The odds of College Football having a season this fall are becoming slimmer by the day.
The Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, amid growing concern over the coronavirus pandemic, have canceled their football seasons.
It was five months ago when coronavirus cases began to spike across the United States. The impact led to the cancellation of NCAA basketball tournaments and, eventually, altered the world of professional sports.
Now, here we are, five months later.
“This was an extremely difficult and painful decision that we know will have important impacts on our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and our fans,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said. “We know nothing will ease that.”
There’s enough justification for this decision. The NHL and NBA are completing their respective seasons within a bubble format that’s, so far, proven to be successful. College football, however, won’t operate within a bubble. Ultimately, the risk of college athletes contracting and spreading the coronavirus was too much to work around.
And it’s the correct assessment.
“Every life is critical,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said. “We wanted to make sure we continually, not only in our words but in our actions, do put the health and safety and wellness of our student-athletes first.”
Furthermore, the glaring lack of a united front for the conferences — specifically within the Power Five — has moved to the center of discussion.
It remains to be seen what the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) ultimately decide on for a course of action. As of right now, both conferences are moving forward with cautious optimism. The Big 12 is also moving with a similar approach.
The Big Ten will be postponing all fall sports, they’re hopeful to resume in the spring. The Pac-12 will also postpone all sports, until January 1, including basketball.
