Discussions have begun to allow replay officials to potentially work games virtually this season due to the coronavirus, CBS Sports has learned.

Health is the main concern. Because replay officials are largely older, retired former on-field referees, those men would be safer working games from their respective conference's headquarters as a group more susceptible to the virus. The Centers for Disease Control states that those 65 years and older are among a high-risk group for contracting COVID-19.

"You hear from medical professionals. If you're in that at-risk group, you have to think more about protecting yourself," Steve Shaw, national coordinator of officials, told CBS Sports. "If you have an on-field crew that's all having to get on a plane, maybe that's OK. But if you're in that at-risk group … We've just started kind of early conversations of those guys in that risk group. … We don't want to stick them on a plane."

Conferences have largely relied on the wisdom of those retired officials to review plays. Instant replay began in 2006, the brainchild of former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.

The ACC and SEC began using  "collaborative replay" in 2016.  Other conferences followed. That allowed the on-site replay official to be in communication with the conference video center. The replay official "collaborated" with conference headquarters but had the final say on the play.

Collaborative replay differs from MLB's centralized replay. Umpires call in to the New York replay headquarters, which makes the call.

The SEC, where Shaw was officiating supervisor for eight years, is not unlike other conferences. It uses a replay official and a communicator in the booth for each game. Shaw said there are pairs of nine or 10 of those in the SEC.

Before the pandemic, he said there were already plans to use younger replay officials who were more technologically savvy.

"Today, the model is you work on the field until you're kind of at the part where you're 'used up,' so to speak," Shaw said. "Then you transition to replay.

"One of the things we're looking at -- this is not an age thing -- maybe you have an official who is good with the rules, good with technology. In the prime of his working career … let's think about moving them right now. Let's not wait until they retire."

Retired referee Mike Defee said the idea of allowing replay officials to work virtually was a good one, "generally speaking," but there is an advantage to being at games in person.

"There are just so many things they rely on with the naked eye that being remote just won't allow," Defee said in a text message. "This will be a real challenge to overcome if they go down that path. I would agree that [replay officials] are generally retired and more vulnerable."

Shaw noted: "Some officials gravitate naturally to replay. But a lot of things that make you great on the field don't necessarily make you great in replay. We don't want you using your gut. We don't want you using your instinct [as a replay official]. We want you using empirical video evidence."

The Big 12 will be able to go virtual, officiating supervisor Greg Burks said. His concern is other leagues that don't have collaborative replay to review calls with the virus circulating.

"If the communicator and replay official travel together and they show up and one of them has a [coronavirus] fever, are they both out?" Burks asked.

In 2019, there was an average of 2.2 replay stops per game (slightly up from 2018) lasting an average of 79 seconds (slightly down) with 40% of replays resulting in a reversed decision from the on-field call.

Beginning this season, in order to speed up the game, reviews will be limited to 2 minutes.