Patriot League Statement on Fall Competition

[Go Green]

https://patriotleague.org/news/2020/6/22/general-patriot-league-council-of-presidents-announces-guidance-regarding-2020-fall-competition.aspx

Not clear to me how this impacts football... I suppose the air travel ban may preclude a PL team from making a run into the playoffs.

[Gangtackle11]

Im hearing CAA considering home & home games with closest CAA teams to cut down on hotel stay overs & travel.

[bonarae]

https://patriotleague.org/news/2020/6/22/general-patriot-league-council-of-presidents-announces-guidance-regarding-2020-fall-competition.aspx

Not clear to me how this impacts football... I suppose the air travel ban may preclude a PL team from making a run into the playoffs.


Already covered in part through: https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?197253-2020-Schedules&p=2890947&viewfull=1#post2890947

But this deserves a thread of its own. xrulesx

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

https://patriotleague.org/news/2020/6/22/general-patriot-league-council-of-presidents-announces-guidance-regarding-2020-fall-competition.aspx

Not clear to me how this impacts football... I suppose the air travel ban may preclude a PL team from making a run into the playoffs.


Athletes not returning until regular students return sounds like no football camp during August. Wouldn't that mean games scheduled the first few weeks of the season can't be played because the team is now in their preseason camp? Very rare overnight stays would mean later start times, correct? For example, Google Maps tells me it is four hours to drive between Holy Cross and Lehigh, what's the earliest feasible kickoff time? Even longer drives between Cross and Bucknell/Georgetown. How many Patriot fields have lights? I think lights will be needed for some games in November if the schools are far apart. Those impacts jumped out at me. I'm sure there are others.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Im hearing CAA considering home & home games with closest CAA teams to cut down on hotel stay overs & travel.

I've heard that is one option being considered. I think I saw discussion of this related to Elon in the 2020 CAA thread. The following is my assumption where the home and home series within the pod would result in six games. Do you play two schools in the nearest pod to make eight???? Do you play only six??? Do you play games where charter flights have been booked??? Hopefully, more info will be coming from the CAA soon!

North pod: Maine, UNH, URI, Albany
Central pod: Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson
South pod: JMU, Richmond, W&M, Elon

[Sader87]

There is no sane logistical way HC can travel to GTown on the same day to play football.

In typical PL fashion, this statement is full of as many questions as answers it provides.

My hunch/gut, at best, most conferences will play only in-league games this season....and even then, possibly in a limited fashion.

[dgtw]

If they only played conference games, would the champion still be playoff eligible after just a six game schedule?


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[Gangtackle11]

I've heard that is one option being considered. I think I saw discussion of this related to Elon in the 2020 CAA thread. The following is my assumption where the home and home series within the pod would result in six games. Do you play two schools in the nearest pod to make eight???? Do you play only six??? Do you play games where charter flights have been booked??? Hopefully, more info will be coming from the CAA soon!

North pod: Maine, UNH, URI, Albany
Central pod: Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson
South pod: JMU, Richmond, W&M, Elon

Play Delaware 2x = yummy! xlolx

[Go Green]

There is no sane logistical way HC can travel to GTown on the same day to play football.

Overnight bus ride. Arrive in DC in the morning.

[DFW HOYA]

The following is my assumption where the home and home series within the pod would result in six games.
North pod: Maine, UNH, URI, Albany
Central pod: Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson
South pod: JMU, Richmond, W&M, Elon

PL North pod: Colgate, Holy Cross, Fordham
PL Central pod: Bucknell, Lehigh, Lafayette
PL "Schedule some D-III teams instead" pod: Georgetown

[Anthony215]

I've heard that is one option being considered. I think I saw discussion of this related to Elon in the 2020 CAA thread. The following is my assumption where the home and home series within the pod would result in six games. Do you play two schools in the nearest pod to make eight???? Do you play only six??? Do you play games where charter flights have been booked??? Hopefully, more info will be coming from the CAA soon!

North pod: Maine, UNH, URI, Albany
Central pod: Stony Brook, Villanova, Delaware, Towson
South pod: JMU, Richmond, W&M, Elon

Stony Brook down to Towson is still a little hike (5 hours) you'd still need a overnight stay, can't risk kids playing after sitting on a bus for 5 hours then jumping onto a field for a 2.5 hour game. Unless they flew from to NYC to Baltimore on a 8am flight, arrive around 9, drive to the stadium for a noon kick off.

[Tribe4SF]

I'm assuming at this point Tribe games against Colgate (Williamsburg 9/12) and Lafayette (Easton 9/19) will not happen. I know we are still working to make our opener at Stanford 9/5 happen and hopefully can play Hampton or Norfolk State to fill in lost Patriot games.

[Anthony215]

I'm assuming at this point Tribe games against Colgate (Williamsburg 9/12) and Lafayette (Easton 9/19) will not happen. I know we are still working to make our opener at Stanford 9/5 happen and hopefully can play Hampton or Norfolk State to fill in lost Patriot games.

Unfortunately both Hampton and Norfolk have local games so I don't forsee either of them cancelling those games to schedule the Tribe. A more logical opponent may be NC Central on the 19th as they may decide that a 3 hour bus ride is better than a 6 hour bus ride to Tennessee Tech.

[Tribe4SF]

Unfortunately both Hampton and Norfolk have local games so I don't forsee either of them cancelling those games to schedule the Tribe. A more logical opponent may be NC Central on the 19th as they may decide that a 3 hour bus ride is better than a 6 hour bus ride to Tennessee Tech.

You're right. NCCU would make sense and Howard is scheduled to go to Arkansas State on the 12th so they may be a possibility.

[RichH2]

PL is having weekly meetings to update guidelines. From what I read, the meeting this Wednesday will include clarifications of the original statement.
No Spring practice,Summer strength and conditioning on campus and Fall camp and teams will be limited to shorter and fewer practices once students return to campus. Highly unlikely that Lehigh will play any games until at the earliest on the last weekend in Sept. At most 9 Saturdays for games.

[TheValleyRaider]

Random thoughts about this:
- This feels consistent with things I heard from our AD earlier this summer about prioritizing League play.

- I am surprised that there has been no similar statement from the Ivy League, especially given how the PL at times follows their example. Don't know that it means anything, but it is interesting.

- I am also surprised that the League has not yet made a blanket statement about national tournaments. Right now, I would not expect a Patriot League team in the playoffs, but why not say so? Is that perhaps going to be left up to individual schools to decide? The reduced schedules almost certainly eliminates any chance (however implausible) of at-large consideration, but what of the League winner? Are they avoiding a decision to allow flexibility down the line (circumstances make postseason travel more reasonable)? With the postseason, I feel like you're either all in or all out. If you commit to the playoffs, then you can't be contingent on matchups (i.e. Colgate will play at Albany, but if they win and get a game at Delaware they would cancel).

- In looking at Colgate's proposed 2020 schedule (https://gocolgateraiders.com/documents/2019/5/14/Future_Football_Schedules.pdf?path=football) (nothing official has been announced), here's the OOC:
9/4 at Western Michigan (had been moved to that Friday) -> No
9/12 at William & Mary -> Maybe leaning towards No
9/19 at Syracuse -> Maybe leaning towards "they'll want to try." Syracuse is a 1-hour trip and there's some money involved. It comes about 3.5 weeks after students return to campus, would the coaches feel ready with limited practice?
9/26 vs New Hampshire -> Maybe leaning towards Yes, presuming UNH is willing to make the trip
10/17 vs Cornell -> Yes, presuming Cornell is willing to make the trip
That's all a guess right now, but 2 OOC games feels like the max for 2020 (if that)

Long time between now and September

[dgtw]

I could see the Ivy going to a league-only or one OOC game against someone in the area.


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[Go Green]

I could see the Ivy going to a league-only or one OOC game against someone in the area.


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The Ivy is about as spread out as the Patriot.

Although plenty of day-trips are feasible for league contests, it would be difficult for the Ivy to do a full league schedule unless there are a few "overnight" bus rides built in.

[Son of Eli]

The Ivy is about as spread out as the Patriot.

Although plenty of day-trips are feasible for league contests, it would be difficult for the Ivy to do a full league schedule unless there are a few "overnight" bus rides built in.


eveything can be done as a day trip except Cornell. I think they could make an exception for one night at a hotel. Everyone could get their own room with the money they’re saving by canceling hotels every other week.

[bulldog10jw]

eveything can be done as a day trip except Cornell. I think they could make an exception for one night at a hotel. Everyone could get their own room with the money they’re saving by canceling hotels every other week.

I would think hotels are safer than busses. Certainly more room to spread out.

[NY Crusader 2010]

I would think hotels are safer than busses. Certainly more room to spread out.

I don't understand the fear of overnight stays, unless of course it's a cost issue. Relative to living on a college campus with thousands of other students, what incremental risk is there really by staying in a Marriott for a night. How many people are athletes really going to interact with at a hotel between walk-through, meetings, meals, etc.? This is alarm-ism at it's finest.

Even when looking at air travel, the airports themselves are still deserted relative to normal levels. Yes, the planes are more crowded due to drastically reduced service. But a football travel squad of 80+ people (including coaches, managers, staff and media) takes up about half of a plane. So you're basically sitting on an airplane among people you're already exposed to on a regular basis.