Pac-12 football: After discouraging delay, October restart remains in play
Despite the frustration that engulfed the Pac-12 on Friday in the aftermath of the presidents delaying their vote on a return-to-play schedule, the conference is churning forward with a plan — and it includes an option for games on Oct. 31, according to a source.
Yes, the Halloween start remains very much on the table.
Even though some teams probably won’t be ready.
Even though CEO approval isn’t expected until Sept. 24.
“It was a tough day for some, but we’re going to be fine,’’ the source said of the Friday developments.
“We’ve got a plan, and it’s a good plan.”
The Hotline reported Thursday that Oct. 31 was the preferred start date for the athletic directors but that challenges existed on two fronts: Local health restrictions and the time needed for players to properly condition.
(The Pac-12’s medical team believes six weeks is ideal, with two weeks of ramp-up time and four weeks of full-contact workouts.)
And the Oct. 31 start date, just one week after the Big Ten, remains in the crosshairs, according to the source.
The reason is the disparity in preparation that has unfolded in recent weeks.
Between the health restrictions created by the pandemic and the suffocating air quality caused by the wildfires, the California and Oregon schools are behind the other six.
And in the case of the California Four, final approval from state and local authorities — while expected sooner than later in the wake of Gavin Newsom’s clearance — has not yet arrived.
But the Washington, Arizona and Mountain schools have made enough progress with workouts in recent months that they could be ready to play on Halloween.
Many of them have been working out under the NCAA’s 12-hours-per-week rule that serves as a holding pattern.
They’re in prime position to shift to the 20-hour schedule that signifies the serious workout phase.
How a schedule might play out with half the conference playing on Halloween and the other half waiting for Nov. 7 remains unclear.
But the source indicated a subcommittee has a handful of models ready, depending on how the CEO decide to proceed on Thursday.
One option for the Oct. 31 model is to build in a flex weekend, similar to the structure used to build the 10-game schedule released in late July.
The specifics are under construction, but the broader framework under consideration still includes — despite the delay — games on Halloween.
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