Nothing has been confirmed, but there is a rumor with smoke to it.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic made its way to the United States, California has been one of the states on lockdown. According to an article from the Los Angeles Times back on April 25, the stay-at-home order for residents will continue. Two of the biggest collegiate football programs in the state – University of Southern California and University of California, Berkley – are scheduled to play on Saturday, Sept. 5.
The USC Trojans open its season versus the University of Alabama at AT&T Stadium, while California starts its campaign against Texas Christian University.
While the hope is for things to clear up in California, an alternative plan is in place.
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According to Bleacher Report, USC’s head coach Clay Helton has discussed a potential 11-game conference only schedule for teams in the Pac-12. This would limit the amount of exposure to the virus for those schools.
Should this happen, the Trojans would sacrifice its season opener versus Alabama.
Drew Davison, who covers TCU athletics for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, said Jeremiah Donati (athletics director for the Horned Frogs) is ‘preparing to face the Golden Bears in week one.’ If something happens to where TCU cannot play California, Donati said ‘we’ll look at other options.’ Alabama and TCU have never faced each other during Nick Saban’s tenure with the Crimson Tide. The lone thing Saban wants right now is to have a competitive matchup before taking on Georgia in week three at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Under Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs typically have the best defense in the Big 12 and a solid unit overall in college football.
Once again, nothing has been confirmed but an Alabama-TCU contest has been a talking point.
We shall see what happens at some point.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
