Oregon State AD Scott Barnes Talks Fall Football Schedule, Protocol

With the Pac-12 announcing its modified conference schedule on Friday afternoon, Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes hosted a zoom call with the local media to update us on all the pertinent information as it relates to the new-look schedule.

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Quick Hits

- Starting off with the biggest news: Scott Barnes noted that the Pac-12 largely dictated the scheduling layout, including moving the Oregon matchup to October. He added that some schools (USC & UCLA & Arizona & Arizona State) start their respective seasons against one another and that for this year, everything normal had to be thrown out the window. He noted that things had to be sacrificed in order to make this layout happen and having the rivalry matchup to end the year wasn't in the cards.

- Starting Monday, Oregon State's coaches will be able to be involved with the team. They will be able to conduct walkthroughs and team meetings during this time where they're allowed up to 20 hours per week. Per Barnes, the walkthroughs are expected to start on Wednesday.

- While training camp is unofficially set to begin on August 17th, Barnes noted it's still entirely dependent on the guidance of the local health officials. He added that he's optimistic they'll move forward there, but it's worth noting that Oregon Governor Kate Brown's phased reopening wouldn't likely allow for full-contact practices until Benton County enters Phase 3. However, it's still yet to be determined exactly how the Beavers and the local health officials will coordinate.

- When asked about the possibility of fans in the stands, Barnes said at this point, the priority is making sure they're able to play games. He's still hopeful that fans could return as they've continued to model different scenarios, but the main focus is on getting the season underway.

- If the Beavers are unable to play football this season, the loss to the athletic department would be in the range of $8.5 million to $50 million dollars. If there are no fans in Reser Stadium, the total loss would be on the low side of that range as Barnes noted they'll still be able to pick up the television revenue. The bottom line? Television revenue is paramount to keeping the OSU Athletic Department on course. Barnes said if there's no season at all, it would be catastrophic and be near the $50 million dollar range.

- As far as the travel protocol goes, the Beavers will be scaling down their respective travel parties. Barnes said the Beavers will test 72 hours before a scheduled charter flight and that the team would be in a 'bubble' of sorts when it comes only going from the airport to their hotel, to the stadium, and then back home. They'll also be taking limited staff, no band, no cheerleaders, or anything of that nature. It will be the essential players and staff only.

- At this point, no student-athletes have elected to opt-out of the upcoming season. However, Barnes said he expects there to be at least a couple and that he is fully supportive of any that chose to do so. They will have their scholarship honored if they decide to do so.

- Barnes noted that the Reser Stadium upgrade/remodel is still on the same timeline.

- There's so update on the player boycott narrative that was introduced last week.

- Game times will be almost entirely dependent on TV. Without fans in attendance, television windows are a lot more flexible.

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Quotable

Scott Barnes on the procedures for student-athletes not yet on campus

"The large majority of them are already here, but for those who aren't, they'll go through standard-protocol for any student-athlete coming to our campus. A 14-day quarantine prior to COVID and COVID antibody testing including EKG. Additionally, we'll continue to have them use their app which allows them to input any potential contacts they might have had."

Barnes on the positivity surrounding the schedule announcement

"I talked with Jonathan (Smith) earlier today, and he was giddy. I'm so happy for our student-athletes because they finally have some certainty in the future. All summer and spring, they dealt with so much uncertainty, so for them to have that next step in front of them is really exciting."

Barnes on what an outbreak within a team would mean

"An earlier start date may have given us another week on the other side, but it wasn't realistic. We simply don't know what might happen if an entire team had to quarantine, but that's why the conference built flexibility into the schedule. We can only do the best we can under the circumstances. There will be some positive cases, and that's why we have protocol, but it's going to be a real challenge. We're going to take it day by day and will need a little luck along the way."