Big Ten Has Postponed Its Season – What Are Pac-12 Options?
While the paths to a college football season have been narrowed by COVID-19, three options for the Pac-12 and Washington football are worth looking at.
Push Through and Try to Have a Season
The Big Ten has postponed its season because of COVID-19 and all signs are pointing to the Pac-12 being next. However, commissioner Larry Scott and the league could still move ahead and try to push through the season even without fans in the stadiums. Teams could continue to compete while taking all necessary safety precautions for the athletes and coaches. The SEC and Big 12 already have vocalized their desires to have a fall football season and it's still an option for the Pac-12 to follow suit.
Get in on the SEC Courtship
The SEC has announced it is still trying to have a season. It even went as far as to say it will be courting teams from other conferences to play in an expanded SEC Conference. Two names from the Big 12 being thrown around are Oklahoma and Texas, which makes sense. Travel would be minimal for each team. With the expectation of the ACC postponing things, expect Clemson and potentially Florida State, Miami and Louisville to get in the mix, too. While it will not be as easy to make pandemic travel accommodations, teams from the Big Ten such as Ohio State and Michigan could be courted as well. That leaves the Pac-12 with teams such as Oregon, USC, Utah and Washington as potential opponents. Basically, the SEC wants to make its own league for 2020.
Postpone the Season
This is the most realistic and likely outcome for the Pac-12 and Washington. With reports that the league is not far from postponing football, fans have already come to expect this conclusion this will happen. Of course, this opens a ton of questions and concerns regarding recruiting, player eligibility and juniors to going into the NFL draft, plus next year's scheduling. The answer is everything is still wildly undecided.
