College Football: To fill leadership void the game needs a Czar

College football needs to find common ground and is behind the curve of events.

Some college football fans are frustrated and saddened by the prospect of a diminished season. Others are optimistic championships and glory are not beyond reach – not even in a world mired in the challenge of coping with COVID-19.

Polarized political opinions were not suddenly caused by (take your pick) the reality or the hoax of COVID. But when opposing extremes are entrenched, reason suffers.

Such is the state of the college football world. Strident voices dominate the dialog. A degree of reason could prevail if only college football had one missing ingredient; leadership, as in top-down leadership. Nick Saban has been saying it for years. He has talked about some point in the future, rather than at a sudden time of dispute, but Nick has said college football needs a Commissioner. More specifically, a Commissioner with the organizational clout to make decisions all schools and conferences must abide.

Such a leader would be an immense help charting a path through unprecedented circumstances. In times like these. A Commissioner might be too tame for the task. Title the role, the College Football Czar.

An effective one would not have ignored, deflected, and deferred to politicians and courts, resolution of the issue of player compensation. A real leader would have faced the fear of COVID infection, real or imagined, and mandated compliance of every program choosing to compete in 2020. Guidelines and protocols would not be advisory. They would have been strict and implemented without fear over the financial burdens.

Every school would buy-in 100 percent or sit out the season. Would there have been pain? Financially, there would have been considerable pain. Millions of college football fans and perhaps thousands of players would have disagreed. A tradeoff would be, among at-risk coaches, lives would likely be saved.

A few fans in attendance or no fans, games would have still been played. Players would have been fairly compensated for their risk. Programs and schools would make millions less. Budgets, including coaching pay, would have suffered. Schools might have been reminded their educational purposes are more important than being entertainment factories.

Few men or women would be up to the task. One certainly would be, if he had already retired from coaching. That man is, of course, Nick Saban.

What will the next months bring – without a College Football Czar? Ignore anyone who claims to know.