Columnist Ron Kantowski: Pushing back season could benefit all

Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001 | 10:34 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's column appears Thursday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

Based on the handful of games that were played last weekend, some coach, player, booster, fan or Beano Cook will be quoted following tonight's UNLV-Arkansas game saying it was just too early to start playing college football for keeps.

There's a simple solution. Push the start of the season back.

I'm not talking about putting it back where it was, the mutually agreeable first Saturday in September. I'm talking late September, or maybe even Oct. 1.

Given the pros essentially play five more regular-season games than the semi-pros -- er, colleges -- is there really any reason (other than having the TV signal to itself) why the NCAA begins its season two weeks before the NFL kicks off?

Having Lee Corso's mug plastered across my TV screen in late September would be soon enough. If they continue adding these so-called early season "classics" to the schedule, they're going to have to start the season on the Fourth of July.

But pushing it back to when the leaves change colors makes more sense than redshirting a freshman quarterback.

For starters, the student-athletes -- er, players -- wouldn't have to show up on campus until classes begin, not two weeks before. They could spend their first couple of weeks away from home getting acclimated to their new surroundings, instead of say, Arkansas' one-back set.

Coaches could introduce the entire playbook, not just a handful of basic plays. Push the games back a month, and maybe that kid from Colorado doesn't throw five interceptions against Fresno State last week. And the offensive tackles from both sides could learn the snap count.

By delaying the start of the season, you also save a bunch of money on Gatorade. And given the tragedies of this past preseason, you might even save a life or two. It's a lot cooler in September (even in Las Vegas) than it is in August.

I know, pushing the season back will necessitate games being played in December, where cold weather could become a factor. All I know is that a lot more players have keeled over in the heat than have turned up missing in snow flurries.

Sure, it'll be a little frosty in Fort Collins and Laramie. Then let Colorado State and Wyoming schedule accordingly. They could visit here and San Diego State after Thanksgiving.

But by extending the season into December, you solve more problems than create new ones. In that the semester usually ends in mid-December and the following one doesn't begin until after the holidays, it would mean less classroom time missed. You don't care if players go to class? Then let's take the argument back to the playing field.

By teeing it up in December, teams invited to bowl games would be much sharper for them.

In the NFL, the coaches complain that the off week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl is a major obstacle to overcome. In the NCAA, the Bowl Championship Series teams can go a month or even longer between the final game of the regular season and what supposedly is the biggest game of the year.

Maybe Joe Paterno needs a full six weeks to prepare Penn State to win a national championship game. Maybe practice does indeed make perfect.

But the way it is now, there just isn't enough practice before the games begin.