Will we have a 2020 season? BTN's DiNardo discusses that and more

More: Ohio State coach Ryan Day’s perspective

We all want clarity. We all want answers. We all want to know how our lives will be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic that continues to envelop the nation. And when will normalcy return?

No phase of our lives has been untouched. And a big part of our lives is college football. GoldandBlack.com spoke to Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo to get his views on a variety of subjects involving the pandemic and college football.

DiNardo was a college head coach for 12 seasons, leading Vanderbilt, LSU and Indiana. He also played on the 1973 Notre Dame team that won a national championship under Ara Parseghian.

Does DiNardo think we will have a 2020 season? How will attendance be impacted? Will fund-raising at schools take a hit? DiNardo answers those questions and more.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you think we're gonna have a 2020 season?

DiNardo: Probably too soon to tell, but if I had to make a guess, I'd say 'yes.' You know, once we looked at it as a health issue, and not an elite-athlete issue, we could come to grips that you know we can put a team on the field that might not have worked out as much, won't be as fine-tuned physically but certainly would be better than past generations.

To me, if you're expecting everybody to be the same as last year--and that's the only bar that you have to reach to play--well then, yes, we might not have a season. But if we can field teams, the safety of the player is paramount, the rules haven't changed and all that. So, it might not be the best football season in recent years, but to say that we can't have a season because we didn't have spring ball or a weight room to train in this offseason, I mean, my god, that doesn't make sense to me.

GoldandBlack.com: How deep in the summer do you think we can go and still start the season on time? June 1? July 1?

DiNardo: My answer to that would be, at what point do the medical professionals say that this team is healthy enough to play the game? So, back in the day, you reported to camp, you weren't on campus in the summer most of the time, you took a physical, and then you took a conditioning test. We never went to summer school (at Notre Dame). We took a physical. The doctor told us we were OK. And then we did a 12-minute run. And that was the standard to see if we were in shape. And then we practiced.

Let's say we don't see our student-athletes until August when they report back. The virus has passed, the crisis has passed. And we have a bunch of healthy 18- to 22-year olds. What do they have to prove to you, the medical professional, to say that they are fit to play the game of football? And it might be what I just said.

Why does it have to be compared to what has become obsessive. I mean, (former Big Ten commissioner) Jim Delany wanted to stop the madness in the summer, let kids go abroad. But one of his problems was the players came to the universities with that mind-set that if they weren't working all year round, they weren't doing what they should. So, even if we gave them the opportunity for a summer abroad, they probably wouldn't take it.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you think we'll have games with 80-100,000 people in the stands?

DiNardo: I think if there's no more threat of the virus, yes. But as we all know, attendance is decreasing anyway. The other problem you might have is financially, this is hurting a lot of people. What percent of people now can't afford the season tickets this year? Or can't afford to travel in the RV and all that. But they can watch it on TV. But let's not blame the virus for shrinking attendance, because it was going on before this. Let's say the virus is going to contribute to shrinking attendance. And they may never get those people back.

GoldandBlack.com: How will the virus impact fund-raising?

DiNardo: I am of the opinion that this was already in jeopardy. When the donors are looking at salaries, secondary coaches are making $800,000, OK. So, I already felt like, unless you were a ka-zillionaire, and the universities were asking me for money, that was a tough sell right now for me. You know, you look at what you know Bill and Melinda Gates are doing. They're giving their money away. I think things like (the pandemic) make people rethink all this stuff.

I think fund-raising obviously is going to be an issue. I think attendance could be an issue. I might be in the minority, but I think there's some real positives here, too. If this thing passes, and it will, and we don't notice a difference in quality of play, we may see spring drills altered--especially with the new recruiting calendar.

GoldandBlack.com: Which Big Ten programs do you think will be impacted the most?

DiNardo: I think that the best coaches will use this as a positive, and here's why. It doesn't take that long to put in a defense. If it does, you might want to cut it back, OK? And so, the game isn't all that complicated. These kids that they coach are as bright as bright can be. I don't know what they do in the classroom, but they're perceptive, they are conceptual, they understand concepts, they got their iPads, they study the game. I think the best coaches are going to convince their kids that this could be our best year because we haven't been grinding it for 12 months. And the reason we haven't been grinding for 12 months is because we're not allowed to. We all know we would have liked a little bit more time off than we usually have. But as a result, we are going to be the freshest team.

GoldandBlack.com: Should schools try to make up for the lost spring practice?

DiNardo: The worst thing you can do now is to try to make up for spring practice. More reps, more practice time, longer meetings. No. Everyone knows this has been too much of a grind. But if I don't grind and you're grinding. Then, you know ... if I lose, it's because I didn't grind. I think this is a tremendous positive, a mental break for the players, a physical break for the players. That's what we're gaining from this experience. What we're losing, 15 days for spring practice. People don't even have spring games anymore. What we're finding out is, they want less contact, not more contact, OK? You ask the question: 'Coach, how was the spring game?' He says: 'We wanted to come out healthy.' How many times have you heard that? Why do we have it then? If you want to come out healthy, don't have it. So, this is a huge positive. I think the kids will be fresh, I think the coaches will be fresh. It might not be as fine-tuned, you might not have as many defenses to play and multiple offenses. So what?

GoldandBlack.com: Any lessons in all of this?

DiNardo: Being 18- to 22-years old, living in a country where you've had everything you've wanted in life, and all sudden, you don't have that anymore. How about that as a positive and a lesson? These invincible kids, right? They have everything and they deserve it. I mean, I'm all for paying them and everything else. But as long as we're at it, guys realize this can be taken away from you. We used to think that a cartilage injury was the worst thing. We just came through something this country never has been through before. There's all kinds of good stuff, if you are in education.

Story continues below photo

GoldandBlack.com: How will new coaches be impacted?

DiNardo: It's gonna be a little slower. But I would say this to you: No one ever thought what Greg Schiano was taking on at Rutgers would be easy. Nobody ever thought Michigan State being in the Eastern Division would be easy for Mel Tucker. You know, balance of power never changes drastically. What Greg and Mel are doing, you know, there was a reason they got those jobs, right? So, I think it's obvious it might take a little bit longer to put in your offense and your defense under these conditions. The relationships are probably what's suffering the most, not the physical part. They can't get to know the players. They need to have individual meetings at night in camp with the young guys, go to their homes when the virus is over to meet their families. One of the best things I've ever heard of in college football was Gary Barnett, when he went to Northwestern, he made home visits to the present roster. He did it at Colorado, too. I don't know anyone else who has ever done it.

Membership Info: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?

Follow GoldandBlack.com: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

More: Gold and Black Illustrated/Gold and Black Express | Subscribe to our podcast

Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2020. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.