The Big Ten Announces Football Is Back; What is the Pac-12's Next Move?

The Pac-12 stands as the only Power Five Conference currently not planning a fall season

Photo by Joshua Bickel, USA Today

For now, anyway, the Pac-12 stands alone.

The Big Ten announced Wednesday morning it will begin playing football the weekend of Oct 23-24, leaving the Pac-12 as he nation’s only Power Five conference still holding out.

Both leagues determined last month that the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic was too severe to play football, but five weeks later Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren announced an about-face.

Big Ten officials cited daily testing capabilities and an increased confidence in the latest medical information.

"Great news today. Over the past month, I could sense the anticipation from our players and coaches, and I'm thrilled on their behalf that they will have a chance to play a 2020 season. Stay positive. Test negative. Let's play football,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday in a statement.

There was no immediate news out of the Pac-12, which has canceled all fall sports. The plan announced last month included the possibility of a spring football season. But the pressure is mounting to return sooner.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott sent the following message to the San Jose Mercury News' Jon Wilner on Wednesday morning:

“At this time, our universities in California and Oregon do not have approval from state or local public health officials to start contact practice. We are hopeful that our new daily testing capability can help satisfy public health official approvals in California and Oregon to begin contact practice and competition. We are equally closely monitoring the devastating fires and air quality in our region at this time. We are eager for our student-athletes to have the opportunity to play this season, as soon as it can be done safely and in accordance with public health authority approvals.”

Cal quarterback Chase Garbers on Wednesday morning tweeted, “Hey @Pac12 @GavinNewsom I’m waiting ……”

USC players sent a letter to California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, asking him to ease restrictions and allow college football.

A reversal in the Pac-12 would require approval from the conference presidents and chancellors, but also from local health officials. For Cal that would mean getting the nod from Alameda County and the city of Berkeley, which so far have maintained strict limits on gatherings.

But the Pac-12 formed a partnership early this month with San Diego-base Quidel Corporation, which will provide rapid response testing that will allow for players to be tested on a daily basis, with results available almost immediately.

Commissioner Larry Scott at the time called it “a game-changer” that could alter the Pac-12’s football timeline. The tests were expected to be delivered to the Pac-12 by the end of this month.

That might allow the conference to begin playing by sometime in November.

The Big Ten felt pressure from within and from the outside to play this fall, including a push from President Donald Trump. Ohio State coach Ryan Day was among the most outspoken proponents of reinstating the season.

Ralph Russo, college football writer for the Associated Press, weighed in on how that impacted the Big Ten decision:

The Big Ten will play an eight-game, conference-only schedule, with a league championship game set for Dec. 19. Other teams will play a cross-division game that same day.

Game schedules are expected to be released later this week. Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said Wednesday morning that scheduling will be flexible, with games to be played on Fridays and possibly even Mondays, according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.

The Big Ten will complete its season before the Dec. 20 Selection Day for the College Football Playoff.

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said that there will be no public sale of tickets for fans to attend games, but that family may be accommodated on a campus-by-campus basis.

Ross Dellinger of SI reported that Northwestern president Morton Shapiro initially wasn’t sold on playing sports without students on campus,

"I did grapple with that. End of the day, I found arguments of if we can do it safely, there's no reason not to go ahead and do it,” Shapiro said.

The Big Ten's daily rapid testing program will begin Sept. 30 on all 14 campuses. Test results must be completed and recorded prior to each practice or game, ESPN reported. 

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*** Here is Jake Curtis' analysis of what's next for the Pac-12: 

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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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