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Report: Power Five leaders looking into forming own fall sports championships if NCAA cancels, postpones season
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The NCAA Board of Governors has a significant decision to make on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The board must decide whether or not its safe for the fall sports season to move forward in 2020 or if it needs to postpone or cancel due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
What the NCAA decides will apply to all sports except football at the FBS level. The Board of Governors opted to postpone its final decision after meeting last month, and is expected to announce its recommendation on Tuesday.
But if the NCAA Board of Governors decides to postpone or cancel fall sports in 2020, the Power Five could push ahead with a championship season of their own, according to a report from Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.
Leaders in the Power Five conferences have reportedly sparked up chatter about the feasibility of having their own fall sports season if the Board of Governors opts to eliminate those athletic competitions this year. And according to Sports Illustrated, it’s a very real movement.
“If I were [NCAA president Mark] Emmert, I’d be really worried about it,” a source told SI. “He’s got to keep the Power Five together.”
There is still a chance that the NCAA Board of Governors could delay its decision again, choosing to wait until the last possible momentum to make a call on fall sports. And, if that’s the case, it might be the safest move for the association if the Power Five is threatening to move away from the NCAA.
We’ll find out Tuesday what the Board of Governors decides, and what the next move will be from the Power Five leaders.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB