In a widely expected release, the Pac-12 announced that several sports including Football, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, and Women’s Volleyball would play conference only schedules in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, Pac-12 athletes who choose not to participate in the 2019-20 season because of health concerns related to COVID-19 will have their scholarships honored. “The health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports continues to be our number one priority,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott stated. In addition, the conference will be delaying mandatory practices “until a series of health and safety indicators, which have recently trended in a negative direction, provide sufficient positive data to enable a move to a second phase of return-to-play activities.”
This move sees the Pac-12 joining the Big Ten in announcing conference-only games for athletics, making it the second Power Five conference to do so. The fallout of this decision is the cancelation of a few significant matchups including U$C v. Alabama in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 5 and Notre Dame’s pair of matchups with U$C on Nov. 28 and Stanford on Oct. 10.
--Sam made me make a signature.