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The California Golden Bears are returning to the football field this fall — for a seven-game season that begins the first week of November.
The Pac-12 CEO Group announced on Thursday night that the Pac-12 will return to the field this fall.
OFFICIAL: Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons. Full information below.
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 24, 2020
: https://t.co/8fsTopdbZX
The Pac-12 made the decision after striking a deal with Quidel Corporation to provide daily antigen testing for the coronavirus. Commissioner Larry Scott released a statement saying the conference made the decision based on the safety of the student-athletes.
“From the beginning of this crisis, our focus has been on following the science, data and counsel of our public health and infectious disease experts. Our agreement with Quidel to provide daily rapid-results testing has been a game-changer in enabling us to move forward with confidence that we can create a safe environment for our student-athletes while giving them the opportunity to pursue their dreams. At the same time, we will continue to monitor health conditions and data and be ready to adjust as required in the name of the health of all.”
No fans will be at these games, unfortunately, but at this rate, who really cares? At least our Bears will be back in action.
The Pac-12 CEO Group apparently spent a lot of time discussing an attempted return on October 31 but settled on a date in November to bring the action back to the field.
It’s a win to get the players back on the field for many reasons but mainly for Cal, it’s a great way to recoup some of the money lost and some of the already-large deficit from the 2019 athletics calendar year.
Squeezing in a fall season allows these athletic departments a chance to bring in some of the lost $$ (from media deals/CFP), gives players something to play for and also gets them back on the same timeline as the rest of the Power 5 heading into spring and fall 2021.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 25, 2020
Also important to note here, all 12 member universities will be allowed to return to practice immediately, as long as local health guidelines allow. For Cal, that means one last hurdle to overcome but they’re working on an appeal to get back to the practice field in practices numbering more than 12 people.
More on the return of the Pac-12 football season as it develops and a ton more on the Cal Bears as it comes up as well.
Welcome back football to Berkeley!