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1:29 PM PT — 8/11 — The PAC 12 released a statement on the decision … saying it was a unanimous vote in favor of postponing all sports through 2020.
“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the start of this current crisis,” Pac-12 Commish Larry Scott says. “Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would like to have seen the season played this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.”
12:46 PM PT — The PAC 12 will suspend all football activity until January … which means no college football season in 2020.
A source tells TMZ Sports the conference will reexamine things in January to determine if it’s possible to have a college football season in the Spring.
We’re told many questions remain about student-athlete eligibility … and whether or not players will get an extra year due to the circumstances.
12:13 PM PT — It’s official — the presidents of the Big Ten schools have voted to postpone the 2020 college football season … with hopes of resuming in the spring.
The Big Ten — made up of powerhouse programs like Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Nebraska and more — issued a statement explaining the decision.
“The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season, including all regular-season contests and Big Ten Championships and Tournaments, due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Big Ten says it consulted with the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee … and ultimately decided it was too risky to play in the Fall.
Big Ten chairman Morton Schapiro — added, “Our primary responsibility is to make the best possible decisions in the interest of our students, faculty and staff.”
Still, no official word omg the PAC 12, but our sources tell us they expect a similar announcement to come soon.
9:17 AM PT — Multiple sources tell TMZ Sports … both the PAC 12 and the BIG 10 are officially postponing the 2020 college football season.
One PAC 12 source told us … some coaches and staffs have already been informed. The plan is not to cancel the season indefinitely, but to push to Spring 2021.
In other words, 2020 won’t be a lost season — just delayed.
We’re told there are plans for an official announcement to come out on Tuesday. Until then, we’re told multiple PAC 12 programs are operating as usual — players working out at team facilities, etc.
Big blow to college football … the BIG 10 has reportedly voted to CANCEL the 2020 season.
The Detroit Free Press is citing multiple sources who confirm BIG 10 presidents voted 12-2 in favor of canceling the season.
Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue were among the programs that voted to cancel.
Meanwhile, the only 2 votes for playing came from Nebraska and Iowa, according to the Dan Patrick Show.
The conference will reportedly go public with the announcement on Tuesday.
As we previously reported, the leaders of college football’s Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) held an emergency meeting over the weekend to discuss their options.
But, as ESPN reports, the takeaway from the meeting was that a college football season in 2020 was unlikely pending some sort of miracle.
Originally Published — 8/10 9:01 AM PT
