The PAC-12 Has Pulled the Plug on Fall Sports

It’s official. The PAC-12 has decided to follow the BIG 10’s lead and postpone fall sports. As of now, the rest of the Power Five is pushing forward with their revised fall schedules, but as far as Larry Scott and the PAC-12 CEO group are concerned the health risks are too much during a global pandemic, evident by their unanimous decision.

From pac-12.com

The decision was made after consultation with athletics directors and with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee who expressed concern with moving forward with contact practice...

Student-athletes impacted by the postponement will continue to have their scholarships guaranteed. Additionally, the Pac-12 Conference strongly encourages that the NCAA grant students who opt out of competition this academic year an additional year of eligibility. As part of their guaranteed scholarships, they will continue to have university support, including academic advising and tutoring, among other support services.

Four FBS programs have cancelled so far, and 53 of the 130 programs have cancelled their season. The PAC-12 has long been considered the most likely to cancel or postpone, so the decision is not much of a surprise.

A spring season poses a lot of problems, mostly centered around the amount of games that would be played in a short amount of time and the departure of star athletes focusing on the NFL draft, but the conference is eager to reclaim some of the funds that will be lost due to the cancellation.