The Pac-12 conference unanimously voted to reverse their decision to cancel fall sports on Thursday. The conference will begin play on Nov. 6. This decision just over a month after the Pac-12 previously elected to cancel the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The truncated seven game season leaves a lot of questions for players and fans alike. It is not clear that the conference will be able to participate in the college football playoff or any bowl games for that matter. What is clear though is that the league will recoup some of the financial losses they have sustained during the pandemic. Every Pac-12 school received a base payout of 66 million dollars from the football season.
The conference was the last of the FBS power five conferences to decide to resume the season after the Big 10 voted to resume operations last week. The decision to play football has been fraught with controversy as COVID-19 cases have spiked on college campuses across the country. On the University COVID-19 website, the threat as of Sept. 24 was listed as high. On Wednesday, the university reported 18 coronavirus cases from students. A total of 39 cases have been reported in the greater university community this week.
The decision to play college football has been politically contentious as well, showcased by President Trump’s Twitter campaign to reopen the Big 10. He has also tweeted his support for reopening the Pac-12.
“I want to recommend that the Pac-12 also get going because there is no reason why the Pac-12 shouldn’t be playing now.” Trump said in a white house press conference on September 17th.
Practice restrictions have been particularly strict in Oregon and California and blocked the conference from playing originally. However on Sept. 16, Oregon governor Kate Brown granted an exemption to both Oregon and Oregon State to begin practicing. In order to reopen, the league will administer weekly COVID-19 tests to athletes. The Pac-12 will now allow fans to attend games this season.
“The health and safety of our student athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports remains our guiding light and number one priority,” University of Oregon president and member of the Pac-12 CEO group said. “Our CEO group has taken a measured and thoughtful approach to today’s decision including extensive consultation with stakeholders on the evolving information and data related to health and safety.”
