(ap) The Power Five conference commissioners met Sunday to discuss mounting concern about whether a college football season can be played in a pandemic, and players took to social media to urge leaders to let them play.
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said no decisions on the season have been made, but conceded the outlook has not improved.
Also Sunday night, the Big Ten’s university presidents and chancellors held a previously unscheduled meeting.
According to sources no votes were taken or decisions made about the college football season.
The final call on whether major college football will played this season rests in the hands of the university presidents who oversee the largest conferences.
All this activity comes a day after the Mid-American Conference became the first among 10 leagues that play at the highest tier of Division I college football to cancel fall sports because of concerns about keeping athletes from contracting and spreading COVID-19.
Meanwhile, college football players took to social media Sunday to push for the season to go on, led by Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with a series of tweets.
Under the logos of each Power Five conference — ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC — the players pronounced their platform:
— We all want to play football this season.
— Establish universal mandated health & safety procedures and protocols to protect college athletes against COVID-19 among all conferences throughout the NCAA.
— Give players the opportunity to opt out and respect their decision.
— Guarantee eligibility whether a player chooses to play the season or not.
— Use our voices to establish open communication and trust between players and officials: Ultimately create a College Football Players Association.
If there is no college football on Saturdays this year.
There may be NFL football on Saturdays.
With college football teetering on the brink and the NFL confident that its games will be played, 2020 could result in four days of pro football every week: Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
