After a night to digest the news

Jul 31, 2020, 2:22 PM

one thing just stick as out in my mind from all this.

It truly didn't have to happen

Clemson-SC didn't have to become a casualty of this mess. Neither did GT-Georgia, FSU-Flordia, Louisville-Kentucky, Iowa-Iowa St, Navy-Southern Cal, or any other non-conferrnce rivalry game.

When everything started going sideways in March when it came to sports, EVERYONE - from school AD's & presidents, to conference commissioners, all the way up to NCAA president Emmert - should've been hitting the phones & emails to come up w/ contigenciey plans out the ***. Developing an across the board baseline for testing, protocols, etc. To develop schedule plans in case didn't think the season would start on time or if a full 12-13 game schedule wasn't gonna be possible. Heck, just several weeks ago talking w/ some people I came up w/ a 10 game schedule in 10 minutes- play the scheduled conference games, keeps 1-2 non-conference games to preserve most of the non-conf rivalries & still be able to schedule games that would help the independents fill schedules, G5/FCS still receive a payday game, etc.

Instead of planning, using the time that they did have, what did those ppl do?

They stuck their heads in the sand & did nothing. Hoping that things would blow over & they wouldn't have to deal w/ it. & then when they realized it wouldn't, Emmert & the spineless NCAA deferred to the conference/schools. The conferences chose the "all about me, screw everyone else approach" & b/c of that, traditions will pay the price, smaller schools needing $ will pay the price. As much as I hate to say it, the ACC deserves some kudos for the +1 schedule as they did try to preserve the 4 OOC rivalries & would allow the other schools to work out something w/ G5/FCS schools in their states/geographic footprint (despite the whole ND deal). & for all the talk about trying to preserve the ACC-SEC in state rivalries, when it came down to it, South Carolina was the only one on the SEC side that stood their ground in trying to save the game when the other schools caved in to the west division members that only cared about their rivalries surviving so gotta tip my hat to them for that.

I hold out some slim margin of hope that the Palmetto Bowl finds a way to happem in 2020. Maybe the state lawmakers get involved like they did back in 1952 & force the issue. Maybe the two schools take the "better to ask forgiveness than permission" approach & just go for it: whether it be after the bowl games or if something happens in-season where a couple schools have an outbreak (God forbid) & the two sides just pick up the phone & say "hey why not just go for it?". Only time will tell.

As i said, it didn't have to be this way