Big Ten announced schedule change Thursday, PAC-12 on Friday
It looks like the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic will have an impact on the upcoming college football season. On Thursday, the Big Ten Conference announced it will not allow teams to participate in non-conference games in football as well as several other Fall sports. Yesterday, the PAC-12 followed suit and voted to move to a conference-only schedule for all Fall sports this year as well. The organizations hope that limiting travel will reduce the risk of spreading or potentially catching COVID-19.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said it is “much easier if we’re just working with our Big Ten institutions…” Warren is uncertain about the future of this upcoming football season. He told the Big Ten Network, “We may not have sports in the fall… We may not have a college football season in the Big Ten.”
“We may not have sports in the fall… We may not have a college football season in the Big Ten.”
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren to the Big Ten Network
Yesterday, the PAC-12 followed the Big Ten’s example and also switched over to a conference-only schedule for all Fall sports. The decision was made during a virtual meeting held on Friday between PAC-12 athletic directors, university presidents, and conference officials. ESPN is reporting that the decision will delay the start of Fall sports, including football. USC was scheduled to open its season against Alabama at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Schools and Collegiate Conferences are still figuring out ways to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. This now makes three D-I Conferences that have had to make changes to their Fall Sports schedule due to Coronavirus. On Wednesday, the Ivy League became the first Division I Conference to suspend all Fall Sports due to the ongoing health crisis.
