Ralph Freso / Associated Press
The Pac-12 announced on Tuesday that it has canceled its autumn football season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the second Power Five conference to do just that.
Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel a stadium Brett McMurphy report the news first.
Sports Illustrated‘s Ross Dellenger reported the vote was unanimous among Pac-12 schools.
The news comes hours after the Big Ten announced the postponement of fall sports with the option to bring them back in the spring.
Dellenger delivered one rough timeline for spring football by the big 12-time commissioner Bob Bowlsby smashed:
Ross Dellenger @RossDellenger
Bowlsby has suggested that a spring football season could look like this: – Fallball: late January-February – Kickoff: late February – Postseason: May Many ADs believe a spring season is a non-starter without a vaccine. Some think a spring season will include 6-8 games https://t.co/2HHZ5WgTqs
Dan Patrick reported Monday that the Big Ten and Pac-12 were expected to confirm a formal proposal, with more Power Five conferences to potentially follow.
After the Big Ten took the plunge, the question became when instead of if another conference would attend.
The health of players and staff is a major consideration for university and conference administrators who need to decide on the fate of college sports for this season.
ESPN’s Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach reported some care centers about myocarditis, a heart condition that can be linked to COVID-19. If left untreated, myocarditis can cause heart damage or cardiac arrest.
According to Thamel, during the Pac-12 Monday night, officials received “a sobering medical perspective”:
A number of sports leagues in the United States have relocated their athletes and staff to central locations for stage games. For the most part, the approach has worked to limit the spread of the coronavirus, as health officials can closely monitor and strictly test those within the “bubble”.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 may have been able to use this approach to save football this fall. However, would endanger the NCAA’s long-standing position that athletes are amateurs. Schools could not isolate athletes from the general student body, while claiming that they are no different from traditional students.
Alex Kirshner @alex_kirshner
We would not be here if Power 5 administrators fell the charade of amateurism and gave their players more rights. College football does not stop now because it does not lack popularity. It stops because it is difficult to place it with a reality in which labor is not paid
Now that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are pronouncing fall football, the focus is shifting to two topics for those conferences: how many more athletes are choosing to focus on the 2021 concept and whether any teams are trying to jump ship.
Scott Frost, Nebraska head coach and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, both pointed to the idea that their troops could leave the Big Ten to play this year.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren posted a question on the subject during an interview Tuesday on the Big Ten Network:
Just last week, the Big Ten roll out their only conference schedule for the 2020 college football season. Now, two of the Power Five conferences have given up hope of games in the fall. That is how quickly the situation developed when administrators began to fully understand the implications of the pandemic.
It is impossible to know how the coming months – or even weeks – will unfold for the rest of the FBS.
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