MAC Reportedly Cancels Football Season Amid COVID-19; Intends to Play in Spring

The Mid-American Convention has postponed drop sports actions for the 2020 season, the conference announced Saturday. 

Brett McMurphy of Stadium first reported the guidelines and renowned the conference will strive and reschedule its football slate in the spring.

The 12-team MAC turned into as soon as making an strive to finalize plans for the 2020 season when Northern Illinois president Lisa Freeman told the conference her college turned into as soon as going to opt out of the campaign ensuing from security concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic, per McMurphy.

“The league didn’t relish the accumulate out about of NIU going out on their possess and never taking half in,” a source told Stadium.

A vote held Saturday confirmed the resolution to crash football in the autumn.

Buffalo (+200) turned into as soon as listed because the MAC championship common heading into 2020, per Caesars Palace. The Bulls had been adopted by Central Michigan (+325), Ohio (+500), Western Michigan (+650) and Toledo (+700) in what turned into as soon as shaping up as a hotly contested title scoot.

MAC games, which enjoy assuredly been showcased on the ESPN networks and the CBS Sports Network on weeknights in recent years, acquired the moniker “MACtion” ensuing from the frequent halt, high-scoring contests.

The pandemic’s financial impact has been immense. Along side the initial cancellation of the upcoming season, MAC teams misplaced a combined $10.5 million in payments they had been scheduled to win earlier than the Energy 5 conferences called off most of their nonconference games, per McMurphy.

The MAC’s vote came after the NCAA announced Wednesday conferences enjoy until Aug. 21 to ticket a last resolution about whether to compete in the autumn. Any sport that has larger than 50 p.c of eligible teams opt out may per chance additionally now not preserve a national championship.

A Energy 5 athletic director told McMurphy the larger conferences are weighing the identical components as their smaller-conference counterparts.

“Every person understands the financial implications with out a football season, however will different conference presidents must take the probability of one thing occurring on campus—[like] a fundamental COVID outbreak that shuts down the football program and the campus? That would effectively be a fundamental PR hit and then there may per chance be the licensed responsibility concerns.”

One side of the NCAA’s Wednesday announcement turned into as soon as banning licensed responsibility waivers linked to COVID-19.

Keen the season to spring would invent logistical considerations, with the 2021 NFL draft scheduled to starting up April 29.