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Pac-12 joins Big Ten in eliminating nonconference games

Virus Outbreak Pac-12 Football
Posted at 8:15 PM, Jul 10, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-10 20:15:07-04

The Pac-12 has become the second major conference to shift to a conference-only fall schedule amid growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came after a meeting of the Pac-12 CEO Group on Friday, a day after the Big Ten opted to eliminate nonconference games for all fall sports.

The Atlantic Coast, Big 12 and Southeastern conferences are still weighing options for fall sports.

The decision covers football, women’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball. Conference-only schedules will be announced no later than July 31.

The conference is also delaying the start of mandatory athletic activities until a series of health and safety indicators become more positive.

The college sports world has been put on hold since the coronavirus pandemic wiped up the lucrative NCAA basketball tournaments and all spring sports. Athletes recently began returning to campuses for voluntary workouts, but many schools have scaled back as more than a dozen schools have reported positive COVID-19 tests among athletes in the past month.