September 18, 2020

Pac-12 ADs eye Oct. 31 for start of season

Pac-12 athletic directors are eyeing Oct. 31 as the ideal start date for the delayed 2020 football season, per Jon Wilner of the Mercury News.

The timeline is pending approval from school presidents, Wilner adds. Gaining consensus on a training camp schedule and navigating remaining local health restrictions are other reported obstacles.

The Pac-12 was one of two Power 5 conferences to postpone the fall football season in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but both have since changed course. After the Big Ten announced Wednesday its 2020 slate will begin on the weekend of Oct. 24, several Pac-12 football players asked the conference and various governors to allow them to play this fall.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott initially said California and Oregon were preventing schools in those states from holding team contact activities.

While Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has granted the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers an exemption from state sports restrictions, California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently said there's nothing in the state's guidelines stopping the conference from staging games.

Scott said Wednesday schools in Oregon and California will now contact their respective county health officials to determine the next steps before staging contact practices.

The Pac-12 recently announced a partnership with Quidel Corporation to facilitate rapid COVID-19 testing throughout the potential campaign.