The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1279712
28 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2020 out as best we can. We want Ann Arbor back the way it was." Sang: "College football is in- grained in the culture of the city. It's ingrained in the university. "That involves people spending money at local businesses, restau- rants, hotels, all of that. The prospect of not having any college football season hurts those industries even more than they already have been hurt. "It's certainly difficult, and you'll see more economic ramifications in the city." The Wolverine: Will anyone play college football in 2020, and if so might players try to jump ship for these leagues? Bastock: "The SEC and the ACC, the way they're talking, they're go- ing to have to be dragged kicking and screaming into not playing. If that does happen, I do think there are going to be players who are tempted to transfer, who feel like they need to play this year for the next step in their career, which is the NFL. "Obviously, that's not an easy deci- sion. It's not a guarantee. One would think it would be classified as a hard- ship, if your school does not have football this year. But nothing is ever easy with the NCAA, with waivers and transferring. "Guys are going to be tempted by that prospect, if the SEC, the ACC and the Big 12 stand pat. "I'm not sure we're going to see those other conferences going, but I will say I think they're going to go as long as humanly possible." Chengelis: "There's definitely con- versation among players and their families about that possibility, but is it a possibility? What kind of rules are there for this? Again, there are just so many questions out there that haven't been answered. "Honestly, they should have had an- swers prepared for so many of these things. That's going to be really hard for players to transfer and play right away. "Do I think anyone is going to play? I still think the SEC is going to try to do it. I really do. They may ultimately pull the plug, too, but that's the one league I think will try and stick it out." Karsch: "I could totally see the thought going through student-ath- letes' minds, should I transfer? Here's the question — you have all this time and effort put into a program, you transfer from, let's say Michigan, to Auburn, and two weeks from now Au- burn pulls the plug. Two weeks from now, the SEC says no. "What have you accomplished? You can, but you also have to apply for immediate eligibility. Otherwise, you might as well stay here. "Are they going to play? Let me put it to you like this. I could see the SEC powering through, and the ACC pull- ing the plug, the Big 12 pulling the plug, and the SEC says no, we're going to do it. The NFL pulls the plug, and the SEC says no, we're going to do it. And the Super Bowl is Georgia versus Alabama." Sang: "You have three of the five power conferences trying to forge ahead. But there's been tension al- ready. Florida State players are speak- ing out about not feeling comfortable with their situation. "I mentioned Clemson. One of their star defensive ends can't play this year because of what he dealt with after contracting COVID. You haven't really seen what all these college campuses are like once all the students return to them. They will be here pretty shortly, and I think that's the real test — keep- ing players healthy when that happens. "They could try to play, and maybe some leagues will even get through a game or two. As of now, if I had to guess, I don't think any season will be finished in the fall. "I think transfers would be very dif- ficult. These kids would have to pack all their stuff and move to a school that's across the country geographi- cally, join in the middle of camp, learn a new playbook, get to know team- mates and coaches, fight for a starting job, and they'd be at a huge disadvan- tage, even if they are talented. "They would have to do all of this, with no guarantee that it would even work out for them. Schools can say, hey, we're going to play, but it's not a certainty. Nothing is 100 percent cer- tain. "It wouldn't be that likely that you'd see a mass exodus. You might see a few, here and there. I don't think you'd see that many. "And those with NFL hopes, who have already been on the NFL radar, there's no need for them to even do that. If they have good game tape, if they've already shown what they can do, NFL scouts are going to see that. I don't think they're going to have to risk this type of move." The Wolverine: What do you an- ticipate your reaction will be to that first Saturday this fall when you could have been in the press box or on the field? Bastock: "I'll just be sad. I'm sad right now. I'm sad not only for my- self, because I love my job and I love covering Michigan sports on this beat. I've only been here a year, but I've learned so much. "I'm sad for these players and coaches that we get to know, that aren't going to get to have those ex- periences either. I'm sad to have to figure out what non-sports fans have to do on a Saturday. "Sadness is the word I keep com- ing back to. I know it's a basic emo- tion, but I really think it's hard for me to think of anything else right now. That's just the predominant feeling." Chengelis: "Even though I knew this was happening, when I heard Kevin Warren say those words, I got tears welling in my eyes. I was like, wow, this has been our careers for a long time, going to games. "I stress, they are games. I don't want to exaggerate what these are in the bigger scheme of things. But it's going to be hard. "I've got vacation I've accumulated, Ashley Bastock, U-M football beat writer for The Toledo Blade "I think of the popular restaurants and bars on game days, the hotels [in Ann Arbor that will be impacted by no fall football]. All of that stuff is going to be affected. We can't even begin to grasp the full effects of the financial part of this yet."