All five Power Five conferences will be in action this fall, after all.
After initially voting to postpone all sports until at least Jan. 1, the Pac-12 has reversed course and voted to play a seven-game, conference-only football season beginning on Nov. 6, the conference announced Thursday.
“From the beginning of this crisis, our focus has been on following the science, data and counsel of our public health and infectious disease experts,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott in a statement. “Our agreement with Quidel to provide daily rapid-results testing has been a game-changer in enabling us to move forward with confidence that we can create a safe environment for our student-athletes while giving them the opportunity to pursue their dreams. At the same time, we will continue to monitor health conditions and data and be ready to adjust as required in the name of the health of all.”
The news was first reported by ESPN's Heather Dinich reports.
The full conference schedule will be released in the coming days, the Pac-12 championship game will be played Dec. 18 with each of the conference's 12 teams also playing that weekend in a manner similar to the Big Ten's 8+1 format, that pits teams against each other based on final conference standing.
Details still need to be worked out, but Pac-12 expected to have something similar to the Big Ten's season-ender. Second place team in each division plays each other, third place vs. third place, etc. Same concept, per source.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 24, 2020
According to the Pac-12 statement, the Nov. 6 start date and the Dec. 18 championship game will enable Pac-12 teams to be considered for selection by the College Football Playoff.
Later Thursday night, the Mountain West announced that it will also now be playing football this fall, beginning the same day as the Big Ten – Oct. 24 – with an eight-game regular season and a conference championship game on Dec. 19.
WE'RE BACK. pic.twitter.com/kZTEGDJXPz
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) September 25, 2020
With the Pac-12 and Mountain West both coming back, the MAC is now the only Football Bowl Subdivision conference that is not slated to play this fall as of Thursday night. That said, MAC presidents are expected to meet Friday to discuss the possibility of scheduling a fall football season; the Toledo Blade reported the conference is considering a six-game regular season.
