Still a chance for WSU football — with fans — in the fall?

Yesterday, WSU president Kirk Schulz updated everyone on where the Pullman campus stands with regards to opening for fall semester, which is now only a little over two months away.

You, Washington State Cougars sports fan, are probably most interested in what’s going to happen with football attendance, but there still aren’t a lot of answers on that front.

Among the general policies announce by Schulz for the campus is that “no more than 50 individuals will be allowed for any in‑person group activities during the fall semester. This applies to classrooms, events, and meetings.” Many people immediately took that to mean that fall sports attendance was out the window, given that it’s an event and, well, that would certainly result in more than 50 people.

Of course, Pat Chun, WSU’s athletics director is correct — there’s still a long way to go. And while nobody has said it out loud, it’s plainly obvious to anyone who has read about WSU’s athletics budget that it’s absolutely critical for the school to squeeze as much revenue out of football as possible.

Whitman County is currently in phase 3 of the governor’s “safe start” plan; it would need to move to phase 4 in order to resume sporting events. However, if that doesn’t happen, one has to wonder if accommodations might be made in a “modified phase 3” to allow WSU to not be financially crippled by the lack of fans — much like the governor has done in allowing King County to move to a “modified phase 1” that’s a bit more permissive than the original restrictions.

Links

Update on fall semester planning | WSU Insider | Washington State University

For Washington State, virtual learning has taken precedent in an unprecedented manner | The Spokesman-Review
Since Armani Marsh was a freshman, Blackboard Learn has been a staple of the academic curriculum at WSU and something that’s as much of everyday life in Pullman as the sloping, concrete hills that turn routine walks to class into grueling, sweaty hikes. But just like those hills, Marsh has grown more comfortable with the popular virtual educational tool, and recently has found a more unconventional way of using it.

College Football News Preview 2020: Washington State Cougars
– Who better than new head coach Nick Rolovich to keep the high-octane passing tradition of Washington State going? He and offensive coordinator Brian Smith – who handled the gig at Hawaii for the last few years might not be able to crank out the passing offense like last year’s O did, but they’ll give it a shot.

Pac-12 coach rankings: Mario Cristobal moves to top of list | Sporting News
9. Nick Rolovich

Ranking college football coaches 1-130 for 2020 season | Sporting News
65. Nick Rolovich, Washington State (97)