Effects of Delayed Season Start: NCAAF Picks and Game Predictions

Due to the coronavirus all across the world, sports activities have been severely affected. The game months are all swept up as leagues are put on hold or canceled. However, there is no said delay at the beginning of the NCAAF College Football Games. They are planned in September. Football fans are more excited about this than ever. 

If the start is delayed it might be one reason, and lack of other sports to diverge attention will be another. The game predictions are moving along a roller coaster as the future of this league continues to become more uncertain. 

What is NCAAF?

Gridiron Football enthralls a great number of people in the US, and it is the reason NCAAF is so popular. It is the major College Football League where university, college, and military academy teams play against each other. It includes student-athletes from America and Canada. It is considered the intermediate level of football as the competition is tougher than school football. But it still can't match the professional one. 

This football league has contributed massively to making the rules reach out and spread in America. This league holds great importance for the players. It plays a key role in deciding whether a professional career exists for them or not. 

With all major universities participating in these games, public participation is high. It can easily be termed as madness. Students, alumni, staff, parents of players, and other students - there is no end to people who keep an eye on these games. 

The NFL selects 256 players every year after they have been conditioned with three to four years of playing collegiate football. There are other ways also to enter the NFL, but NCAAF is considered the golden card. 

Will There Be Football In The Fall?

The states are all in a state of confusion. Universities are trying to be optimistic and hoping to play in September. Nick Saban, the football coach of the University of Alabama for over 13 years expects to return to play. He says that if given four weeks to practice in summer, football in fall could happen. 

Along optimistic lines, Bruce Harreld, the Iowa president expects to return to practice on June 1. This seems a bit difficult looking at present scenarios. However, some other universities and states are skeptical about easy returns on the ground. Michael Hsu of Minnesota thinks that the University campus of Minneapolis will most probably be empty till September. 

At this time, we don't know whom to trust and we definitely can't predict the right outcome. Colleges might be inconsistent in their thinking of getting back to games. But all share the common interest of the safety of players. 

With COVID-19 changing the entire picture of the world, everyone is concerned about the well-being of students. With this kept aside, finance is also one reason football is being thought over. 

Universities earn a huge from these games, and a substantial part of it comes from stadium viewers. If there is no way for the audience to attend the games, teams might not be willing to get back. Who wants to put their lives at risk, with no clear returns in sight!

The Final Predictions

If the situation in the US has not worsened to today's extent, there were chances of returning to games a few weeks late in September. But now nothing can be claimed. The NCAAF might begin a month late in October, or late November. And if the things don't seem to get better, games might be put off until early 2021. 

Nothing can be said for sure! But one thing is crystal clear; it is about the first game of the season. Currently, it is to be held in Dublin Ireland between Navy and Notre Dame. If the game is on, we are sure that the venue will be changed. 

There is no sane reason to believe otherwise. Thinking of restart as late as 2021 might also appear strange. But after the outbreak of coronavirus, this word should be eliminated from dictionaries. 

Team Picks For The Season

If we stay positive and believe that NCAAF games will be going live as planned, then here are the favorite picks. For Notre Dame vs. Navy, Notre Dame is the favorite with Irish land as the venue. However, choices might change with the change of plans. The second game of Clemson against Georgia Tech University makes the picks go in favor of Clemson. They were just a match short of qualifying for the College Football Playoff Championships in the previous season. 

With leagues like Major League Baseball pushing to the forefront to begin this season’s games, we can expect NCAAF games to return. Let’s stay focused on our favorites!