Chansky's Notebook: Here Is My Plan

College football is starting the conversation in the wrong place.

With more time on my hands, I am reading everything I can about the NCAA, conferences and schools trying to decide how and when to play football this fall or next spring.

It’s surprising, actually amazing, that every conversation or conference call doesn’t begin with safety — how teams will transition from social distancing with meetings, training table and weight lifting to what happens when contact begins in practice and games.

Doesn’t the discussion have to begin there?

A long story on SI.com quoting commissioners, athletic directors and coaches doesn’t mention health and safety of the players very much, and that – as I wrote Tuesday – is the great disconnect.

So, here’s my plan for whenever college football starts.

* Revise all schedules to 10 games, either cutting two from the existing schedule or, depending on travel, go rogue and start all over again.

* For the Big Four in North Carolina, they could align with Virginia and Virginia Tech or, in-state include App and ECU. Each of the six teams plays home-and-home to make up the 10-game schedule.

* The season starts the last Saturday in August or the first weekend in September. All schools play EVERY OTHER WEEK for their first four games. This will provide time to see what happens with testing and infections.

* Every school must set up a quarantine center, and any athlete who tests positive goes into quarantine for 14 days. Most of them will be mild or asymptomatic, which means they can study remotely, work out or even meet with coaches wearing protective gear.

* After eight weeks and four games, they should know how many positives they will have and how to prepare for weekly play over the remaining six weeks of the season. During the “off weekends,” coaches can build depth all the way down to the walk-ons.

* Schools can restrict travel by scheduling opponents within a bus-ride of all the campuses, and teams can bus in the morning of the game and bus back after the game. No foreign hotel rooms with possible virus strains.

* With existing TV contracts, every game can be televised, in case stadiums attendance is limited.

* If all goes well, the ACC can still pick two teams to play for the conference title in late December, and the CFP selection committee can choose a Final Four for the playoffs in January.

All this puts the safety of athletes first and provides the best chance for a full, fun season.

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Chansky’s Notebook: Here Is My Plan

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