This week, the Pac-12 held an unanimous vote by university officials to allow Pac-12 football teams to begin seven-game, conference-only seasons on Nov. 6. This comes after other conferences including the SEC, ACC and Big Ten have announced returns to football starting at different points throughout the fall. On his Twitter Friday, President Donald Trump took credit for this return saying, “GREAT NEWS! PAC- 12 football is back this Fall! Congrats to the players, their families, the coaches, and the universities. The west coast games will kick off soon – You’re welcome!!!”
It is unclear what direct impact Trump had on this specific conference return, but he has been an open advocate of the return to sports, especially college football. Trump also took a large amount of credit for the Big Ten’s return after he had a call with the Big Ten’s president. The Pac-12 laid out their reasons for return in an article posted on their website:
The August 11 decision of the Pac-12 CEO Group to postpone sport competitions was based upon three central concerns cited by the Medical Advisory Committee: consistent testing capabilities across all Pac-12 universities, the prevalence of the virus in Pac-12 communities and nationally, and concerns related to possible cardiac concerns potentially associated with COVID-19. The decision to resume sport competitions today is based upon updated Medical Advisory Committee recommendations that point to material improvements in each of these three areas, along with updated state and local public health guidance.
