Pac-12 expected to follow Big Ten’s lead and play conference-only football schedule

The Pac-12 is expected to only play conference games this season.

Thursday has been a sobering one for college football fans hoping to have a full season this fall.

On the heels of the Ivy League delaying their season until the spring, the Big Ten announced they will only play league games this fall. And now, the Pac-12 will reportedly follow their lead, according to The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach, who also broke the news of the Big Ten’s plans.

This has been building for weeks and perhaps months, but the recent outbreaks across states have made the outlook of the fall season beginning on time much bleaker.

Canceling non-conference games will buy college decision-makers (university presidents) more time to test players, coaches, personnel and see how things change with more information gathered and an improved testing procedure.

Pac-12 canceling non-conference games is a loss for everyone.

Many colleges are continuing with online classes with a few exceptions across the country and as the dominos begin to fall in major college football, the Pac-12 likely will not be the last conference to make this decision.

This is a sad day for college football fans who had looked forward to such games like Oregon hosting Ohio State, USC playing rival Notre Dame or Washington and Michigan clashing. But it’s especially sad for the student-athletes who will no longer get these games to showcase their games and have these memorable experiences.

It’s sad for the smaller conferences who rely on playing the Big Ten, Pac-12 and other Power 5 teams in order to supplement their athletics budget. Without that revenue coming in, there will be more announcements like Stanford cutting 11 varsity sports on Wednesday. Smaller colleges have already trimming other sports after the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament and spring sports.

If there aren’t fans in the stands and these non-conference games aren’t played, there will be an economic impact felt throughout college sports. This could be just the tip of the iceberg. It could get a lot worse before it gets better.

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