Pac-12 votes to carry out fall football season beginning Nov. 6
USC football is almost back.
The Pac-12 CEO Group unanimously voted Thursday to carry out a seven-game conference-only fall football season, beginning Nov. 6 and culminating with a conference championship game Dec. 18.
The vote also included the resumption of all winter sports — including men’s and women’s basketball, which will begin Nov. 25, the same day the NCAA plans to officially start its basketball season.
In a press release announcing the decision, the Pac-12 cited updated testing capabilities — the conference has partnered with Quidel Corporation for daily testing with a turnaround as quick as 15 minutes — as well as decreased prevalence of the coronavirus in member communities, increased capacity to monitor cardiac issues resulting from COVID-19 and guidance from state and local health officials.
University of Oregon President and Pac-12 CEO Group Chair Michael Schill said the Thursday meeting had nothing to do with money and that financial implications were never a part of the decision to return.
“From the beginning of this crisis, our focus has been on following the science, data and counsel of our public health and infectious disease experts,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in the release. “Our agreement with Quidel to provide daily rapid-results testing has been a game-changer in enabling us to move forward with confidence that we can create a safe environment for our student-athletes while giving them the opportunity to pursue their dreams.”
According to the press release, universities that utilize daily antigen testing will also administer weekly PCR tests, which detect genetic material of the virus, for each student-athlete.
“We’re moving forward now, but we’re not moving forward with our eyes shut,” Schill said in a media webinar following the announcement.
The release said that the conference agreed that both a fall and winter football season were feasible, and that the CEO Group unanimously favored the fall option.
“I am thrilled for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans that the Pac-12 Conference presidents and chancellors voted to resume athletics practices and competitions for football, basketball, and winter sports seasons,” USC athletic director Mike Bohn wrote in a statement. “We are proud of our student-athletes who made this resumption possible by their adherence to our health and safety protocols.”
Competitions on Pac-12 campuses will not permit fans, a decision that will be revisited in January.
Pac-12 teams will be eligible for selection to the College Football Playoff, and every college football team — even if they finish under .500 — will be bowl eligible. The conference-only schedule will be released in the coming days, with each team playing every team from its division and each team playing on the weekend of the Pac-12 Championship Game.
“The patience that our University leaders showed has allowed us the time to produce the safest environment possible for our student athletes,” USC head coach Clay Helton wrote in a statement. “We thank the Pac 12 Conference and their medical advisory team for not only supplying the daily testing needed but also the scientific knowledge and advice that led to today’s decision.”
The other fall sports that had initially been postponed until spring — including men’s water polo, soccer and women’s volleyball — will commence in January, and practices may occur in the fall as allowed by the NCAA.