Happy Halloween: A Possible Return Date for Pac-12 Football
Oct. 31 could be a holiday for multiple reasons. The Mercury News'' Jon Wilner reported on Thursday that Halloween could be the start date for the 2020 Pac-12 football season, pending approval from school presidents and local authorities. He reported that the chancellors and presidents are meeting on Friday to discuss the return to athletics.
This news came a day after the Big Ten announced its return to the gridiron will be the weekend before.
The two Power Five conferences announced a postponement of athletics for the rest of 2020 back on Aug. 11 for safety reasons concerning the coronavirus pandemic.
So what has changed?
The Pac-12 partnered with Quidel, a healthcare manufacturer. This partnership will allow Pac-12 schools to test their athletes daily, and Quidel's machines get results back in around 15 minutes, according to Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott.
"Having the opportunity and ability to identify and immediately remove someone who is potentially affected prior to stepping on the practice field really reduces and removes the risk that currently exists with traditional laboratory testing between collection and then reporting back," Oregon State athletic director Dr. Doug Auckerman said in a Zoom press conference on Sep. 3.
Another obstacle was restrictions in California and Oregon. However, Scott pointed out in a statement made on Wednesday that he has the okay to return from California governor Gavin Newsom and Oregon's Kate Brown.
Statement from Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott on positive developments from governors of California and Oregon: pic.twitter.com/bZVuGT6vuW
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 16, 2020
Wilner pointed out that southern California schools USC and UCLA are cleared to play, but California and Stanford still have some hoops to jump through.
If the Pac-12 can finalize a plan to return to football, it will need six weeks of training camp before the season can start. That is a time period that Arizona State coach Herm Edwards and Scott both determined would be sufficient for players to get ready for a season.
Getting football back also comes with a series of questions.
Will there be fans?
Is Dec. 19 still the date for the Pac-12 Championship Game? If so, how many games will be played this year?
Will there be a brand new schedule?
All of those points are necessary to address, but the main question of "Will there be football?" this year is looking like it is close to being answered.
