College Football is Back — But Huskies and Pac-12 Remain on Outside, Looking In
In Washington state, high school kids on Thursday descended on the state capital in Olympia, asking for their fall football season back. Led by Kennedy Catholic quarterback and University of Washington commit Sam Huard, they have 24,500 petition signatures, in support of their cause.
Sixty miles north in Seattle, Husky Stadium remains a dormant place when it should be a beehive of activity.
People normally would be trucking in food, tents and all sorts of game-day equipment for a Washington-Michigan football game that might have stretched the seating capacity of 70,083.
The FBS football season begins on Thursday night with pair or lower-level games, but games nonetheless. Central Arkansas visits UAB and South Alabama travels to Southern Mississippi. A full slate of games follows on Saturday.
Seventy-six schools have indicated they will have pandemic football and 54 have said they won't.
The UW and Pac-12 football remain under wraps over fears of COVID-19, which are explained as the overbearing presence of the disease in some cities in the conference, the inconsistency in virus testing and the disturbing unknown of virus aftereffects, specifically heart inflammation known as myocarditis.
Meantime, the Pac-12's Power 5 partner in postponement, the Big Ten, appears to be getting itchy to overturn its earlier edicts and launch a season, maybe in October now after last week's hints about November.
Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, in the video and in this story link, describes how contentious college has football has become. Divided down the middle. To play or not to play.
Nobody knows exactly if it's safe to proceed or if it's too dangerous. So nearly half are testing the waters until they hear different, and the other half is not, instead erring on the side of caution.
College football likewise has become politicized now with President Donald Trump calling Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and urging him to pursue a league restart. With an election coming, there's apparently a lot of Midwest votes at stake in swing states prompting his involvement.
As for the Pac-12, there is no divine presidential intervention, no apparent movement of any kind among the league representatives, nothing happening from Tucson to Seattle. League leaders have locked down all competition until January 1 without any recourse or further discussion.
The Pac-12 has been taking steady potshots over its perceived indifference to the situation, with the insinuation it doesn't care.
Of course, the league stance could always change. If the Big Ten ultimately gives in to the outside pressures and jumpstarts everything, the Pac-12 would be the lone Power 5 conference that sits idle. It might feel obliged to reconsider at that point.
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