WOAY – The Big 12 Conference will have a fall sports season in 2020.
The league’s board of directors decided to proceed with all fall sports following a Tuesday night meeting, saying there are plans to account for increased COVID-19 tests; high contact sports like football, soccer, and volleyball would have three tests administered per week.
“The Board continues to believe that the health and well-being of our student-athletes must guide all decisions” commented Board of Directors Chairman and TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini. “To that end the Board has consistently relied on the advice and counsel of top medical experts to determine the viability of available options. Our student-athletes want to compete, and it is the Board’s collective opinion that sports can be conducted safely and in concert with the best interests of their well-being. We remain vigilant in monitoring the trends and effects of COVID 19 as we learn more about the virus. If at any point our scientists and doctors conclude that our institutions cannot provide a safe and appropriate environment for our participants, we will change course.”
“The virus continues to evolve and medical professionals are learning more with each passing week,” said Commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “Opinions vary regarding the best path forward, as we’ve seen throughout higher education and our society overall, but we are comfortable in our institutions’ ability to provide a structured training environment, rigorous testing and surveillance, hospital quality sanitation and mitigation practices that optimize the health and safety of our student-athletes. We believe all of this combines to create an ideal learning and training situation during this time of COVID-19. Ultimately, our student-athletes have indicated their desire to compete in the sports they love this season and it is up to all of us to deliver a safe, medically sound, and structured academic and athletic environment for accomplishing that outcome.”
Big 12 football teams will continue the “9+1” scheduling model that was announced several weeks ago, with conference games beginning September 26. Volleyball and soccer teams will only play conference opponents.
For WVU football, their non-conference game against Eastern Kentucky remains September 12, while the order of conference games has changed compared to what was previously announced. Game times are all to be determined later.
West Virginia’s 2020 football schedule
September 12: vs. Eastern Kentucky
September 26: at Oklahoma State
October 3: vs. Baylor
October 17: vs. Kansas
October 24: at Texas Tech
October 31: vs. Kansas State
November 7: at Texas
November 14: vs. TCU
November 28: vs. Oklahoma
December 5: at Iowa State
