SALT LAKE CITY– It appears there will be no football at Weber State or SUU this fall, as Big Sky Conference presidents voted to cancel fall football, according to numerous nationwide reports.
The choice was made during a meeting of the conferences school presidents Thursday afternoon and initially reported by Stadium. The Oregonian reported that Big Sky athletic directors were satisfying at 5:30 p.m. to go over the choice by school presidents.
Sacramento State president Robert Nelsen verified to the schools trainee paper that the fall football season has been delayed, likely to the spring. Sixteen of the Hornets 21 university sports contend in the Big Sky Conference, consisting of football, which is the only sport the president validated to be affected at the minute.
” We just dont believe its safe right now for our gamers,” Nelsen informed the State Hornet.
No decision has actually been made on cross nation, ladiess soccer and ladiess volleyball, according to the paper. But the post ponement of Big Sky football would likely drop the Football Championship Subdivision below the 50% needed participation to hold a postseason playoff, as announced Wednesday by the NCAA. If reports bear real including the Big Sky and a subsequent report that the Pioneer Football League has actually suspended the fall season, then the variety of groups eligible for the FCS playoffs would drop as low as 48.
There are 127 teams in the FCS, consisting of from the Ivy League, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Patriot League and Northeastern Conference that had actually currently suspended the season, though not all of them are qualified for the playoffs every year. The champs of the MEAC and Southwest Athletic Conference, for example, offer up their automated qualifying area to play in the Celebration Bowl that highlights traditionally black colleges and universities.
KSL.com is working to verify the extent of the Big Sky cancelations.
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Weber State running back Josh Davis (20) attempts to escape James Madison linebacker Dimitri Holloway (2) during the first half in a semifinal of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in Harrisonburg, Va., Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019. (Photo: Daniel Lin, Daily News-Record via AP) The report comes as conferences and collegiate institutions all over the U.S. are working to find out how they will handle college sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Big Sky is comprised of 13 universities located in Utah, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. According to Johns Hopkins University information, none of the states where Big Sky schools are located have COVID-19 levels listed below a 5% positivity rate.
Previously today, most of University of Idahos football team– among the schools in the conference– voted to sit out the 2020 season, according to reports from Stadium and ESPN. Idaho is one of the states with high case positivity rates; the schools athletics program had 9 professional athletes test favorable for the coronavirus out of 125 checked.
The Vandals 2020 schedule consisted of a match with SUU on Nov. 7.
The decision not only affects Weber State and SUU, but likewise affects Dixie State in its first season as a Division I program. The Trailblazers football group is an FCS independent and consisted of a schedule featuring 4 Big Sky challengers, consisting of SUU on Sept. 5 and Weber State on Oct. 10. Games against Division II Western New Mexico, Azusa Pacific, Western Colorado and FCS Drake were previously canceled.
Dixie State contends in the Western Athletic Conference for other sports, however had 6 soccer video games and four volleyball games scheduled versus Big Sky teams this fall. 4 of the soccer video games and two of the beach ball video games were already canceled prior to the Big Sky presidents vote Thursday afternoon.
The WAC, a non-football conference which also includes Utah Valley among its nine teams, had previously announced a postponed start to the season, to a minimum of Sept. 10 in ladiess soccer and Sept. 16 in maless soccer and femaless volleyball.
Contributing: Sean Walker, KSL.com
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The post ponement of Big Sky football would likely drop the Football Championship Subdivision below the 50% required involvement to hold a postseason playoff, as announced Wednesday by the NCAA. If reports bear real including the Big Sky and a subsequent report that the Pioneer Football League has actually suspended the fall season, then the number of teams eligible for the FCS playoffs would drop as low as 48.
According to Johns Hopkins University data, none of the states where Big Sky schools are situated have COVID-19 levels below a 5% positivity rate. The choice not only impacts Weber State and SUU, however likewise impacts Dixie State in its first season as a Division I program. The Trailblazers football team is an FCS independent and consisted of a schedule featuring 4 Big Sky opponents, consisting of SUU on Sept. 5 and Weber State on Oct. 10.
