The PAC-12 has not officially released the details of its plans for a college football season, but Jon Wilner of the Mercury News has been able to piece together details of the plan from conversations with sources. He describes it as “a fairly aggressive approach that spans a maximum of 14 weeks beginning in the middle of September.”
Wilner reports that the conference is putting together a 10 game schedule for each team. A ten-game schedule would see PAC-12 teams play all but one conference opponent, assuming all twelve teams are planning to participate this season. As it stands now, the plan is still to play the conference championship game in Las Vegas on December 4. Sources say that the conference is also considering either of the following weekends as an alternative if necessary.
The conference’s football planning group is made up of athletic directors, coaches and directors of football operations from all twelve member schools. Wilner reports it has been looking at schedule models and consulting the conference’s coronavirus advisory panel for direction.
“They are assuming some success in the next month or two (against the virus),” one source told Wilner.
Eliminating non-conference games already cost the conference’s media partners some marquee matchups including Oregon hosting Ohio State and Michigan’s trip to Washington. Offering no games during the first 2-3 weeks of the season could have FOX and ESPN scrambling to fill TV slots usually reserved for PAC-12 games.
This is Why ESPN grabbed the new MLB rights to have games in late September they must think College Football is out this year and need inventory to fill holes