The college football world is fighting to keep well-established rivalries alive despite the season being shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
CBS Sports reported Wednesday that a number of conferences are considering a “plus one” scheduling model that would allow teams to play certain rivalry games even if college sports move to conference-only schedules this fall.
"As we stand here today, what I believe with our conversations with commissioner [Greg] Sankey, the SEC, the Big 12 and the ACC are on the same page as far as our collective desire to be patient before making any decisions," Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek said last week, according to CBS Sports. "You look at some of the in-state rivalries that exist, especially between the SEC and the ACC, it makes sense that Clemson should play South Carolina, Georgia should play Georgia Tech and Florida should play Florida State. Just eliminating those games because you want to play a conference-only schedule, at least at this point, does not make a great deal of sense."
The plus one model, which has been promoted by Peach Bowl president and CEO Gary Stokan, would keep traditions alive in a strange season. If enacted, the SEC, ACC and Big 12 would play their standard conference schedule, plus one select nonconference game — such as Florida versus Florida state or Louisville versus Kentucky.
Stokan would benefit by holding some of those nonconference games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. While Stokan is focused on the south, the Big 10 and Pac-12 are also reportedly considering straying a bit from the conference-only model. Nothing is set in stone, however, as The Mercury News reported Wednesday that the Pac-12 is looking at a 10-game conference-only schedule that begins in mid-September.
Related content: Big Ten Announces Conference-Only Plan for Fall Sports
NCAA sports haven’t been played since early March, as the pandemic caused the cancellation of several winter championships as well as the entire spring seasons. The football season was impacted earlier this month, when the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced they were moving to conference-only schedules. Smaller conferences and universities have canceled their entire seasons, as it remains to be seen how many football games are played this fall.
There are many decisions left to be made, including a Friday meeting in which the NCAA Board of Directors is scheduled vote on whether or not to cancel all fall championships. The NCAA season is currently scheduled to start Aug. 29, while the National Junior College Athletic Association has already announced that fall sports have been moved to the spring of 2021.
Related content: NJCAA Expected to Move to Spring Football Season
