While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has put the 2020 college football season in question, the NFL is intent on playing.
So much so, that the league is considering adding flexibility to its schedule to allow for games to be played on Saturday should the college football season be postponed, according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post.
While the majority of games would remain on Sunday, along with primetime contests on Thursdays and Mondays, the absence of college football could allow for standalone Saturday matchups. The NFL traditionally avoids playing on Saturdays until late into its regular season and playoffs, avoiding conflict with college football between its own regular season and bowl games.
Details on any potential change remain sparse, as the idea is in its infancy. Per Marchand, an NFL spokesman declined to comment.
As for when the NFL will be releasing its 2020 schedule, that remains unclear. While the league had previously delayed its schedule release until May 9, John Ourand and Ben Fischer of The Sports Business Journal are reporting that the league is considering delaying the release even further due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic.
Additionally, the league is considering potential contingencies, including a season that starts in late-October, the removal of bye weeks and delaying the Super Bowl until late-February. At this point, nothing is certain. But when the schedule is released -- whenever that might be -- flexibility for such options is expected to be built-in.
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