Will College Football Happen In 2020? Experts Weigh In

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Southeastern Conference has not made an official announcement about whether or not football will be played this fall, but some of the other conferences in the country have made decisions, and it does not bode well for college football fans in Alabama.

The Big Ten Conference decided this week that this season would include conference play only, and that is only if they decide to play at all. The Ivy League canceled all fall sports for 2020, and some smaller conferences, such as the SIAC, which includes Miles College, has suspended play for the fall as well.

ESPN analyst and longtime Alabama-based sports talk show host Paul Finebaum said Friday his confidence in the college football season happening in 2020 is small.

"I would probably be at about 25 percent, and that’s based on possibly getting some good news in the next few weeks," Finebaum said on Friday’s edition of ESPN's Get Up. "But I cannot go any higher than that."

Without college football, Alabama sports fans would obviously feel a void, as the state is one of the most college football-crazy states in the country. But what does it mean to the state beyond just having its residents losing a hobby for the year?

"I think that this month will be the deciding factor and as we have seen throughout this time, a lot can change in a month," Bama Network co-host Katelyn Heffler told Patch. "As for how Bama students will take the cancellation of a fall football season, I would say it varies. With most classes turning 'hybrid' or completely online, I think that the students are understanding at this point about the uncertainty of the football season."

Heffler's co-host at Bama Network, Jayde Saylor, said the void for the city of Tuscaloosa and for the university itself is more measurable.

"If the season is canceled, I think the impact on students will be devastating," Saylor told Patch. "Speaking for myself and many other students at Alabama, a large amount of students attend UA because of the football program. As we have already seen several businesses close down in Tuscaloosa, I would look to see a few more meet the end with no tourists and people coming in for home games."

Saylor is right. Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox stated in the spring that a year without Crimson Tide football would mean a loss of $2 billion to the city.

Money lost from television revenue and ticket sales is also a factor. For instance, football is one of only two sports at Auburn University that made a net profit last fiscal year, according to the most recent financial report from the university, and the program brought in nearly $30 million from ticket sales alone.

A canceled football season would also mean no Magic City Classic for Birmingham. According to the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Magic City Classic brings in 50,000 attendees and an economic impact of $22.7 million to the city.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has called a meeting of all 14 athletic directors for Monday to decide the fate of the season.

"I think spring is more viable than fall," one SEC AD told Sports Illustrated this week. "What we have currently scheduled is not realistic. If somebody told me we could play conference-only in the fall, that would be great. But I’m not sure we can play one game, let alone a full conference schedule."