In football terms, the TSSAA has handed the ball off to Gov. Bill Lee.
Since the governor announced in late June that he was extending Tennessee’s state of emergency order through Aug. 29, high school football season has been on hold. With teams not being allowed to have contact practices while under that order, frustration regarding an uncertain timeline had become rampant statewide among coaches, players, parents and fans.
So on Wednesday afternoon, knowing the TSSAA cannot override the governor’s order but wanting to find a way to salvage as much of the season as possible, the Board of Control voted in a proposal that has enough flexibility to change depending on what the governor decides.
Under the approved plan, if Gov. Lee announces he is granting an exemption to the TSSAA – similar to what he has given to in-state college and professional teams – by Aug. 4, then the regular season would kick off as originally scheduled on Aug. 21.
But for each week that passes without an exemption, the TSSAA’s plan will use a sliding scale that will begin eliminating nonregion games from the first two weeks of the regular season. At worst, teams will play an eight-game season in which only the top two teams from each region advance to the playoffs and there would be one less round in the playoffs.