College Football

Big Ten, Pac-12 Postpone Fall Sports

Updated Aug. 11, 2020 9:15 p.m. ET

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Both the Big Ten and Pac-12 announced Tuesday that they will postpone all fall sports seasons with hopes of playing in the spring, including football.

The postponements come amid concerns revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Big Ten becoming the first Power 5 conference to make the decision.

Said Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren: “As time progressed and after hours of discussion with our Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee, it became abundantly clear that there was too much uncertainty regarding potential medical risks to allow our student-athletes to compete this fall."

Warren was then asked what happened between the release of the Big Ten football schedule six days ago and today.

"Six days is six days. And I made it very clear that this was a day-to-day situation. And as we began to gather information during these last six days, especially from our medical experts ... it was going to be very important that on a day-to-day basis that we would listen and follow ... and embrace the advice from our medical experts. And that's what we're doing here."

After the Big Ten's announcement came down on Tuesday afternoon, the Pac-12 followed suit shortly after. 

Said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott: “The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the start of this current crisis. Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would like to have seen the season played this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.”

Along with the announcement, Scott also proposed that those affected by the postponement be awarded an extra year of eligibility, if the fall sports are not able to be played in the spring.

"We know that this is a difficult day for our student-athletes, and our hearts go out to them and their families. We have made clear that all of their scholarships will be guaranteed, and that as a Conference we are strongly encouraging the NCAA to grant them an additional year of eligibility.”

The decisions were met with mixed reception by those in college football. Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez was pragmatic: 

While former running back and FOX Sports analyst Reggie Bush believes the conferences made the right decision.

The University of Nebraska released a statement saying that the school will continue to search for ways to play football this fall.

And, it appears that joining a separate league or playing a non-conference schedule could be an option, based on comments from Warren: "We'll address [that] at the appropriate time. Today's not the appropriate day to do that."

Several prominent Big Ten coaches had previously advocated for the season to be played in the fall, including Ohio State's Ryan Day and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh. 

However, ultimately, the conference decided that postponement was the best course of action, according to Warren.

“While I know our decision today will be disappointing in many ways for our thousands of student-athletes and their families, I am heartened and inspired by their resilience, their insightful and discerning thoughts, and their participation through our conversations to this point.

"Everyone associated with the Big Ten Conference and its member institutions is committed to getting everyone back to competition as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Meanwhile, two other Power 5 conferences, the SEC and ACC, released statements following the news out of the Big 10 and Pac-12.

As for the Big-12, the final conference comprising the Power 5, sources say that the conference will move forward with play this fall, as first reported by SoonerScoop.com.

This is a developing story.

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