While professional sports leagues can ponder plans to isolate their athletes from the new coronavirus and have them play in unusual, even secluded places, college sports have no such option.

Pro sports leagues can get creative with solutions to save their multibillion-dollar businesses. College sports will take a slower road back.

"The most at-risk sport of starting up again, in my opinion, is collegiate athletics," said A.J. Maestas, the CEO of Navigate Research, which consults with professional sports leagues and college conferences. "There is less of an incentive and less alignment with the...