The announcement sports fans throughout the West Coast have all been waiting for has finally arrived; Pac-12 football is back. Of course, 2020 has significantly altered how audiences will experience this influential sport. A shortened season, notable opt-outs and the ongoing pandemic will determine how this unique season will be remembered. Sadly, yet crucially, there will be no fans in attendance for the seven-game season. Ultimately, one of Oregon’s biggest obstacles may lie outside of COVID-19. The College Football Playoff committee and their ability to select the top four teams in the nation without non-conference games or comparable schedule lengths could make or break the Pac-12’s return to competition.
Recently, the College Football Oversight Committee recommended waiving bowl eligibility requirements for the 2020-21 season. This is a necessary adjustment, but for CFP frontrunners such as Oregon, their fate will lie in the hands of the 13-member CFP committee.
Once the Big Ten conference announced their return to play, the Pac-12 had few realistic options but to announce their return as well. To be the only Power 5 conference to forgo its season would likely have left a lasting financial scar, along with ceding a recruiting advantage to non-Pac-12 programs. Not playing games results in little to no promotional advertising for all 12 programs.
Undoubtedly, the Pac-12 made the right move by postponing the start of its season. Of course, the best way to protect programs and their members would be to skip the season altogether; less traveling, practicing and general contact would obviously result in fewer cases. 
Avoiding positive cases entirely within a program is impossible. Most recently, Arizona head coach Kevin Sumlin tested positive for the virus, highlighting the risk of returning to competition. Even at the professional level, games are being rescheduled as a result of positive tests. For the return of the Pac-12 to be worth it, eligible and deserving Pac-12 teams should not be skipped over for postseason appearances. 
Despite these valid concerns, football is happening, barring last-minute changes. Oregon and its conference peers are indeed eligible for a berth in the prestigious CFP. But, a seven-game schedule is the shortest schedule among Power 5 conferences. Even if the conference favorite, Oregon, runs the table and dominates its conference, UO could be left out of the CFP in favor of a one-loss team that played more games. While the logic behind this hypothetical scenario is clear, the Pac-12 should not, by any means, be punished for protecting its players from COVID-19 by postponing the season. 
Picturing the bowl season in early October is all but impossible. Plenty of noteworthy teams, like Oregon, have yet to kick off their seasons. Certain bowl games have already been cancelled, such as the Bahamas Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl. I would be shocked if more postseason games do not adhere to this newfound precedent. But now is when these decisions about criteria for play in the postseason should be made.
The Pac-12 made the difficult decision to bring football back to the western states, which involves daunting risks. The Pac-12 must be rewarded for protecting its community members and must receive the same consideration as all postseason eligible teams.