Non-Conference Games Take a Hit

As we reported last night live on In the D3FB Huddle two more conferences have decided to cancel their fall seasons. The biggest impact to the Hobart College Football season was the 9:30 PM announcement by the Empire 8, which most of us assumed would fill at least one or two of the Statesmen's OOC games this fall.

This morning the MASCAC (primarily made up of state schools) followed suit and cancelled their season as well. With three other eastern conferences - the CCC, NEWMAC and NJAC - still to decide, things are looking more grim.

The one sliver of hope was the fact that Hobart's Week 4 (now basically home and season opener) opponent, Keystone College, does still intend to play this fall.

As of now, the Statesmen's schedule is as follows:

Week 4 - 9/26/20 vs. Keystone
Week 7 - 10/17/20 vs. Ithaca (who hasn't made a formal announcement regarding fall sports)
Week 9 - 10/31/20 @ St. Lawrence
Week 10 - 11/7/20 @ Buff State (who is a SUNY like most of the E8, they haven't made a formal announcement either)
Week 11 - 11/14/20 vs. Rochester

With only 5 confirmed games and two opponents that are TBD, the Statesmen and the LL will have some challenging decisions to make over the coming weeks. The NCAA remains silent regarding any guidance other than blanket eligibility waivers and while some conferences, like the MASCAC, have alluded to spring football, that's far from guaranteed.

I texted with one coach about whether or not schedules could or would be completely rearranged, for example, move a game in November up to October, and he said " everything is on the table at this point."

For now, it'll be up to HWS AD Deb Steward to get on the phone along with Associate AD Brian Miller and Coach DeWall '00 to find some other potential opponents in order to save the 2020 season.

It's not officially over yet - there are still roughly 200 D3FB teams still either having declared they will attempt to play or waiting to, so anything's possible. Good news out of London about a potential vaccine coming by September could assuage what's become a fear-ridden media and public.

Thanks as always for reading. I'll try to provide more updates as they come.

Go 'Bart!