Pac-12 Reverses Decision, Arizona Schools Will Play Football

ARIZONA — Football will return to the West Coast this fall after all. The Pac-12 on Thursday reversed its August decision to cancel the fall season amid the coronavirus pandemic, and Arizona's two universities will take part.

The Pac-12 secured daily coronavirus testing for its athletes from Quidel Corp. and has been given the green light from state and local health officials, allowing the CEOs to vote unanimously to lift a Jan. 1 moratorium on athletic competition. No fans will be allowed to attend games, the Pac-12 announced.

The conference has set Nov. 6 as the start date for a seven-game season, joining the Big Ten in overturning August decisions to punt on fall football. The Mountain West followed up a few hours later by announcing its goal date of Oct. 24 for kickoff.

University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins lauded the announcement and said the school's football team would be committed to keeping safe amid the shortened season.

"I want to thank the Pac-12 — both its leadership and other members — for taking the time to ensure our universities had protection protocols in place before moving forward with this important decision, and I am confident this plan to bring back fall sports can be successful," Robbins said in a statement. "This step will provide a much-needed morale boost for the Arizona community and our fans around the nation, and it will give our student population an experience that many of them look forward to when they choose to attend the University of Arizona."

Ray Anderson, vice president for university athletics at Arizona State University, echoed Robbins' sentiments and thanked student-athletes for their patience while the conference worked out a feasible plan to return to the field.

"Our student-athletes, their families and our fans have been extremely patient during this unprecedented time, and we thank them for understanding the precautions and extreme measures we have taken to get us to this point in a safe manner," he said in a statement. "We look forward to our Sun Devil programs getting back on their respective fields of competition."

Nine of the 10 football conferences will now have their seasons completed by Dec. 20, the day the College Football Playoff selection committee is scheduled to pick teams to play for the national championship and in the most lucrative bowls.

The Pac-12′s men’s and women’s basketball seasons can start Nov. 25, in line with the NCAA’s recently announced opening date. The football championship game is set for Dec. 18, putting the conference back in play for the biggest postseason games — and the multimillion-dollar payouts that come with them.

The Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and three others have been up and running since Labor Day weekend, so each conference will have different start dates. Some teams could play as many as 12 games while others play as few as six.

There have already been 21 games postponed or canceled since Aug. 26 because of teams battling various levels of coronavirus-related issues, including four this week that were wiped off Saturday's schedule.

Some schools in the Pac-12 and Mountain West will still need to get the approval of local officials in Northern California and Colorado. Due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, Boulder County, Colorado, officials Thursday halted gatherings for college-age residents for two weeks, including athletic events.

With no fans allowed in stadiums, the Pac-12 is estimated to lose millions of dollars as the season forges ahead. But University of Oregon President Michael Schill, the head of the Pac-12's CEO group, insisted that the decision to reinstate fall football was unrelated to financial considerations.

“This has nothing to do with money,” Schill said Thursday. “It was never once mentioned as a consideration. The losses that our schools are encountering, in particular our athletic departments, are huge. The amount of money that will be saved as a result of going back to play is tiny in comparison with the losses.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.