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Gov. Cuomo: College football games in New York won't have fans in 2020

If there are college football games held in the state of New York this fall, there won’t be any fans in attendance.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that all fall college sports in the state wouldn’t be able to have fans in attendance. The college ban follows the state’s decree earlier in July that fans wouldn’t be able to go to Buffalo Bills games in 2020 (the New York Giants and New York Jets play in New Jersey).

The ban on fans at Bills games came as part of guidelines allowing for the return of professional sports to the state.

"The game can go on, the game can be televised, but no fans," Cuomo said of college sports on Tuesday. His remarks came a day after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said no more than 500 fans could attend games at Rutgers.

New York is currently one of the states with the fewest coronavirus cases thanks to strict rules after it was the site of a massive outbreak earlier in the spring.

The state’s ban at college football games means that fans won’t be able to attend games at Army, Buffalo and Syracuse, the state’s three top-level college football schools. And it extends to the other lower-level schools in the state that would play any games in 2020. Various leagues like the Patriot League and Ivy League have said they won’t have fall sports this year.

Syracuse is part of the ACC, one of three Power Five conferences that hasn’t announced plans for scheduling during the 2020 season. The Big Ten and Pac-12 have both said that their teams will only play conference games this fall if a season is held. The ACC is waiting to make an announcement along with the Big 12 and SEC.

Army operates as an independent in football and has already lost a game against Princeton thanks to the Ivy League’s lack of fall sports. The Black Knights are set to play Buffalo on Oct. 24. The Bulls are a member of the MAC, a conference that has seen numerous members lose games to Big Ten and Pac-12 opponents. Buffalo was set to make millions from a Sept. 19 game at Ohio State that’s no longer scheduled.

Syracuse team enters the Carrier Dome during the NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019, in Syracuse, N.Y. (AP Photo/Steve Jacobs)
Syracuse won't play games at home in 2020 with fans in the stands. (AP Photo/Steve Jacobs)

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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