Back on Aug. 11, when the Pac-12 medical advisory board voted to postpone all fall sports, the odds of football being played in the fall semester seemed bleak. But last week, thanks to advancements in testing capabilities and an overall lower COVID-19 infection rate in the country, that same advisory board decided Pac-12 football will indeed return this fall.
While the number of reported COVID-19 cases nationwide continues to stabilize, there is still some uncertainty as how the conference will handle a potential outbreak, especially in a sport is as physical as football.
The conference will begin play on Nov. 6, with each team in the Pac-12 playing a seven-game schedule in empty stadiums. The Pac-12 was the last of the Power Five conferences to set up a return to the field, a decision Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said was measured and rooted in science.
“We said we’d follow the science, the data and the advice from our medical experts," Scott said in a Zoom conference call announcing the Pac-12's return. "We know how badly our student-athletes want to compete as student-athletes for the Pac-12, but that we’d only do so when we felt that we could do so safely."
A difference between now and when the advisory board initially decided to delay the season was the conference's recently announced partnership with Quidel Corporation. The partnership will allow for each school to get rapid daily COVID-19 test results for student-athletes.
For the conference, a step up in testing was paramount to ensuring a safe return to play.
“One of the reasons for that was Commissioner Scott was able to acquire daily testing for our students. We didn’t have that the first time we voted," Pac-12 CEO Group Chair and University of Oregon President Michael Schill said during the Zoom call. "That will allow us to identify if anyone becomes infected and remove them from play before they infect other people or end up with long-term damage if that were to occur."
Will Humble, former Arizona Department of Health Services director and now executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, said he had confidence in the conference's plan.
“I mean they’ve put a lot of resources into it," Humble said. "They are committed to the antigen test, which I think is a good thing because it gives such immediate results. Time will tell.
"I’m sure there will be some hiccups. There is gonna probably be some athletes that end up excluded because they tested positive, but by and large, it will be successful as a whole."
Part of Humble's confidence in the plan stems from the Pac-12's uniformity on the different health and safety protocols. But hiccups may still happen, and it won't be from conference's plan, but athletes off the field.
“The weak link in the chain is everything that happens outside of the locker room and the practice field and the game,” Humble said. “Athletes picking it up during the week at Mill Ave. or in class, and once it leaks into the locker room, all bets are off.”
Other schools, such as Baylor University, Virginia Tech and Texas Christian University, have already had to delay and reschedule games due to outbreaks within their respective programs.
Still, ASU Athletic Director Ray Anderson said he is hopeful for a safe season and praised the group's ability to put its student-athletes' health at the forefront of discussions.
"It’s a real testament to the way this conference worked from the very beginning with regard to collaboration and communication for the best interest of health and safety for Pac-12 student-athletes," Anderson said on the Zoom conference call. "It took us a while. It was deliberate, it was thoughtful and at times exhaustive, but that was necessary to do the right thing."
Scott said he is confident in the conference's plan, but as with the unpredictability that COVID-19 brings, the conference is ready to roll with the punches.
"We've received comfort and clarifications that are very, very helpful, in terms of the confidence to move forward," Scott said. "At the same time, we will continue to monitor health conditions and data and be ready to adjust as required in the name of the health of all.”
Reach the reporter at ltochter@asu.edu and follow @Leo_Toch on Twitter.
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