All 12 Mountain West Football Teams Will Try To Play This Fall
Some schools do have some work to do.
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There is a chance fewer than 12 play.
The Mountain West announced it will be playing an eight-game schedule starting on Oct. 24. One big question that needs to be answered is if all 12 teams will be playing.
As of now, the reports are that all 12 will be playing but there is some work to do.
Multiple sources tell @TheAthleticCFB that all 12 Mountain West teams are going to try to play, if allowed. But certain schools "still have some work to do" to get to that point. Local/state officials need to be on board, etc. (Also: Fresno never brought players back to campus.)
— Nicole Auerbach 😷 (@NicoleAuerbach) September 25, 2020
Craig Thompson was asked if every team is ready to play but that is not the case at the moment as a few states have some hurdles to get through.
Craig Thompson: Hawaii still has things to work out as does New Mexico and league is working through those. Working to get this done within a month.
— Mountain West Wire (@MWCwire) September 25, 2020
“We have some restrictions, certainly, in some of our states right now… and we are working through those with the state, local, and county restrictions,” Thompson said. “At this point, everyone is making an attempt and effort to get those clearances.”
MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson was asked if he believes all 12 Mountain West schools will participate in the upcoming football season: pic.twitter.com/WeWfpo1qhD
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) September 25, 2020
Fresno State is a big example of this as they have not yet been back on campus and would be at the biggest disadvantage in returning in about a month. Also, the other California schools in San Diego State and San Jose State are not out of the woods at all and could be in danger of not playing the entire schedule, or at all.
The Bulldogs recently put together a return to play plan and submitted it to local officials. So, nothing is official about Fresno State even returning to practice, and games are supposed to start in about a month. There also is no word on how long it will take for the county to get back to the school.
As mentioned before, where are the Fresno State student-athletes? Are they on campus and if not how long will it take for them to get to campus and ready to start to train and practice?
As for San Jose State, athletic director Marie Tuite said approvals must be received by Santa Clara County and by the Chancellor of the California State University system.
Spartans Brent Brennan said in a statement, “At San Jose State, we will continue working with our campus leaders and our county officers on the steps necessary for the Spartans to play in 2020.”
County officials issued a statement on Friday afternoon. “We and other public health experts have ongoing concerns about the transmission risks associated with intercollegiate contact sports, particularly in light of the many COVID-19 outbreaks that have occurred on college and university campuses and on various sports teams.”
“We are currently waiting for the State to release its revised guidance. We will review the new state guidance and proposed university protocols, make local decisions focused on the safety of the entire community, and continue to apply consistent requirements across industries, sectors, and institutions,” the statement went on to say.
There are still concerns in Hawaii that required a two-week quarantine or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours or entering the area which begins on Oct. 15. Then there is New Mexico is not allowing any prep sports and is can only have 10 people to participate in sports at once which is not ideal for football.
The league said in its announcement that playing college football is going to be the subject to approval from state, county, and local officials. So, it is no slam dunk that all 12 Mountain West football teams will play.
The dozen will all try and do what they can to play football this fall, so we will see if every team will be included this fall.
