The Big Ten this morning announced its intention to play football in October, but the Pac-12 "remains on standby, waiting for governmental restrictions in California and Oregon to be lifted before formalizing a return-to-play plan." Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott in a statement acknowledged the local restrictions, noting he is "hopeful that our new daily testing capability can help satisfy public health official approvals in California and Oregon to begin contact practice and competition." Sources said that if testing capabilities lead to the "approval for contact practices to begin, the Pac-12 is expected to use a six-week ramp-up period before it starts playing games, leading to a potential start date in mid-to-late-November" (ESPN.com, 9/16).
Meanwhile, the Mountain West has "opened the door to a possible return of football." Not long after the Big Ten's announcement, the MWC "released a statement saying it is working on solutions to allow a return 'at the earliest possible opportunity.'" The conference said the plan "includes finalizing a plan for frequent, rapid response testing and continuing to monitor the status of public health directives in our MW states and communities" (Ft. Collins COLORADOAN, 9/16).
In the MAC, Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said that the league will "continue with its plans to resume sports during the spring semester" despite the Big Ten's plans. The MAC is "considering a number of options for the spring semester, one of which is an eight-game season that would begin in February." No proposal has been "recommended or accepted by university presidents" (TOLEDO BLADE, 9/16).
