Report: Pac-12 planning to have 10-game conference-only football season starting in September

Photo by David Madison/Getty Images

The Pac-12 is expected to announce revised conference-only schedules for its fall sports by end of the month, but Jon Wilner of the Mercury News already has some details about the 2020 football season.

According to a report Thursday, the Pac-12 will transition to a 10-game, conference-only schedule starting on September 19. Each team will play its five divisional opponents plus five opponents from the other division.

Wilner is also reporting that two bye weeks are built into the schedule in case games have to be rescheduled due to a coronavirus outbreak. He says the Pac-12 title game will either be Dec. 4, Dec. 11-12 or Dec. 18-19.

In Arizona’s case, its 10 opponents will be likely be its original nine conference games—Stanford, UCLA, Colorado, USC, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Oregon State, and ASU—plus either Cal or Washington State.

One benefit of moving to a conference-only schedule is that the Pac-12 can implement a universal testing protocol, giving the schools the best chance to keep their student-athletes and coaches healthy.

Most of the UA football team has been working out on campus since June 15, but Wilner is reporting that formal training camp for all Pac-12 teams will begin in mid-August.

It is unclear at this point if fans will be permitted at games, but it seems unlikely for now given the spike of coronavirus cases in the state of Arizona and other Pac-12 regions like Los Angeles.

from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts https://ift.tt/3hsmEx8
via IFTTT