Pac-12 CEO Group votes in favor of football's return this fall

It was a matter of when and not if, and we now know Pac-12 football will make its return this fall.

The league's CEO group, made up of presidents and chancellors from across the league, voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to end the postponement of the season and bring football back this fall instead of in 2021 like it originally decided back in August.

The Pac-12 will have a six-game regular season, starting Nov. 6, with one more "crossover" contest that will be determined after the regular season and match up the same-place finisher from the opposite division. That seventh game will be played the weekend of Dec. 19, the same weekend the league will have its championship game.

In all there will be five divisional games and two crossover games throughout the seven-game fall season.

It took a little over six weeks for the situation to change, but the last Power Five conference to hold out this fall will now be joining the rest of the top leagues on the field soon.

The Pac-12 season will begin two weeks after the Big Ten makes its return Oct. 24. The two leagues have been partners throughout the return-to-play process. They both postponed their seasons on the same day in August, but the Big Ten decided last week that it would revise its plan after information from that league's Return To Competition task force was presented to presidents and chancellors that was convincing enough to move forward.

There will be increased health protocols in place including daily antigen testing.

That had been a major sticking point in the Pac-12 when it made its decision back in August with the Pac-12's medical advisory group not convinced that it would be safe enough to play at that time without rapid-results COVID-19 testing in addition to concerns about potential cardiac issues related to the disease.

The testing concerns were eased three weeks ago when the Pac-12 announced its partnership with Quidel Corporation to bring daily antigen testing to programs across the league with results expected within as little as 15 minutes. The machines have already been in use at Arizona since the spring and have started to arrive on other campuses, such as USC, this week.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott previously called that development a "game-changer" for the prospects of playing sports in the Pac-12 earlier than the original plan of January.

“From the beginning of this crisis, our focus has been on following the science, data and counsel of our public health and infectious disease experts,” Scott said in a statement. “Our agreement with Quidel to provide daily rapid-results testing has been a game-changer in enabling us to move forward with confidence that we can create a safe environment for our student-athletes while giving them the opportunity to pursue their dreams. 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.”

Conference leaders have made it a priority to remain cohesive and unified throughout the process, so there will be no staggered start despite many hurdles that have been in the way of teams being allowed to remain on the same page. There had been some thought that the Pac-12 could have its teams open the season on different weeks with some programs better prepared to play sooner than others.

Teams will now have six weeks to prepare for the upcoming season, which is something several coaches in the league preferred to have.

"Everyone in the Arizona Football Family is thrilled that our student-athletes will have an opportunity to compete this fall," UA head coach Kevin Sumlin said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "As with every decision made by the University and the Pac-12, the decision of the CEO Group to move forward is centered on the health and safety of our students, coaches and staff and we are grateful for the broad commitment to testing resources from our CEOs.

"I am proud of the patience, resilience and commitment that our team has shown during an unprecedented time. We will continue to work hard preparing for the moment when we once again take the field, while staying committed to keeping each other and those around us safe and healthy."

Although there will only be seven games played this fall, the fact that the Pac-12 will be able to get back on the field is crucial for the athletic departments across the league. UA athletic director Dave Heeke previously discussed the importance of having a football this season for the Wildcats.

"Healthy football and healthy basketball is really important for all of our programs otherwise it becomes very difficult to manage the expenses that surround the individual programs that we have across the board," Arizona's athletic director Dave Heeke said in the spring. "That’s something every campus will face, every athletic director and president will face if we lose a college football season.

"Again, it’s really important that we find a way to play college football and maintain some semblance of order.”

The Pac-12 says that teams can begin practicing "immediately" as they prepare for the upcoming conference-only fall season. Though, the league decided that no fans will be permitted at any games taking place on Pac-12 campuses through the end of the year. The conference will revisit that decision in January to determine whether or not that will extend into the spring semester.

The Pac-12's revised football schedule will be released in the coming days according to the league.

In addition to announcing the return of football in the Pac-12 this fall, the conference also announced the return of men's and women's basketball now set for Nov. 25. The league postponed the sports along with all other fall competition back in August, but has now decided to allow basketball teams to compete with the rest of the country starting in late November.

> Teams will play each team in their respective division plus two additional "crossover" games against the opposite division with one of those games taking place the weekend of Dec. 19. The regular season crossover game will be part of each team's overall record that will be used to determine the participants in the league's championship game.

> Local health guidelines permitting, Pac-12 teams will be allowed to begin practicing immediately to prepare for the Nov. 6 start of the fall season.

> Final schedules for the upcoming Pac-12 fall season are still "several" days away from being finalized, according to Larry Scott, but should be completed by next week.

> Men's and women's basketball teams in the Pac-12 will be allowed to begin their seasons Nov. 25 lining up with the start of the NCAA season across the country. All other fall/winter sports will remain set for a start in the spring semester in 2021.

> No fans will be allowed to attend games taking place on Pac-12 campuses through the end of 2020. However, the conference will revisit that decision in January.

RELATED: What does a fall football season mean for Kevin Sumlin's Arizona team?

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