Valley Children's Stadium photo via gobulldogs.com

College football is looking for a return this fall — provided local governments are on board.

On the same day that fall football training would have begun, a formal announcement from the Mountain West Conference announced an eight-game season beginning Oct. 24. Games would take place without spectators in the seats. The 2020 schedule has yet to be released.

“Making money is the last thing we’re considering when we’re discussing the safety and well-being of our athletes,” said Terry Tumey, athletic director for Fresno State, in a virtual press event Friday. Tumey called it a slippery-slope when prioritizing how to monetize games.

Having a football season still hinges on whether local and state governments allow them.

In a media update Friday, Dr. Rais Vohra, interim health officer for the Fresno County Health Department, said they would make their decision Friday afternoon so the university can have as much time as possible to prepare for the fast-approaching season.

To monitor student athletes, the university has partnered with Sierra Pacific Orthopedic Center to do Covid-19 testing.

Rick Lembo, director of sports medicine at Sierra Pacific, has worked with the Mountain West Conference in concussion treatment and prevention.

Students would be tested three times a week.

Fresno State Football Head Coach Kalen DeBoer said that two-thirds of the team is in town. Some out-of-town students still have to work through local regulations, said DeBoer.

Athletes were not called back in June for training. Because of this, athletes would be monitored extensively to ensure their safety during the season, said DeBoer.

DeBoer said he is not unfamiliar with short training seasons like the one this year. During his tenure at the University of Sioux Falls, DeBoer said he regularly had fall training periods limited to two weeks. They will be evaluating athletes beginning Friday on their physical condition after months of not training.

As to other fall sports, such as women’s volleyball, Tumey said they have to wait on guidance from the Mountain West and the NCAA.

The decision to allow high school and middle school athletics would be made as the counties progress through Gov. Gavin Newsom’s color-coding system, as well as a sport-by-sport and case-by-case basis, said Vohra.