Pac-12 Conference making contingency plans for 2020 football season
Pac-12 football in 2020, is far from a done deal. COVID-19 cases in Southern California and Arizona have spiked recently. The conference is considering several different options in case the season can’t start as scheduled.
It was always a risky proposition to return for college football to return in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As July starts, the “cross our fingers, hope for the best and play as scheduled” approach is slowly fading. Recent spikes of the virus in Southern California and Arizona are making headlines. Locally, Washington state has seen an uptick as well. This surge of new cases has put the viability of Pac-12 schools playing football this fall in doubt.
There has been a general guide for making plans to play college football this year. If campuses are open to all students, games will go on. Right now, the guideline is being chipped away by several schools.
Possible campus closings
On Wednesday, the University of Southern California sent a letter to students, faculty, and staff. At least 85 percent of USC classes will be online, and on-campus living arrangements are discouraged.
It’s doubtful the University of Arizona would be to students. Last week, President Robert Robbins said if the current conditions continue, he won’t open the Tucson campus. Arizona State University President Michael Crow echoed Robbins on a radio interview. If the situation worsens, ASU is ready to go to all online classes.
So that means, one-quarter of the conference may not open their campuses. That doesn’t even include the University of Washington. The coronavirus recently tore through fraternity row, like a beer keg rolling downhill. So what does the Pac-12 do?
The Pac-12s most important issue is the safety of student-athletes, coaches, and staff. On Thursday, Conference Commissioner Larry Scott spoke to John Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News. Scott relayed he is in daily contact with the other Power 5 commissioners. The Pac-12 is far from alone in facing this issue.
Alternate Ideas
Consequently, there are several plans in the works, aside from business as usual, that the Pac-12 Conference is considering. Among them are:
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- A delay to the start of the season.
- Moving the football season to the spring.
- A Pac-12 only schedule.
Also, there have been discussions among university presidents that some schools might not play in 2020 at all.
“I still want to be cautiously optimistic. But if there’s no change in society’s response and behavior, which results in a quick flattening of the curve and a decrease in the spread of the virus, that would lead to a much more pessimistic view about our campuses being able to open. And our ability to play college sports.” – Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott
COVID-19 is an ever-changing dynamic for college football (and the world). The Power 5 conferences don’t have a deadline date for a decision about the 2020 season. However, with the fall semester just seven weeks away, time is ticking down.