While the news swirls from source to source on the ongoing will the Big Ten cancel or won’t they, Big 12 is set to meet. The Big 12 Conference looks be caught in the middle of the cancel/postpone or proceed groups that the Power Five conferences are split into. On one side the Big Ten and Pac-12 seem poised to cancel while the ACC and SEC plan on moving forward with a college football season.
Social media is filled with so called medical experts on why they should or shouldn’t play. However, some of the actual medical experts in the field are weighing in on the topic. One such person is Mayo Clinic Genetic Cardiologist Dr. Michael J. Ackerman. He believes that the basis for cancellation that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are using isn’t supported by research.
If #medical experts for the Pac-12 and Big 10 #CollegeFootball conferences are using the very good @JAMACardio paper on cardiac MRI findings in #COVID19 patients as compelling for cancellation, that is a big FOUL. The data does NOT support this at all! #WeWantToPlay #RefuseToFear
— Michael J. Ackerman MD,PhD (@MJAckermanMDPhD) August 11, 2020
This is also more fuel towards playing the season, while some state that the risk isn’t worth taking. According to the Oregon Duck’s 247Sports site, the Pac-12 medical experts are calling for a stop of contact and athletic activities.
News: UofU doctor tells @ESPN700 that #Pac12 medical advisors will recommend to “stop contact and competitive activities at this time” until criteria in place to move forward, including testing protocol – frequency will depend on rate of community spread.”
Meanwhile, medical experts have told the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey that they have the green light to continue towards a 2020 season. He appeared on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday and provided that update.
SEC commissioner @GregSankey on @dpshow: "Our medical advisory group has said, ‘Yes, we can continue to go forward.’ Should that advice change, that would certainly be a stopping point."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) August 11, 2020
Then we have the Big 12, who according to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated is the one conference on the fence. According to his report, they are currently split on the best course of action heading into Tuesday’s Board of Directors meeting.
“If the SEC, ACC and Big 12 can play, I think they will,” says one industry source. One Big 12 administrator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “All of us know that the Big Ten and Pac-12 are going to do something. Are we going to be followers? Is it time to pull the plug? If we’re on the fence, let’s not make a decision. If we’re still questioning it, why do we have to make a decision? If the ACC and SEC are saying yes, we can gather more information.”
Added another Big 12 administrator: “In the event we cancel the season—and I’m not saying we will—we have to be able to come out and say why. It can’t be, ‘Well, because the Pac-12 decided to.’ We’re trying to get people who think we should cancel right now to take a deep breath. We don’t have a requirement to make a decision right now about the entire year.”
The Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences are expected to make their announcements ahead of the Big 12’s meeting but hadn’t officially done so at the time of publication. According to Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, the Big 12’s meeting isn’t one that is expected to announce a course of action. More so that they are using the meeting to educate the decision makers.
Texas AD Chris Del Conte says today’s Big 12 meetings is “for us to inform the presidents of the medical guidelines of each school,” so they feel informed about how fall sports would be handled. Doctors, ADs, presidents and commissioner. Not necessarily a yes/no vote on fall FB.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 11, 2020
The Longhorns administration and staff have made it well known that they want to play football. While their rivals up north and Lincoln Riley have talked about spring ball. With the two most powerful schools in the conference not in agreement, it should come as no shock that the conference themselves aren’t on the same page. Hopefully this meeting gives some idea of which way they are leaning.
Stay tuned.
