By Makenna Biehl
Just a week ago, conferences were releasing schedules for what they hope this season will look like, and now suddenly conferences are dropping the hopes of playing altogether. On Tuesday, the Big Ten and Pac-12 both came out saying that they won’t be playing this fall; this left athletes, coaches, and fans disappointed. However, the remaining three teams in the Power 5 have yet to cancel their seasons, which leaves a sense of hope for players and fans alike.
Since the cancellation of the Big Ten and Pac-12 seasons, attention has been turning to the ACC and SEC. The medical experts for both conferences have come out saying they encourage moving forward with the current plan to stay on track for a college football season. Chair of the ACC’s medical advisory team, Dr. Cameron Wolfe, explained, “We believe we can mitigate it down to a level that makes everyone safe. Can we safely have two teams meet on the field? I would say yes. Will it be tough? Yes. Will it be expensive and hard and lots of work? For sure. But I do believe you can sufficiently mitigate the risk of bringing COVID onto the football field or into the training room at a level that’s no different than living as a student on campus.”
The ACC, SEC, and Big 12 are all in to play ball this upcoming season; this means that there is the potential of teams switching conferences or players even entering the transfer portal. Nebraska has already released a statement explaining that they will find a way to play outside of the Big Ten. They said, “We are very disappointed in the decision by the Big Ten Conference to postpone the fall football season, as we have been and continue to be ready to play.” Teams are ready to do whatever possible to hit the field this fall.
