Big 12 plans to have football in fall
The Big 12 Conference reaffirmed its decision to press on with college football and other fall sports Wednesday, joining the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences in taking the field amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The move came one day after the Big Ten and
Pac-12 announced they would not be participating this fall. There is a chance those two Power Five leagues will push their seasons to the spring, but that remains to be determined.
In the meantime, the Big 12 board of directors approved a plan to begin fall sports after Sept. 1 with football playing a schedule in which each team can play one non-conference game before league play begins Sept. 26. The schools will all play each other to give them 10 total games with the Big 12 title game scheduled for Dec. 12.
“If anybody is around that tells you they can accurately forecast what’s going to happen with the virus, they’re delusional. Even the best scientific minds are unable to forecast with precision,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowslby said. “But generally speaking we’ve been able to make progress, provide information and I feel very good about where we are.”
The decision was made following discussions with infectious disease experts, scientists and physicians along with the input of athletic administrators, coaches and athletes. It culminated with a two-hour call Tuesday in which the board of directors agreed it was safe to move forward.
All athletes will be subject to three tests per week – likely Sunday, Wednesday and Friday — in “high contact” sports such as football, volleyball and soccer. Should an athlete test positive, they would be subject to echocardiograms, a cardiac MRI, blood tests and other examinations before they are cleared to return.
Meanwhile, the Big East joined the growing list of conferences not playing sports in the fall. The conference announced that men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, volleyball and field hockey won’t be contested. Georgetown is the defending national champions in men’s soccer.
ETC.
Golf: The Masters, known as much for the roars as the raw beauty of Augusta National, will be on mute this year. The club decided Wednesday there will be no spectators. That means all three majors in this year of COVID-19 will not have fans, and the silence figures to be most deafening at Augusta National when the Masters is played Nov. 12-15. “Ultimately, we determined that the potential risks of welcoming patrons and guests to our grounds in November are simply too significant to overcome,” club chairman Fred Ridley said.
Horse racing: Churchill Downs officials expect less than 23,000 fans will be able to attend next month’s rescheduled Kentucky Derby under an updated health and safety plan. The plan eliminates general admission and standing room only areas, with total capacity limited to less than 14% of the 2015 attendance record of 170,513. The 146th runnings of the Derby and
Oaks for fillies were postponed from May 1-2 to Sept. 4-5 because of the pandemic.
NFL: The Buffalo Bills have signed coach Sean McDermott to a multiyear contract extension. A person with direct knowledge told the Associated Press the contract is a four-year extension that runs through the 2025 season. ESPN.com first reported the length of the extension. McDermott, 46, has been the key figure in changing the direction of the franchise since his arrival in 2017.
Tennis: Delray Beach teenager Coco Gauff overcame some shaky serving to beat No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-4 and reach the Top Seed Open quarterfinals in Lexington, Kentucky, with her third career victory over a top-15 opponent.
Soccer: Neymar helped set up two late goals as Paris Saint-Germain staged a stoppage-time comeback to beat Atalanta 2-1 on in the Champions League quarterfinals.