Late last week, the Big Ten Conference tipped over the first domino as they announced a conference-only schedule for 2020. Shortly afterwards, the Pac-12 Conference announced that they would also transition to a conference-only schedule. With two conferences altering their schedule, the remaining Power Five Conferences have opted to remain in a ‘Wait and See’ pattern. Despite the uncertainty, there might be an easier way to determine what’s going to happen with the 2020 season — The Waffle House Index.
What Is The Waffle House Index?
The Waffle House Index, or WHI, is used by FEMA to determine the severity of a disaster. Waffle House is a staple of the southeast, known for it’s reputation to remain open, despite what’s going on in the region. FEMA has three levels of the WHI — Green, Yellow, and Red. In March, the WHI dipped into the red. At the time of this writing, 99.6% of restaurants are reporting to be open.
How The Waffle House Index Translates To College Football
For College Football, there is no Waffle House Index. Well, maybe not exactly. However, I do believe that there is a comparable way to monitor the situation.
The SEC is football. Fans in Tuscaloosa (AL), Knoxville (TN), or Athens (GA) would riot if they lose College Football. Hell, they’d likely riot if they lose out of conference games. As a result, I’m proposing a Waffle House Index that’s tailored for College Football.
It’s the SEC Index. Much like the WHI, it contains three levels.
Green – No change in scheduling
Yellow – Conference-only schedule
Red – Postponement or cancellation of season
Currently, we’re doing okay. The SEC hasn’t altered it’s schedule. However, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has said that a decision would be made in Late July. Well Folks, we’re getting close to Late July. There’s still some wiggle room, but we are running low on something that the conference desperately needs — Time.
Nonetheless, even if the SEC opts to play a conference-only schedule for 2020, it’s not the end of the world. We’re still getting College Football, just losing a few games that, by and large, would have had little impact to the end result. However, with the 2020 College Football season set to start at the end of August, and no vaccine for Coronavirus in sight, we aren’t out of the clear quite yet.
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