Dan Patrick’s latest Pac-12 intel suggests start date, different format
By Keith Farner
Published:
As the college football season continues to evolve and take shape, the last Power 5 conference to look to re-start its season has set it sights on a schedule start and format.
That news comes from Dan Patrick, who previously reported similar information ahead of the Big Ten’s re-start. Patrick said that he’s “hearing from source that Pac-12 will begin playing football on Nov. 7 and teams will play 6 games, followed by championship weekend in which every team plays in seeded format like Big Ten.”
Previously, Jon Wilner of The Mercury News reported that Pac-12 athletic directors are targeting an Oct. 31 start date for a football season.
“It might be a challenge, but many of us would like to play then,” a source “familiar with the decision-making” told Milner. “We think it’s possible.”
Local health restrictions and a preseason training camp schedule are among the issues to sort out ahead of any approval from conference CEOs.
If the Pac-12 is going to start on Oct. 31, approval will need to come soon. For the season to begin Oct. 31 and teams to have a full two-week ramp and four weeks of contact, the presidents would need to approve the restart on Friday.
Even with the Oct. 31 start date, the Pac-12 would still aim for a Dec. 19 conference championship, ahead of the College Football Playoff selection show on Dec. 20. An Oct. 31 or Nov. 7 start date could see Pac-12 teams playing six or seven games.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
