The Big 12 Will Likely Push All Decisions on Start of Season to Last Minute

According to a report, the Big 12 doesn't plan on making a decision for a couple of weeks.

While conferences like the Big 10 and Pac 12 have already made plans to reduce schedules for the 2020 season due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Big 12 appears to be pushing those choices to the last minute. 

The conference has been exploring several options, according to a recent report from the Austin American Statesman. Among those is a potential "plus one" format where the Big 12 partners with the SEC for one out-of-conference game for each school. Under this format the Longhorns would keep their trip to Baton Rouge to take on LSU and the other nine schools would parter with an SEC team for a non-league matchup. 

The report quotes Texas Tech athletic director  Lawrence Schovanec, who talked about some of the parameters that are going into these decisions. 

All decisions will be made with student safety in mind, Schovanec stressed. Television money is not the driving force here, but Fox and ESPN pay the league based on an inventory of 57 games. A conference-only schedule is just 46. “You can’t ignore those facts,” Schovanec said.
In short, there are no easy choices, according to the vice chairman of the Big 12 Board of Directors.
“We still have time,” Schovanec said. “So at what point do we have to make a decision? We haven’t gotten there yet. But I also think we recognize the fact that if we get to a go/no-go point will be prepared to act very quickly and pivot on a dime.

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