Update: The Pac-12 has canceled all sports through the end of the calendar year.
The Pac-12 CEO Group voted unanimously to postpone all sport competitions through the end of the 2020 calendar year.
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. The report and updated guidelines of the Committee can be found here: Pac-12 COVID-19 Return to Play Considerations – Aug. 10, 2020 and a full list of Committee members can be found here: Pac-12 Medical Advisory Committee. The Conference also announced that when conditions improve, it would consider a return to competition for impacted sports after January 1, 2021.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the start of this current crisis,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would like to have seen the season played this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.”
The Pac-12 will cancel its fall season today, according to multiple reports. Larry Scott will formally announce the decision at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The decision was widely expected after the Big Ten canceled its season earlier Tuesday. The Pac-12 is the fourth FBS conference and the second Power 5 league to bow out of playing football in 2020. Fifty-three of the 130 FBS teams are now out for this season, as of this moment.
With the move, the fate of the season may now hinge on the Big 12. If the Big 12 sticks with the fall season, the remaining leagues -- SEC, ACC, American, C-USA and Sun Belt -- would have the cover to continue playing as well.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.