Notre Dame AD: 'Significant chance' CFB begins without all conferences playing

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick provided an insight into the minds of some college football executives during a Zoom conference call with media members on Tuesday. 

As Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports wrote, Swarbrick said that there is a "significant chance" that the coronavirus pandemic could prevent all conferences from starting the 2020 season at the same time. 

Per Swarbrick, problems with conferences kicking off simultaneously arise "either because states or individual colleges take different approaches. You can't produce a season where all members aren't participating in Division I football the same way."

The NCAA hasn't yet announced a definitive plan for the season or if football will begin on time and as scheduled. Colleges around the country have announced they intend to allow students on campuses for fall semesters, but future virus outbreaks could prevent that from becoming a reality. Some schools haven't made their intentions for the fall semester known as of May 5. 

It's practically guaranteed universities with no students on campuses will not field any sports teams in the fall, and it's unknown if spectators will be welcomed to stadiums whenever games begin. 

Last month, ESPN's Chris Fowler suggested the start of the season could be pushed back to February 2021. As Dodd explained, other options under consideration for college football include schedules that feature only intraconference games, splitting the campaign across two semesters, and "regional schedules" with conference members playing against teams from "partner" leagues to reduce travel.