6:11 AM ET Let’s not kid ourselves. As conferences call off their fall sports, as the 2020 college football season remains beyond the grasp of a country desperate for the comforts of an autumn Saturday, it’s impossible to strike the balance between public health and a return to normalcy. There isn’t an exact parallel, but
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10:20 PM ET In the social sciences, there is a concept called a “wicked problem.” It was coined by University of California, Berkeley professor Horst Rittel and describes, in effect, a unique problem that has no right answers. Whatever you choose to solve a wicked problem is a “one-shot operation” that cannot be undone. You
4:05 PM ET The Pac-12 CEO group voted Tuesday to cancel fall sports and will look at options to play in the spring, sources told ESPN. Stadium first reported the news. The conference has a webinar scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the decision that will include conference commissioner Larry Scott, CEO group chair
10:10 AM ET UMass is cancelling its fall football season, the school announced Tuesday. An FBS independent, UMass may attempt to play a season this spring, athletic director Ryan Bamford said. “The continuing challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic posed too great of a risk, and we reached the conclusion that attempting to play a season
12:00 AM ET A day unlike any other in college football history started at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday when the game’s biggest star, Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, was among the dozens of players to tweet a statement that expressed their desire to play the 2020 season and shared items they feel need to be addressed
4:55 PM ET Paula Lavigne Close ESPN Staff Writer Data analyst and reporter for ESPN’s Enterprise and Investigative Unit. Winner, 2014 Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award; finalist, 2012 IRE broadcast award; winner, 2011 Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism; Emmy nominated, 2009. Mark Schlabach Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior college football writer
12:29 PM ET Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh released a statement Monday advocating for the college football season to go on as planned. “I would like to address the rumors that are swirling today,” Harbaugh said in the statement. “I’m not advocating for football this fall because of my passion or our players desire to
3:28 AM ET Some of the biggest stars in college football believe the time has come to organize and create a more powerful voice for players in their sport. In a matter of hours Sunday night, a dozen college football players from all five major conferences came together to create a joint statement that expressed
6:09 PM ET Commissioners of the Power 5 conferences held an emergency meeting on Sunday, as there is growing concern among college athletics officials that the upcoming football season and other fall sports can’t be played because of the coronavirus pandemic, sources told ESPN. Several sources have indicated to ESPN that Big Ten presidents, following
11:30 AM ET Adam Rittenberg Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. Mark Schlabach Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia Concern about the 2020 college football season had been mounting, even at
2:26 PM ET Friday night felt so great, didn’t it? The SEC rolled out its new conference-only schedule like an old-school Selection Sunday special, team by team, revealing which two new opponents were being added to each team’s 2020 football calendars. Folks in Columbia, Missouri, groaned when they saw both LSU and Alabama appear in
12:30 PM ET Adam Rittenberg Close ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University. Tom VanHaaren Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN staff writer Joined ESPN in 2011 Graduated from Central Michigan As pessimism built in college football circles about the chances for a fall season, sources noted the reluctance
10:37 AM ET The Mid-American Conference is postponing all fall sports, which includes football, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday. League presidents met Saturday morning and voted not to have all fall sports, including football. The MAC is the first FBS conference to opt not to play this fall. Earlier this week, FBS independent UConn
7:56 PM ET Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he’s “100% committed” to playing the 2020 season and never strongly considered opting out, despite his status as the likely top pick in the 2021 NFL draft. Following Clemson’s Friday practice, Lawrence addressed his decision to play this season, saying his primary concerns surrounded the school’s safety
8:00 AM ET Multiple Contributors Athletic directors Scott Stricklin and David Coburn had discussed for months their intentions to keep the Florida-Florida State rivalry game on the schedule. No matter what. Then, on July 29, Coburn’s phone rang. It was Stricklin, the Florida AD, calling from Gainesville. There would be no Florida-Florida State game in
3:24 PM ET In the best of times, the top-level FBS athletic director has a difficult job. He or she is not only the CEO of a business with a nine-figure budget, but also the person who oversees the dreams of hundreds of student-athletes, 18-to-22-year-olds who aspire to a college diploma and/or a professional career.
3:10 PM ET As college football teams prepare for the 2020 season amid the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic, a few top NFL prospects are opting out of playing in the name of both safety and preparation for the 2021 NFL draft. Here’s what you need to know about each of them. HT: 6-2
3:00 PM ET There’s just so much uncertainty and anxiety right now, a Power 5 football player said as he was leaving his apartment for an afternoon workout on campus earlier this month. The player, who spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, was in a meeting recently with school and conference officials to