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But at the moment, the medium- and long-term thinking of many athletic directors is focused on two overlapping tracks: Is a normal, 12-game football season going to start on time, and how does the potential for a deep recession change an industry that has relied on individual donors and local and regional businesses to buy season tickets and donate money for the locker room waterfalls and sleeping pods that have fueled an arms race in college athletics?

Just how deep is the potential hole created by coronavirus? Notre Dame coach Mike Brey told CBS Sports that there’s a chance that even the college basketball season — that’s right, not college football — could wind up delayed.

"I'm almost thinking I'm not going to see my guys until Labor Day weekend," Brey said. "Are we playing less basketball next year? Are we starting later, on Dec. 1? Jan. 1? It's all on the table."

The financial concerns seem to be the biggest ones. Brey said that Notre Dame typically schedules seven “buy” games, shelling out $90,000 apiece to opponents to come play in South Bend. But with athletic departments likely to be pinching pennies, Brey said that wasn’t likely to happen in 2020-21.

"The biggest concern, and our AD voiced it in an email, is the financial impact on the athletic department is going to be massive and how do we handle our budget," Brey said. "Using the private plane to recruit, the Power Fives? I don't know about that anymore. I don't even know if we're going to be out. The last 10 days, it's been a scramble mode. Not day-to-day: hour-to-hour."

Among the other conclusions in the study are:

• Joining Conference USA, which ODU did in 2013, has cost the school “a minimum of $2 million annually.” The study cites the departures of Memphis, Southern Methodist, Houston, Central Florida, Tulane and East Carolina as being damaging to the conference’s national profile.
• C-USA, which is based near Dallas and has teams as far west as El Paso, Texas, estimates it will give $1 million less to member institutions this year than in years past.
• The cancellation of the 2020 NCAA basketball tournament due to the coronavirus will result in the loss of $867 million, 60% of which is divided among member institutions. The impact will be especially jarring for mid-majors like ODU, which rely on that revenue each year.
• Revenue from ticket sales, gifts and corporate sponsorships is projected to be reduced by a minimum of 20% in college athletics, which for ODU would be $1.5 million.
• The NCAA’s recent decision to grant additional eligibility to athletes in spring sports who had their 2019-20 seasons cut short due to coronavirus concerns will cost ODU approximately $500,000.
• Among the scenarios examined regarding the 2020 football season: the possibility of playing games before no fans; the possibility of a partial cancellation of the season; and the possibility of canceling of the entire season. “The cancellation of the football season would create a major shortfall in football ticket sales revenues, priority seat gift requirements, corporate sponsorships and potentially television and bowl revenues to … C-USA,” according to the study. “All schools must be prepared for partial or total interruption of the 2020 football season.”
• ODU needed to reduce men’s athletic scholarship money by $250,000 to comply with Title IX, which requires judicious opportunities for female athletes.

All university employees earning more than $150,000 will be required to take 10-day furloughs between early May and the end of July. Those earning $100,000 to $149,999 will be required to take seven days; $75,000 to $99,999, five days; and $40,000 to $74,999, four days. Employees are not allowed to perform any work during the furloughs.

The Big House won’t be full this fall, and it very well may be empty.

Michigan athletics announced Wednesday that if a college football season is played, games at Michigan Stadium will be held at a reduced capacity or with no fans at all.

Consequently, tickets to each game will be sold on an individual basis and season tickets have been suspended. Only season-ticket holders and students will be allowed to purchase the individual game tickets, and there will be no direct sales to the general public.

Omaha1 wrote:It sounds like the college football season is in major peril. The financial impact on the FBS conferences would be massive.