Mid-American Conference Cancels Fall 2020 Football Season

CLEVELAND, OH — The Mid-American Conference has canceled its fall 2020 football season, according to a statement issued by the organization. The conference is the first in the Football Bowl Subdivision to opt out of playing this fall amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The conference reached its decision Saturday morning in a unanimous vote by the league’s presidents.

The cancellation also affects field hockey, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball. The conference has not made a decision about winter sports, the statement said.

Conference presidents first met Thursday to finalize the league’s scheduling format. However, Northern Illinois University President Lisa Freeman, indicated ahead of Saturday's vote that her school would not play this fall because of the health and safety concerns.

Other conferences have also modified their fall schedules amid the pandemic. Big Ten, SEC and Pac-12 are playing a 10-game conference-only schedule. The ACC will compete in a 10-game conference schedule with one non-conference game. The Big 12 will play nine conference games with one non-conference game.

The Mid-American Conference includes University of Akron, Bowling Green State University, Kent State University, Miami University and Ohio University in Ohio; and Eastern Michigan University and Western Michigan University in Michigan.

The conference is also comprised of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana; University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York; and Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois.