Tracking Where Each Power 5, Group of 5 Conference Stands On Fall Football
Looking for one convenient place to track all the important administrative decisions regarding the 2020 football season? SI Sooners has you covered.
Let's take a look at the state of each Power 5 conference and each Group of 5 conference as of Tuesday morning. This tracker will be updated as more information becomes available.
GROUP OF 5
AAC - SI's Ross Dellenger reported Monday night that the conference will proceed with its schedule, which includes 8 conference games and up to 4 nonconference games scheduled at the discretion of the member schools. Dellenger also indicated that a presidents' vote would not occur, leaving no doubt for the moment that the AAC will play in 2020.
Conference USA - As of August 7, Conference USA's Board of Directors had approved a schedule virtually identical to that of the AAC. Member schools will play 8 conference games, and are free to schedule up to 4 nonconference opponents as they are willing and able. The only noncompliant C-USA school thus far is Old Dominion, which announced Monday evening that it will not field athletic teams in the fall.
MAC - On Sunday, the Mid-American became the first conference to issue a cancellation of the fall football season, with hopes for their schools to play in the spring. It appeared evident that the MAC's decision would be the straw that broke the camel's back across all FBS conferences, at least until the #WeWantToPlay movement spearheaded by Trevor Lawrence.
Mountain West - The MWC followed in the MAC's footsteps on Monday afternoon, issuing an "indefinite postponement" of its 2020 football season.
Sun Belt - Southern schools will have their football, come hell or high water. The Sun Belt will play in fall 2020, and none of its member schools have expressed any desire to break stride with the conference's decision.
Independents - UConn and UMass have postponed their seasons. Notre Dame has joined the ACC in a one-year cameo. BYU currently has just three games on their schedule after the ruling from the Mountain West.
POWER 5
ACC - Reportedly, the conference's athletic directors and presidents were of one mind after Monday's meeting. The ACC is set to proceed with its fall football schedule. Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield was arguably the most vocal supporter of the conference's ruling - and the most vocal critic of the administrative waffling that the past week has brought. Additionally, the ACC's decision has an endorsement from one of the conference's premier medical advisors.
Big Ten - League presidents reportedly voted 12-2 to cancel the season on Monday morning, only to encounter opposition from their own players, their own coaches, and even politicians. It was clear that if the conference decided against playing football this fall, that ruling wouldn't come without a colossal public outcry.
Nevertheless, the conference ultimately ruled on Tuesday afternoon that they would cancel the season, with hopes to play in the spring. The Big Ten is the first Power 5 conference to pull the plug on fall football, but it's worth noting that some of its member schools, including Nebraska, have indicated that they're going to play football regardless of the direction from the conference.
Big 12 - It's become apparent that if there is a hinge on which the season swings, it's the decision from the Big 12. There's no clear indication as to whether the conference will play or postpone, with presidents and athletic directors scheduled to meet later today. There are talks of a superconference that would absorb teams from the SEC, ACC and Big 12, but before any of those discussions can be realistically weighed, we'll have to wait and see where the administrators stand.
Pac-12 - This situation has escalated quickly over the last 12 hours. A group of doctors from Pac-12 schools reportedly lent their perspective via a medical report Monday night, and it apparently caused conference administrators to lean towards cancellation. The issue at play is cardiac inflammation related to COVID-19. That medical report hasn't yet been released to the public. However, there was apparently enough therein to compel the conference to officially make the call Tuesday afternoon, not much more than an hour after the Big Ten. There will be no Pac-12 football in the fall of 2020.
SEC - There's not much uncertainty here. The SEC will play football this fall, unless every other conference across the country forces their hand in postponing the season. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Tuesday morning that the conference's medical advisers had given the OK to proceed with football. Most everyone of consequence in the SEC sees a viable path to playing the season, and Sankey remarked that he doesn't expect his conference to be alone in that sentiment.
Stay tuned for updates as a monumental day across the college football world continues to take shape.
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