Time for PAC-12 to be bold on games
Let teams play on Halloween if they can do it safely
The Pac-12 is having its Big Ten moment.
The unified group of conference executives, presidents, athletic directors and coaches that had navigated the pandemic for six months has fractured, with deep frustration at multiple levels, sources told the Hotline.
The aggravation boiled over after the presidents declined Friday to set a start date for the season, likely delaying the season openers until Nov. 7.
Many teams had hoped to play Oct. 31.
They felt they could do it safely, thanks to the daily antigen tests available at the end of this month.
They felt the players could be ready, at least at many schools.
And some officials wanted to break the news to the public this morning, sources said, grabbing oxygen on the biggest day of the week in the sport.
And then, the presidents declined to move forward.
They did so because not every school can be ready for Halloween.
UCLA, in particular, believes it needs closer to eight weeks because players have not been working out regularly, sources said.
That’s fine. Not everyone’s ready. The California schools have been operating under different restrictions.
So USC can be ready on Oct. 31st, and UCLA can’t be.
We get it.
Here’s what we don’t get: Why didn’t the conference collectively shift into a higher gear of urgency the day it signed the partnership with Quidel?
That was Sept. 3, the Thursday before Labor Day.
The deal to provide rapidresult, daily antigen tests was justifiably hailed as a “gamechanger” by commissioner Larry Scott because it would solve the medical experts’ primary concern — it would keep infected players off the field.
And yet, very little happened to reflect the change in the game, at least for a week.
(The Oregonian’s John Canzano reported that coaches are frustrated with the conference office lacked a plan.)
From our vantage point, one school recognized the need for action in the most publicly proactive sense.
The letter published by USC players on social media on Tuesday, asking California Governor Gavin Newsom for help, added energy and urgency to the situation.
The next day, commissioner Larry Scott met with Newsom, and the Mercury News asked Newsom for an explanation of his restrictions.
On the defensive, largely due to the USC letter, Newsom agreed to clear a path.
Combined with the Big Ten’s announcement that morning, the Pac-12’s return-to-play shifted into a higher gear.
The timeline required to play safely was an issue, for sure. But Hotline sources said that at least half the teams could be ready for games on Oct. 31.
The Arizona and Mountain schools, in particular, have been able to work out regularly with most of their players.
Their ramp time, for instance, could be significantly less than the eight weeks UCLA is said to need.
“Six weeks is the sweet spot,” one coach told the Hotline, “if necessary we could do it in four.”
They don’t need to do it in four.
Nobody needs to do it in four.
If the presidents approve the restart when they meet again on Thursday, teams would have five weeks to get ready for a Halloween kickoff.
Those that can do it safety in five would do it in five.
If you can’t, you can’t.