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Changing course? Pac-12 ‘hopeful’ to start football before Jan. 1 after agreement with rapid-testing company
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Pac-12 and Big Ten both postponed their fall football seasons, but it appears both conferences are at least exploring the possibility of resuming before Jan. 1.
On Thursday afternoon, the Pac-12 announced it had reached an agreement with Quidel Corporation, a COVID-19 testing company that has tests that provide results in as little as 15 minutes.
Per the release below, the Pac-12 hopes to have the tests on all 12 campuses by the end of the month:
Today we've announced a groundbreaking COVID-19 testing research initiative with Quidel Corporation. Learn more below.
?: https://t.co/D1Tppj5FKZ#BackThePac
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 3, 2020
“This is a major step toward the safe resumption of Pac-12 sport competitions,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott in the release. “The availability of a reliable test that can be administered daily, with almost immediate results, addresses one of the key concerns that was expressed by our medical advisory committee, as well as by student-athletes, coaches and others. At the same time, our partnership with Quidel, the industry leader in point-of-care antigen testing, will provide crucial research data that will benefit our members’ communities as well as the entire country.”
Though this is a potentially encouraging sign for starting football prior to Jan. 1, Scott notes that 6 schools — UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State — aren’t allowed to practice yet due to their states’ public health guidelines:
Larry Scott says "I'm hopeful this does open up possibility to starting football before Jan. 1," but first, public health authorities will have to allow those six schools to practice, and then they need six weeks of training camp to feel safe.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 3, 2020
Larry Scott notes that even if Pac-12 could resume preparation/competition right away, it couldn't because of public health restrictions in California and Oregon. Half of the league's members essentially can't practice right now.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 3, 2020
If and when the Pac-12 is able to start up again, Scott said he hopes to get going the same time as the Big Ten to preserve postseason rivalries:
A ha! Larry Scott says he's told Kevin Warren it's a "high priority to the Pac-12" if they could align their season plans with the Big Ten to allow their "traditional postseason opportunities" together.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 3, 2020
This is obviously an encouraging development. We’ll see what happens when the schools get the testing procedures in place.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
