Author: Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh

#FOOTBALL #COLLEGEFOOTBALL

“… The MAC plans to move forward as scheduled by competing in as many nonconference games as possible. …”

“The Southeastern Conference has summoned all 14 athletic directors to league offices in Birmingham, Ala., next Monday for an in-person meeting to discuss fall sports scheduling, multiple sources told Sports Illustrated. … Among the non-conference matchups that would be lost by a move to conference-only games … Arkansas at Notre Dame in week two …”

“… News of the Big Ten’s decision to play a conference-only schedule in 2020 surfaced Thursday, July 9 – thus scrapping the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game — with the Pac-12 officially making its announcement a day later. The Irish will not play the Trojans for the first time since 1945. Notre Dame will not play Cardinal for the first time since 1996. …”

“… This season’s schedule has a similar look. The Irish will battle six ACC teams with one coming against the elite of the elite in college football. Also, Notre Dame will leave campus to go up against another of the Big Ten’s best. The Irish should be favorites in the other 10 games, but several of their foes are hard to handicap in 2020. …”

“The dramatic recent increase in COVID-19 cases is a direct result of the widespread ‘reopening’ in many states. It seems that many have decided the pandemic is over, including the University of Notre Dame.

In May, Notre Dame students were surprised to learn that we would all return to campus this fall. We were even more surprised to see this decision justified through a New York Times op-ed by the Rev. John Jenkins, the university’s president.

The foundation for this decision is unclear, and — given that a Notre Dame football player recently tested positive for COVID-19 — we are left wondering why the university will accept unnecessary risk by resuming in-person education. …”