The War Drums are starting to beat in Hawaii but will the Warriors invade the Mountain West

When the college football season was cancelled, many people were worried about the student athletes. Athletes told schools that if they weren't playing, that they weren't going to social distance and thus would be in more danger. The NCAA didn't listen. Coaches also said they wanted to coach but the NCAA ignored them also.

Defensive back Eugene Ford said this, “It was a shock because we did want to play, we were training hard, getting used to this new system, and we trusted the process. We were ready to showcase what we got.

All fall athletics programs had scheduled workouts for each team up until the postponement of the conferences, and each team handled said workouts differently. The football team hired a new head coach, Todd Graham, in the spring and up until August never met with the team in person - let alone during a quarantine in one of the most restricted states in the US. 

We had to follow the protocols, it was all new to us. The reaction was to follow the plan and to do the safest things possible. We knew how important it was for us to play...the players we have around have families and we didn’t want to put anyone in harm's way.” 

The NCAA and many around the world were worried about the players health. While ignoring the mental side effects of being given an extra year of eligibility only to have to then compete with the incoming freshman class of 2021. Thus making it harder for the select few who have their lives changed by the NFL. For many football is their degree and they will be join the working class making minimum wage.

Several conferences have started or played games this fall. The Mountain West is hoping to have a season by October 24th. Few details are being revealed but some states like California have banned sports.

Craig Thomas, the commissioner of the Mountain West said, "“Multiple subgroups within the Conference are working daily on solutions to the existing challenges in order to facilitate a return to play for Mountain West football, and other Conference sport programs, at the earliest possible opportunity. This includes finalizing a plan for frequent, rapid response testing and continuing to monitor the status of public health directives in our MW states and communities.”

Skylar Williams, a member of the Hawaii Women's Volleyball team said the following about the fall athletes.

“We decided to return on our regular report date as if we were having a season. Everything on campus was completely different, with the social distancing, the masks, the assessments and temperature checks, and the cleaning of the weight room… it was just different but returning to campus felt really good.”

NCAA divisions are looking to duplicate what the NFL is doing. The NFL has a program that appears to be working.

Thompson continued, "Since the start of the pandemic, our membership and staff have been working diligently to prepare for a fall sports season. We were hopeful we could carefully and responsibly conduct competition as originally scheduled with essential protocols in place. However, numerous external factors and unknowns outside our control made this difficult decision necessary. I fully understand the impact of this outcome on our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and staff who work so hard daily to play the sports we all love, and I share in their disappointment. We will continue to navigate this pandemic together, overcome the obstacles, and return to intercollegiate athletics at the earliest opportunity.”

The fall season was supposed to kick off in august but so the NCAA should've been talking about plans on how to make things safe during the spring. Those plans could be implemented now, however it appears that the Mountain West Conference was doing none of that. There will be no sports if they cannot keep people safe.

Tanner Haworth of Ka Leo News said, Unfortunately, these athletes are now unable to practice for a season until their respective conferences can come to a decision to restart. And during a time of irregularity due to the coronavirus pandemic, people are craving for something like these sports to take their minds off of it."

Teams with good coaching, would've told players to stay in game shape. Even though they cannot workout together as a team. This is exciting news for college football fans, especially fans of the Rainbow Warriors. The Warriors might actually have some offensive linemen destined for the NFL.

Here's what CBS's Dennis Dodd had to say.

"The Mountain West is aiming to play an eight-game, conference-only schedule starting Oct. 24 with a league championship game on Dec. 19, a structure that mimics what the Big Ten approved for its return to play last week.

Any Rainbow Warriors football is better than none. This is huge for the student athletes as it allows them a chance to further their careers after college and it allows fans a stress relief. Plus it helps the college make money. It's a win-win all the way around if they do end up playing.