The presidents of the Mid-American Conference schools discussed a potential six or eight game schedule that would begin on October 24, culminating in the MAC championship game. There was still no decision or vote taken when the conference met to discuss when the MAC could return to football.
The MAC was the first conference to officially postpone football to the spring back on August 9, with many conferences following. The Big 10 conference postponed their season, but recently voted to officially restart their season on October 24. This prompted many UB players to voice their frustration on social media and push for a season.
Although players have publicly voiced their support of having a fall season, MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher released a statement on Twitter reaffirming the plan to not hold a fall season.
“Currently there are no plans to play a fall season in any sport. We are focused on providing our fall student-athletes meaningful competitive experiences in the spring.”
After days of pressure from players, MAC school presidents met to discuss the option of holding a shorter season.
Although no vote was taken at this meeting, many return-to-play scenarios were discussed and could potentially be voted on in the near future.
According to ESPN, one thing standing in the way of the MAC playing would be the ability to financially support a daily testing program for all players and staff, a similar protocol that other conferences currently use to keep their players safe. The MAC will need to find a way to financially support daily rapid testing if they want to have a fall season
Alex Lenneberg is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at alex.lenneberg@ubspectrum.com and @lennebergalex on Twitter.
Alex Lenneberg is an assistant sports editor for The Spectrum.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
