Big 10, PAC-12 postpone fall sports; other conferences plan to play

The day we've been dreading has arrived. At least some Power 5 college conferences are announcing the cancellation of fall sports. After rumors had been swirling for a few days, the Big Ten made the move official on Tuesday. The PAC-12 followed with a similar announcement, while the Big 12, SEC, and ACC are trying to hold on and make a college football season happen in 2020.

The Ivy League was the first conference to cancel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by most levels below the FBS. Last week, the Mid-American Conference (MAC), became the first FBS conference to announce the move and was soon followed by the Mountain West. Heather Dinich said on SportsCenter Sunday night that the NCAA would try to have the Power 5 schools cancel together, so no one would have to be the "first" and get all the blame. However, the tone changed the next morning, as several reporters claimed that the situation appeared to be the Big Ten and PAC-12 vs. the SEC, ACC, and Big 12.

Those conferences are also apparently kicking around the idea of having some schools from the cancelled conferences join them for 2020, and some may be interested. Ohio State's Ryan Day has been vocal about playing and told reporters they "need to explore all options."

The cancellation by the Big Ten is really a postponement, as the conference plans to attempt to play the season sometime in spring 2021. The Big 12 met on Tuesday and released a revised schedule on Wednesday. It seems clear the remaining conference want to play, and many players, including Clemson's Trevor Lawrence have been outspoken about that. It's just difficult to see that happening with impact it could have on the future of college football as a whole.