Will Fans Be Allowed In Rice-Eccles Stadium For 2020 Utah Football Home Games?

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – With Utah football’s college football season set to begin against Washington State on the road on September 26, plenty of questions still require answers as the days continue to tick on by.

Updated 2020 Schedule: pic.twitter.com/n65eSs9NT8

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) July 31, 2020

Fans In Stands?

Mark Harlan, Utah’s Athletic Director, told members of the media via a conference call on Friday (July 31) afternoon that he expects to have more of an idea as to whether or not fans will be allowed into the stadium in the next “one to two weeks.”

Although, as it currently stands, Utah is expected to allow a limited number of fans into the stadium. The athletic department is working alongside state health officials to best decide on the model in which they will utilize.

Players Opting Out

Currently, no Utah football player has mentioned that they will forgo the upcoming season due to health concerns. If a player does decide to not participate in the 2020 season and they are on scholarship, their scholarship will be honored and they will remain in good stead with the program. Harlan admitted that it is likely inevitable that a player does decide to not participate to which he “welcomes” those players and is “excited to get them ready for 2021 season.”

Contact Practices

.@Utah_Football will begin contact practices on August 17, but subject to change according to @MarkHarlan_AD.

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 31, 2020

Furthermore, Utah will begin implementing the 20-hour rule, a rule in which student-athletes are limited to spending only 20 hours in the facility per week, on Monday, August 3rd.

On August 17th they will begin contact practices ahead of their season start on September 26.

Utah’s schedule is as follows –

Sept. 26: Utah @ Washington State
Oct. 3: Utah @ Colorado
Oct. 10: Oregon State @ Utah
Oct. 16: Utah @ UCLA
BYE
Oct 31: Arizona @ Utah
Nov 7: Utah @ Arizona State
Nov 14: Washington @ Utah
Nov 21: Utah @ California
Nov 27: USC @ Utah
Dec 5: Oregon @ Utah

Let’s go! #goutes pic.twitter.com/DSv8yXmtev

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) July 31, 2020

Tom Hackett is a Utah and Real Salt Lake Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the It’s Utah’s World Podcast (Utah Football themed) and The Lion’s Den Podcast (Real Salt Lake themed). Follow him on Twitter: @TomCantHackett.