USC senior associate AD Brandon Sosna talks optimism for football season

There isn't full clarity yet regarding how or when a 2020 college football season might take place or exactly what it would look like, but the last week has at least provided a boost of optimism for all hoping to see games in the fall.

First, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced earlier this week that pro sports could resume in the state without fans as soon as early June. Then, a few days later the NCAA cleared the way for conferences to decide whether they want to allow student-athletes back on campus for voluntary workouts as soon as June 1.

Neither the Pac-12 nor USC has made any public decision yet on that matter, but an announcement is expected early this week from the conference. Meanwhile, the SEC announced on Friday it will allow student-athletes to use facilities on campus for voluntary workouts with strict protocols in place as of June 8, the Big 12 will allow football players back in a "phased return" starting June 15, and the Big Ten and ACC are leaving that decision up to their individual universities, according to ESPN.

Speaking on CNN, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott added further momentum when he said he could envision the conference's football programs starting preseason camp as soon as late July, creating “a nice glide path" to an on-time start of the college football season. And, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, USC athletic director Mike Bohn said in a Zoom interview with West Coast Sports Associates on Thursday night that he -- like Scott -- believe student-athletes are safer at college facilities with all the resources provided them.

Adding to that chorus of optimism, USC senior associate AD/chief of staff Brandon Sosna joined the Trojan Talk podcast this week to discuss the prospects of a 2020 college football season among a wide variety of topics.

**LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE**

"We're not in a position to give definitive answers yet. Certainly, as soon as we have them we'll communicate those out, but I will say this, it feels like we've started to turn a corner and every day there's better news," Sosna said on the podcast.

Earlier this month, Bohn took to Twitter to counter some public pessimism that USC would be able to play its scheduled Sept. 5 season opener against Alabama in Arlington, Texas.

Sosna reiterated that sentiment as well when asked the percentage chance of that game happening as planned.

"I hesitate to put odds on anything in this climate -- an unprecedented time. As Mike tweeted out last week, we have every intention of playing that game," he said. "There's nobody at USC talking about not playing that game, and ideally we're going to play a full season and play on time in the fall. We're going to continue to hang on to that aspiration until we're told otherwise."