Swarbrick, Notre Dame Looking At "Every Possible Scenario" For Schedule

When he was asked what boxes would need to be checked for the NCAA to give the all-clear for the 2020 college football season to commence, Jack Swarbrick was able to shed light on a relatively unknown aspect of the decision-making process.

“The NCAA doesn’t make it,” the Notre Dame Director of Athletics said during a Zoom conversation with season-ticket holders recently which also included Associate Athletic Director Ron Powlus.

While NCAA does have the authority to make some critical decisions leading up to the season, such as approving workouts, the organization won’t be making the ultimate go/no-go call.

“Unlike basketball or hockey or anything else, football is really run by the conferences, not the NCAA,” Swarbrick explained. “So, while the NCAA sets broad policies, it’s up to the conference commissioners to decide about return to play and return to practice.”

Swarbrick remains in consistent contact with those conference commissioners and reiterated their mutual goal of starting the season on time, although he added they’re “looking at every possible scenario.”

“Do you delay the start of the season and slide it later?” he asked. “Do you shorten the season? Might you put some of the season in the second semester into the spring? What does it mean for the bowls and Playoff?

“All of those things are being discussed daily, but the primary place they’re discussed is with the conference commissioners.”

The scenario of moving the season to the spring seems unlikely at this point, but it’s clear Swarbrick sees value in it and says it needs to remain an option.

“It’s not the preferred option and if we get started in the fall, we’re optimistic we’d keep going,” he said.

“But, if the medical expertise tells us that’s the best way to keep the student-athlete safe, well then, I think we’re going to have to consider it.”

That would present several obstacles, including broadcasting rights, travel arrangements and schedules, but Swarbrick sounded confident they could be worked through if needed.

“We could solve the logistical challenges,” he said.

Swarbrick noted the idea of “conference-only” schedules are more about reducing the season to a nine or 10-game schedule than reducing travel. He again repeated his stance that Notre Dame would “be fine” under such a scenario.

“I have every confidence that we’ll be able to play as many games as anybody else in the country in the regular season and that they’ll be of a very high quality,” he said.

Based on his conversations with conference commissioners, Swarbrick sounds convinced his “Plus-1” version of such a schedule would be adopted, which would allow the Irish to potentially keep games like Wisconsin, Navy and maybe USC or Stanford on their slate along with all of their ACC contests, or at least a majority of them.

On Tuesday morning, Notre Dame announced its opener against Navy wouldn’t be played in Ireland as originally scheduled, but in Annapolis instead. Notre Dame said it welcomes the chance to return to Ireland  for a game “in the not too distant future."

During the Zoom call, Swarbrick also noted how important it is they remain ready to respond to scenarios throughout the year that could include having to change sites of games throughout the year and the possibility that some teams may not be able to play at all.

“Until we know that everyone is playing and everyone is starting at the same time, we have to remain incredibly flexible,” he said.

Powlus added there are “so many moving parts to it and so many unknowns at this time.”