This was supposed to be the season college football got back to normal.
After 2020 was dominated by the pandemic with games held in mostly empty stadiums and with uncertain schedules being the norm, the focus this year was going to be on the field. It hasn't worked out that way.
The approval of name, image and likeness compensation, the announcement of a possible playoff expansion and the decision of Oklahoma and Texas to leave the Big 12 for the SEC have been a shock to the system this summer. And the latest rise in COVID-19 cases leaves uncertainty as to what atmospheres will be like on Saturdays this fall.