Trick or treat: Pac-12 football planning return on Halloween

Days after Big Ten football reversed its postponement decision to return in the fall, the Pac-12 might be heading in the same direction.

Last month, the Pac-12 conference announced that the fall season would be postponed until the spring. Another conference that took a similar approach was the Big Ten. But on Wednesday, the Big Ten conference reversed course and announced that the fall season will begin on Oct. 24. Hours after the announcement, many wondered if the Pac-12 would follow a similar path as their counterparts. The answer appears to be a yes.

According to Jon Wilner of The Mercury News, Pac-12 athletic directors are targeting an Oct. 31 start date for the 2020 fall season. Of course, that’s only if the conference can get through some hurdles.

“It might be a challenge, but many of us would like to play then,” a source familiar with the decision-making process told Wilner.

“We think it’s possible.”

There are still hurdles for the Pac-12 to overcome

While Halloween is the intended start date, Wilner notes that there are still some challenges that stand in the way of the Pac-12. The three in particular include approval from university presidents, working through the the latest local health restrictions and the creation of a training camp schedule. But it’s important to note that the latter can only happen if the university presidents vote and agree upon a start date.

On Wednesday evening, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state’s COVID-19 guidelines don’t prohibit the Pac-12 from playing games this season. The athletic directors of the USC and UCLA spoke with Los Angeles county health officials and were encouraged that they would be able to practice this fall, per Wilner. It’s currently unknown if Stanford or California, Berkley can receive the okay from their respective counties. Additionally, Oregon and Oregon State received approval from the Oregon Health Authority to play and practice this season.

Wilner specifically states that the only way that the Pac-12 season can start on Halloween is if university presidents approve the return-to-play plan on Friday. That will allow each football team to have the required two-week ramp up period and the four weeks of contact suggested by medical advisors. If no agreement is in place by Friday, then the next possible start date is Nov. 7.

Either way, it appears that the Pac-12 is taking steps to return at some point this fall.

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