Could Ohio State play football in the spring?

The coronavirus pandemic has forced all sports to make dramatic changes and several are on hiatus. Could it force Ohio State and other colleges to move their fall sports to the spring?

Ohio State has a plan to allow up to 50,000 fans into Ohio Stadium this fall. They believe that they can still properly socially distance themselves in the stadium to allow fans to watch their football team this fall. The problem is it might not matter at all.

It seems that the idea of moving fall sports, including football, to the spring is gathering momentum. According to the Athletic, several AD’s have already discussed this.

While those are Ivy League AD’s, it still shows that the conversation is happening. There likely won’t be a vaccine that is widely available until early next year. That means that the spring would be a viable time to have sports back in a normal capacity.

What would that mean for Ohio State and its football team? For starters, the schedule would probably look different. I very much doubt that the trip to Autzen Stadium to face Oregon would happen. That would make their path to the national championship easier though.

Another problem that would arise is that players might opt to sit out. Someone like Justin Fields, who is already projected to be a top-5 pick, might sit out to avoid injury so close to the NFL Draft. Some players might want to protect their stock.

These are all issues that would have to be worked out if football were to be moved to the spring. What is certain is that decisions like this will need to be made very soon so universities know what to plan for.