College football programs all across the country are trying to get back to work with voluntary workouts, including Clemson which saw its players return to campus back on June 8.

However, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 have popped up every, including 23 cases at Clemson, the highest number of confirmed cases of those schools who have reported their testing. The results have caused some concern if there will be a college football season this fall.

Right now, everything is still on course with the season set to start on Sept. 3 for Clemson. On Monday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show that they—the Power 5 Conferences—will have a better idea if they will have a football season by late-July.

The SEC Commissioner feels by having voluntary workouts and then teams able to do some organized activities before fall camp begins on Aug. 7, will give them all a better outlook on what the landscape will look like.

“We’ll have three or four weeks — on the 13th of July is when a little bit more practice can begin. I think we deserve the chance to see how that progresses,” Sankey said.

As for now, everyone pushes forward and continues to see how things go, as they prepare for the 2020 football season.

With that said, what will the 2020 season look like? How much has or will the COVID-19 pandemic affect the season and who is contending or not contending for the national championship?

According to Athlon Magazine, they feel the same four teams that have been to College Football Playoff more than anyone is right in the mix again to be contending for another CFP appearance in 2020.

Right now, the preseason publication predicts Alabama will play Ohio State in one semifinal game at the Rose Bowl, while Clemson is headed back to New Orleans to play Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl in the other semifinal.

Clemson and Alabama have both been to the CFP five times, while Oklahoma has appeared in the playoff four times. Ohio State has been three times.

Clemson is 0-2 all-time in the Sugar Bowl, and it is also the scene of the crime where LSU beat the Tigers in last year’s national championship game. Clemson lost to Alabama in the 2018 CFP at the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers’ last win in New Orleans came during the 1981 season when Clemson beat Tulane, 13-5, in Week 2 of the regular season.

However, Athlon favors the Tigers in this matchup against the Sooners and has Clemson moving on to play Alabama, again, in the national championship game. Athlon listed Clemson as its No. 1 ranked team this preseason.

Clemson and Alabama have meet four times in the CFP era, including three times in the national championship game. The Crimson Tide beat Clemson, 45-40, in the 2016 CFP National Championship, before the Tigers came back a year later in the 2017 CFP National Championship and beat Alabama.

The two heavyweights met again in the 2019 CFP National Championship, this time the Tigers manhandled the Crimson Tide, 44-16.

After what has been a crazy off-season and all the questions surrounding the 2020 season, ending the year with another Clemson-Alabama national championship would not be a bad thing.

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