Early season MAC games are likely to be on weeknights to help the MAC fulfill its ESPN obligationsGETTY IMAGES
Mid-American Conference leaders on Friday "voted unanimously to reverse their August decision to push football to spring," as the "first major college football league to postpone its season because of the pandemic ... became the final one to jump back in," according to Ralph Russo of the AP. The MAC will "open its season Nov. 4," with the championship game "played Dec. 18 or 19." The conference will "begin testing athletes four times per week, starting Oct 5" (AP, 9/25). MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said, "We’d been digging in on the testing for a little while, and clearly, the Big Ten announcement certainly seemed like the starting gun. That really brought a great deal of focus, and away we went.” In Buffalo, Rachel Lenzi noted the MAC also is "planning a partnership for testing." Games are "likely to be on weeknights, especially early in the season," to help the MAC "fulfill the its obligations to ESPN" (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/27). Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman noted the four tests per week is "actually one more time than the Mountain West is going to be testing their guys.” Feldman noted with the MAC's return, Old Dominion, New Mexico State and UConn are the only FBS programs "not expecting to play this fall" (“Big Noon Kickoff,” Fox, 9/26).
