Will Pac-12 Match SEC with Football Forfeits If COVID Disrupts Games?

The UW and the rest of the league played the least amount in 2020.

The SEC won't postpone football games this fall if teams can't play because of COVID-19 issues, which will bring drastic measures — forfeitures — an action the Pac-12 and and the rest of the Power Five conferences may have to strongly consider. 

With fewer than half of the 14 SEC teams reaching 80 percent vaccination rates, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey warned this week that the numbers need to improve quickly, before the football season begins in six weeks, or be prepared to face consequences. 

"You're expected to play as scheduled," Sankey said at SEC media days. "That means your team needs to be healthy to compete, and if not, that game won't be rescheduled. And thus, to dispose of the game, the 'forfeit' word comes up at this point."

The commissioner of the nation's most successful football conference also suggested the SEC remove its 53-man roster minimum introduced last year to better enable games to be held as scheduled.

Last fall, the Pac-12 played the fewest number of football games of any of the five major conference because of a late scheduling start and subsequent pandemic outbreaks.

The University of Washington, WSU, California, Colorado and Arizona State each played only four football games — by far the fewest of any Power Five schools. Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA appeared in the most games of any Pac-12 team, seven each.

The Huskies were forced to cancel regular-season contests against California, WSU and Oregon, and back out of the Pac-12 championship game against USC, plus pass on a bowl game. 

For the 2020 season, SEC football teams played anywhere from 9 to 13 games. Big Ten teams appeared in 5 to 9 contests, Big 12 entries from 9 to 12 games and ACC teams from 9 to 12 outings.

Sankey made his pronouncement because the states that house SEC teams are lagging behind the rest of the country with vaccination rates and a COVID-19 surge could threaten the sport again.

"That number needs to grow and grow rapidly," Sankey said. "We have learned how to manage through a COVID environment, but we do not yet have control of a COVID environment."

The Pac-12 will host its football media day next Monday in Los Angeles and likely address its scheduling concerns and potential limitations. 

This past spring, the UW invited mask-wearing fans to attend spring football workouts and the spring game, and the school announced that students need to be vaccinated to attend classes in person. 

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