It almost feels as if Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby single-handedly saved the college football season.
There were numerous reports that believed the SEC and ACC conferences were heavily influenced on what the Big 12 decided to do. On Tuesday night, it was announced that all three conferences would continue to move forward with a fall schedule regardless of the Big Ten and Pac-12 cancellations.
Bowlsby spoke with the media via a conference call on Wednesday to explain the reasoning behind the Big 12’s decision-making process. Several factors came into consideration, but the student-athletes health, wants and needs were at the forefront.
🚨 Fall sports update from @Big12Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
➡️ https://t.co/1guHAHmzzW pic.twitter.com/rMR4XFgRQG
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 12, 2020
Bowlsby met with at least two players from each school. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger and safety Caden Sterns were the two leaders from Texas to express their concerns regarding a safe return to play.
Throughout the span of the league’s conference call, Bowlsby appeared to discredit the decision making of the Big Ten and Pac-12. He also made it clear that the decision to play football in the spring did not make a lot of sense.
In regards to the medical experts, Bowlsby stated that nobody has told them that it is poorly advised to continue doing what they are doing. It will take a heightened amount of discipline of the players, but in the last several weeks there hasn’t been one positive COVID-19 case out of the five sports teams currently on campus in Austin.
His reasoning and reactions to what went into the decision-making process are located on the next page.