Big Ten and Pac-12 Pull the Plug on Their Fall Seasons Amid Pandemic Fears

Much to the disappointment of college football fans across the country, the Big Ten and Pac-12, the two largest collegiate athletic conferences of the Power 5 have put off the fall football season amid rising concerns for the coronavirus pandemic. This news has hit the fans hard particularly since the Big Ten had just unveiled a modified schedule of the fall football games with each team playing a limited number of games.  

Kevin Warren, the Big Ten Commission released a statement on Tuesday indicating that conference officials concluded that the level of uncertainty about any potential pandemic risks was too high to let the students complete the season this fall. The Pac-12 commissioner, Larry Scott also came forward on the same day to say that while the decision was pretty disappointing for many, the collegiate sports competitions can’t “operate in a bubble”. Other than football, the Pac-12 also canceled its college basketball games and plans to resume the tournaments on 1st January 2020.

In Scott’s statement, he also emphasized that it wouldn’t be a good idea to go on with season completion because the collegiate athletic games are part of broader campuses that are located in regions with high COVID-19 prevalence.

For most people, this move isn’t too surprising as it reflects the M.O. of the collegiate sporting bodies when it comes to dealing with pandemic-related threats. Back in February, when the novel virus was proving to be unstoppable, the collegiate bodies were so swift to act that NCAA basketball a.k.a. March Madness was canceled right before the first whistle was blown.

Other Conferences Moving Full Throttle Ahead      

However, not all conference members are interested in pulling the plug. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are reportedly one of the two colleges under the Big Ten that voted for carrying on with the competitions in fall.

On the other side of the spectrum, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 are have called off their football tournaments, three of the other Power 5 collegiate conferences in the country seem unshaken. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Southeastern Conference (SEC), and Big 12 college football conferences will be moving forward as planned to restart their seasons, and they all released official statement to indicate that it is safe to continue with the games.

The commissioners of the three Power 5 conferences that will stay on schedule to play their fall seasons also mentioned that all the teams involved have taken deliberate steps to support a healthy environment for the student-athletes.

USA Sportsbooks Take Down Their Collegiate Sports Odds

After the announcements of calling off the football seasons, USA sports betting platforms that offer odds on collegiate events moved quickly to make appropriate adjustments. FanDuel, PointsBet, DraftKings and William Hill have all taken down their boards for the respective conferences down.

But then, even though betting on college football has always been a significant cash cow for sportsbooks, they may not be heavily affected by the cancellations given that three of the Power 5 conferences will still be playing. Moreover, the coming weeks are still looking good especially since both NHL and NBL events will be taking place well into October. Additionally, the NFL will also act as a cushion for the handle that would have been brought in by the postponed collegiate football games.