In the face of a global pandemic, the status of college football seems inconsequential compared to the daily struggles many in the world currently face.

"I was reluctant to do a press conference, because of the pandemic our country is facing, but I know a couple of other coaches have done it and I had a couple of Gamecock friends of mine say, hey, we need a distraction at some point, something else to talk about," South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp said Monday morning via teleconference.

The Gamecocks' fifth-year head coach, speaking Monday for the first time since the sports world was shut down by the coronavirus, wanted to first make it clear that his thoughts and prayers were with those directly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

And then the discussion ultimately turned to football, where it seems everyone has an opinion about when sports will return, what they'll look like when they do, and if college football will start on time, if at all.

Muschamp's message for his team has long been to control what they can control. That message usually refers to a bad call or a bad break in a game, but it also applies to life and its current effects on the sports world.

In this case, the Gamecocks have to control what they can control, and for now, that means preparing for college football to start on time, until someone makes the decision that it won't.

"As a staff right now and as a team, we have to plan right now as if we're playing this fall," Muschamp said. "Until someone tells us otherwise, that's our plan. I'm not going to get into the what-ifs of all the questions out there, because there are a lot of questions out there and no one has any of those answers right now, so until someone tells me differently, we're playing in the fall. I think it takes at least eight weeks minimal to get ready -- a month to get in shape and then a month of practice to prepare the right way to keep the student-athletes healthy."

With South Carolina currently scheduled to kick off its season against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 5, that means the outbreak would have to be considered enough under control for some type of team activities by July 11, just over three months from now, using Muschamp's eight-week preparation window as a guide.

While the Gamecocks, obviously, can't currently meet as a team, they're taking advantage of the SEC's decision to allow them to meet four hours a week over the Zoom video conferencing platform. They've been in the process of going back over their first week of "install" from their initial start to the spring and will go through their entire planned installation virtually throughout the rest of the month.

The players are also being encouraged by new strength coach Paul Jackson to work out at home in some way, whether that means with a full at-home weight set up for those who have it or pushing a car like freshman Vershon Lee.

But ultimately Muschamp's message to his team has been the same as his message to South Carolina fans: stay positive and listen to what the government is telling us.

"I want to first send my thoughts and prayers to all the people directly affected by this pandemic," Muschamp said. "None of us have experienced anything like this. There are a number of people affected here in Columbia, our state and our country and really across the world, it's staggering. I want to thank the healthcare professionals, the doctors, the nurses, the medical staffs, the first responders, who are on the front line working.

"They're in the line of fire and we appreciate what they're doing to prevent the spread of this and providing exceptional patient care and putting themselves in harm's way. I can't thank them enough and hopefully we can come up with a vaccine that will put an end to this sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we've got to continue to practice what our government is asking us and that's to stay home, practice social distancing, wash our hands, and keep our families safe."

Muschamp and his wife, Carol, have stepped forward with a leadership gift to fund a new non-profit foundation, known as "Feed Our Heroes," to help the doctors and nurses on the front lines fighting COVID-19, it was announced today.

The new campaign, initiated by the Muschamps and in conjunction with Marco's Pizza, the official pizza of South Carolina Athletics, will help feed healthcare employees throughout Lexington, Richland and Sumter counties.

The food will be delivered to local hospitals including Prisma Richland, Prisma Baptist, Providence, Prisma Tuomey, Prisma Parkridge and Lexington Medical.

Central Carolina Community Foundation will be the fiscal sponsor for the "Food for Heroes" campaign. Those interested in donating can do so at this link.