Notre Dame’s most visible athletics figures align on the necessary steps to playing college football this year.
In a Thursday appearance on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd,” head coach Brian Kelly echoed athletics director Jack Swarbrick’s sentiments on how football is not detachable from collegiate operations as a whole. It can’t exist in its own bubble, because, technically the players are no different than regular students.
And it’s not clear right now when students will be allowed back on campuses.
“A lot of it is centered around not just the game itself, but how you bring back students,” Kelly said. “The NFL is a lot easier because you could conceivably bring back the professional ranks and cut a deal with the players. Maybe there’s some lost revenue on the players’ end they have to agree to, they can play without fans and people would buy that product and watch it on TV.
“At the collegiate level, it’s hard to do without students. One can’t exist without the other. This is really a comprehensive plan where it has to be in lockstep. So many football programs have existed as their own model. Those that have existed as their own business model are struggling right now. Those that have been intertwined with the university are going to get through this a lot quicker.”
Swarbrick joined other Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners Wednesday on a call with vice president Mike Pence to discuss the timeline and requirements for starting the season. Their conclusion: No student on campus, no games.
“This is all about, [it] sort of begins and ends with bringing our students back to campus,” Swarbrick told CBS Sports. “It’s just hard to figure out how you can say, ‘We believe the campus isn’t safe for our student body, and oh, we’re going to bring one group of students back.’”
If the season is delayed, Kelly said previously that a 12-game season is still possible if it starts in October. That might be unique to Notre Dame, but he considers it possible if the September games are moved to open dates in October or November and slotted in early and mid-December.
One other option floated around has been starting the season in 2021 and playing into the spring.
“We could make it work,” Kelly said. “We can’t have an overlapping semester because then there are eligibility questions. As long as there’s not an overlapping semester situation and we can get through the semesters, everyone can tie up fall from winter and spring from summer, I think we can do that. There are enough models out there where we can get this season in.
“There may be some situations like we heard the other day where the mayor may not let anything happen in the city of L.A. There may be some teams that have to play road games. If that’s the case to play and get your season in, there may have to be those alterations.”
Should the season begin on schedule or mostly on schedule, Notre Dame’s most ballyhooed game of the year is its Nov. 7 meeting with Clemson in South Bend. Cowherd, in the middle of interviewing Kelly, called it the game he’s most excited to watch.
It’s a 2018 College Football Playoff semifinal rematch where Notre Dame will try to slow down Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence – exactly what it couldn’t last time and what most everyone in college football has failed to do.
“Trevor is a guy who can make throws anywhere on the field,” Kelly said. “He’s going to be in an offense that will feature his ability to run as well. Trevor can move out of the pocket, make throws, run the football. We obviously played them in the playoff, his ability to see the field and make throws, he’s a complete quarterback.
“He played us as a freshman and tore us apart. … We had a pretty good secondary. He impressed me as someone who’s only going to get better.”
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