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While officials in the Big 12 wrapped up a multi-hour meeting between commissioner Bob Bolwsby, university presidents, and doctors, news started to emerge about the conference’s plan to continue moving forward towards a fall football season, even as the Big Ten and Pac-12 made the Tuesday decisions to cancel all sports this fall.
Sources telling SoonerScoop's @CareyAMurdock and @Eddie_Rado Big 12 presidents will allow conference to move forward toward a season and a revised Big 12 schedule will be released after approval from AD's during tonight's meetings.
— SoonerScoop.com (@SoonerScoop) August 12, 2020
Source: The Big 12 Presidents are wrapping up their call. The league is going to continue to pursue playing this season. A schedule, which was already prepared, will be released in the near future. This confirms what our @rivals friends at @SoonerScoop reported.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 12, 2020
The school athletic directors are expected to start their call at 8 p.m. Central, but it’s not clear when that meeting might wrap up and when the schedule would potentially emerge afterwards.
And with the Big 12 considered the “linchpin” for the ACC and SEC, conferences mostly sidelined from the news making on Tuesday, the Big 12’s pending decision looks like it will represent good news for those conferences continuing the same efforts towards playing this fall.
[8:00 p.m. Central update]: From Chip Brown at Horns 247:
One league source said the majority of Big 12 schools is in favor of a fall college football season but need reassurance from the medical community that it can be done safely. Another source said the Big 12 received reassurances also from the SEC and ACC that those members of the Power Five also planned to keep preparing for a fall football season.
Brown also reported that the Big 12 is receiving medical advice from campus medical staff and an independent group called Infection Control Education for Major Sports (ICS) run by two Duke infectious disease doctors.
The three remaining Group of Five schools also followed the Big 12’s lead, a move that preserves the possibility of the Big 12 playing the one non-conference game currently planned.
A Group of 5 update, after the end of a hectic day: AAC, Sun Belt & C-USA continue toward a 2020 fall football season, sources in those leagues tell @SINow.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 12, 2020
AAC presidents met today. C-USA expected to meet tomorrow.
As long as the Power 5s are hanging, I believe they will too.
[8:12 p.m. Central]: Here’s how the Big 12 plans to address the serious, emerging medical concerns about COVID-19 patients developing myocardia:
Before their presidents OK'ed to continue the season, Big 12 ADs got briefed for 90 minutes tonight by a medical panel, which led to vigorous debate.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 12, 2020
Sources tell @SINow that conference plans to add an extra layer of protocol involving heart imaging tests for COVID-19 patients.
[9:35 p.m. Central update]:
Told that the Big 12 plans to release its reworked conference schedule Wednesday morning. First conference games will be played Sept. 26.
— Chuck Carlton (@ChuckCarltonDMN) August 12, 2020
[10:35 p.m. Central update]: ESPN reports that the Big 12 will push the season back to Sept. 26.
This is a developing story.