued are as follows: men's and women's fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men's rowing, co-ed and women's sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men's volleyball and wrestling. University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, provost Persis Drell and athletic director Bernard Muir signed the letter which detailed the "heartbreaking news."

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:31 pm Not necessarily football-related, but I wasn't sure where else to put it. Stanford dropping 11 varsity sports at the end of the 2021 season.

Stanford University announced Wednesday that it will cut nearly one-third of its Division I sports programs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year as the COVID-19 crisis has threatened to worsen an already existing athletics department deficit. The move will affect more than 240 student-athletes and 22 coaches, according to a letter from school leadership.

The 11 sports that will be discontinued are as follows: men's and women's fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men's rowing, co-ed and women's sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men's volleyball and wrestling. University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, provost Persis Drell and athletic director Bernard Muir signed the letter which detailed the "heartbreaking news."

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:10 am

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:31 pm Not necessarily football-related, but I wasn't sure where else to put it. Stanford dropping 11 varsity sports at the end of the 2021 season.

Stanford University announced Wednesday that it will cut nearly one-third of its Division I sports programs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year as the COVID-19 crisis has threatened to worsen an already existing athletics department deficit. The move will affect more than 240 student-athletes and 22 coaches, according to a letter from school leadership.

The 11 sports that will be discontinued are as follows: men's and women's fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men's rowing, co-ed and women's sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men's volleyball and wrestling. University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, provost Persis Drell and athletic director Bernard Muir signed the letter which detailed the "heartbreaking news."

Men's VB is the most surprising here. No doubt a title IX scholarship balancing act for football, but surprising nevertheless. On the other hand, Stanford had 36 sports, the only other D1 school with over 30 was tOSU.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:37 am

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 11:10 am

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:31 pm Not necessarily football-related, but I wasn't sure where else to put it. Stanford dropping 11 varsity sports at the end of the 2021 season.

Stanford University announced Wednesday that it will cut nearly one-third of its Division I sports programs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year as the COVID-19 crisis has threatened to worsen an already existing athletics department deficit. The move will affect more than 240 student-athletes and 22 coaches, according to a letter from school leadership.

The 11 sports that will be discontinued are as follows: men's and women's fencing, field hockey, lightweight rowing, men's rowing, co-ed and women's sailing, squash, synchronized swimming, men's volleyball and wrestling. University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, provost Persis Drell and athletic director Bernard Muir signed the letter which detailed the "heartbreaking news."

Men's VB is the most surprising here. No doubt a title IX scholarship balancing act for football, but surprising nevertheless. On the other hand, Stanford had 36 sports, the only other D1 school with over 30 was tOSU.

Isn't Stanford sailing where a lot of those bribes went? Seems like an easy cut.

A review found that the mastermind behind the college admissions bribery scandal had approached seven coaches at Stanford University about potential sports recruits over the past decade, the school president said Tuesday.

Only one coach, the former head of the sailing program who pleaded guilty earlier this year, went along with the scheme proposed by college consultant William “Rick” Singer, according to an independent investigation the university funded.

“Singer directly or indirectly approached seven Stanford coaches about potential recruits between 2009 and 2019” but the investigation found no evidence that any athletic department employee aside from the sailing coach “agreed to support a Singer client in exchange for a financial consideration,” according to the statement by university President Marc Tessier-Lavigne.

His statement did not identify the six other coaches or name their sports

JCC wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:04 pm The Pac 12 has to start playing all or the vast majority of their football games in the 12:30 - 5:30PM (local) time frame or they will always be the red headed step child of the power 5. Yes that means cramming their games into a tiny window and having no or maybe one game in (local) prime time. But most of the nation doesn't see some of their biggest matchups because they start too late.

They could also start games at 9-9:30AM local time, but I doubt they would ever go for that.

JCC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 09, 2020 5:05 pm Big 10 announced it's only playing conference games this Fall in all sports (including football). This season is fucked.

The people in charge seem to believe that this moment is critical for college football because canceling or postponing this season could break the system as we know it. But by stressing how important this season is to the bottom line, they have highlighted how broken the system really is. Everything collapses without games, and those games happen only if unpaid and predominantly Black players risk competing in unsafe conditions. If college football doesn’t use this moment to address its flaws, will that moment ever come?

Football season is what I look forward to all year. At some point, it even surpassed college basketball as my favorite sport. In a hellacious year like 2020, nothing would soothe me more than sitting in front of the TV watching college football for 14 hours on a Saturday. It hurts to think of a year with no Heisman race, no college kickers, no Auburn chaos, no College GameDay, no band, no tailgating. But here we are.

The only thing worse than canceling the season would be not canceling the season. Proceeding as usual would mean sacrificing the health and, potentially, lives of young men who aren’t even paid for their labor. College football is already dangerous and exploitative by design. Forcing a season in the middle of a deadly pandemic is too callous even for college football.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:32 pm Rumors flying around on SLC sports radio this afternoon that the P12 is looking at cancelling all fall sports, with an announcement on Monday. Seemed very lightly sourced ("contact in the Utah athletic department"), but may be something to keep an eye on.

At this point, I just want to know if I get my $$ back for Utah season tickets or not.

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:32 pm Rumors flying around on SLC sports radio this afternoon that the P12 is looking at cancelling all fall sports, with an announcement on Monday. Seemed very lightly sourced ("contact in the Utah athletic department"), but may be something to keep an eye on.

At this point, I just want to know if I get my $$ back for Utah season tickets or not.

Before the Power Five shift to February kickoffs, all reasonable options for this fall will be exhausted.

Let’s start that process right now: Forget the full slate of non-conference games. It’s not happening, and it shouldn’t happen...

...Central to the plan is that each three-week rotation creates the potential for a 14-day break from competition, allowing for the full Covid-19 quarantine and isolation periods (if needed to get players back on the field).

The two-on/one-off format would give local health officials more time to potentially change the number of fans allowed in stadiums — if fans are allowed in the stadiums — based on local infection trends.

In addition, we recommend the conference eliminate the Thursday and Friday games this season. (Again, ESPN and Fox have no choice but to be flexible.)

The Pac-12 needs everyone on the same schedule: The same competition schedule and the same testing schedule.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:12 pm UNC’s schedule is also pretty tough. But I think there’s like a 20% chance the season actually lasts more than a few weeks.

pr0ner wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:14 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:12 pm UNC’s schedule is also pretty tough. But I think there’s like a 20% chance the season actually lasts more than a few weeks.

At least UNC avoids Clemson.

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:34 am

pr0ner wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:14 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 7:12 pm UNC’s schedule is also pretty tough. But I think there’s like a 20% chance the season actually lasts more than a few weeks.

At least UNC avoids Clemson.

We wanted a rematch after last year's oh-so-close-but-bonehead-2-pt-coversion-play-call.

In a reshuffled fall football schedule, UCLA will kick off the season against California in Berkeley on Sept. 19th.

A week later on Saturday, Sept. 26th, instead of playing Stanford at the Rose Bowl, the new schedule pits UCLA against crosstown rival USC in Pasadena.