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With college football schedules in limbo, bring back these defunct regional rivalries for 2020 - CBS Sports

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"Opportunity" isn't a word that's been associated with college football lately. Why would it? We're likely, at most, a couple of weeks away from knowing whether the 2020 season will be delayed, dramatically shortened, or even played at all. Many options are still on the table -- and yet the table is held up by Jenga blocks.

But let's say college football is played, either in the fall or the spring. There is, believe it or not, an opportunity to do something fun: bring back defunct, regional rivalries as one-off games. Lord knows we could use a little bit of fun where we can spare it. 

We know that schedules have already been slashed to some extent. Football Championship Subdivision conferences such as the Ivy League, Patriot League and SWAC have announced they will not play this fall, creating vacancies for Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. Additionally, the Big Ten and Pac-12 have opted for conference-only schedules, depriving fans of games such as Alabama-USC, Oregon-Ohio State and a bevy of others. All of these moves may end up being necessary as college football tries to create a best-case scenario in the middle of a pandemic that has, at the time of this writing, claimed more than 144,000 U.S. lives in less than five months. 

However, the ACC, Big 12 and SEC have yet to officially determine what they're going to do. The writing on the wall suggests nonconference games are still part of the equation. This makes particular sense with the ACC and SEC, which have four in-state rivalries (Georgia-Georgia Tech, South Carolina-Clemson, Florida-Florida State and Kentucky-Louisville) they'd like to preserve. But consider, too, that Alabama is reportedly targeting BYU as its replacement for USC

And what of the Big 12? According to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, the conference is still mulling everything between a full schedule and a plus-one model that would include just one nonconference game. 

It's fair to say at this point nonconference games will be a luxury if there's a season. Even without the uniformity, it would be surprising if any team played a full schedule. There are simply too many hurdles and potential disruptions for good intentions to overcome. But if college football decision makers want to try to maximize their slate, they need to think outside the box. 

Bring back defunct regional rivalries like these:  

  • West Virginia vs. Pitt: No game vs. Maryland for the Mountaineers? Do the Backyard Brawl with the Panthers instead for one year before they resume the series in 2022. Pitt has an open slot after the Richmond game got canceled due to the CAA suspending football for the fall.
  • Kansas vs. Missouri: The Jayhawks have an open spot with the cancellation of their game against New Hampshire. If the Tigers find themselves with a vacancy, bring back the Border Showdown this season. 
  • Boston College vs. Notre Dame: The Eagles won't play Purdue because of the Big Ten's change, so why not toss in the Fighting Irish for another round of the "other" Holy War? Notre Dame, already in a scheduling agreement with the ACC, could be looking for opponents anyway and it's a sure thing for ratings and exposure. 
  • Arkansas vs. Texas: Let's say the season risks getting really shortened due to last-minute cancellations. Would the Razorbacks consider playing the Longhorns for a little Southwest Conference revival? (Let's not even going to go there with Texas and Texas A&M, though this would be the perfect time.) 
  • North Carolina vs. Wake Forest: Remember last season's game between the Tar Heels and the Demon Deacons? It was technically a nonconference game. Find an opponent you have a history with and make it happen, athletic directors. 

The logistics of such a quick turnaround on a game would be tricky, but it would be extra inventory that fanbases would at least have interest in watching. What conference realignment has done to college football, a little scheduling creativity could undo -- at least temporarily. 

Here's the thing: everyone's scrambling to try to make this work, including the College Football Playoff selection committee. And chances are if football is feasible every conference is going to do its own thing. Short of a full-blown cancellation this wouldn't be a lost season per se, but it's also clear this is nothing like seasons past. Wins and losses just ... don't carry the same weight they usually do. Hot seat coaches may get a mulligan due to the unprecedented nature of this season coupled with budgets that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. 

If football is able to be played with an agreeable level of safety, then why not make it as fun and interesting as possible? Make whatever inventory is left count for television, especially if stadiums across the country are putting hard caps on the number of fans allowed in the stands -- if they're allowed at all. 

There is, indeed, an opportunity for college football to celebrate lost pageantry amidst an absolute garbage fire of a calendar year -- if, of course, we're fortunate enough to have it. 

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With college football schedules in limbo, bring back these defunct regional rivalries for 2020 - CBS Sports
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