Reports: MAC to cancel fall season, move to spring
Take advantage of our Fall Camp Special, just $20.20 for one year of coverage.
According to reports, the MAC will not be playing this season. That means a Clemson vs. Akron game is off the schedule.
The other team Clemson was supposed to play as a non-conference opponent was The Citadel, but they had 34 players not show up yesterday. The Bulldogs also have a game currently scheduled on Sept. 19.
“There are simply too many unknowns for us to put our student-athletes in situations that are not clearly understood,” said MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher. The announcement came days after UConn became the first FBS program to nix its fall season.
Stadium reported the following notes according to their sources:
|
"The Mid-American Conference has canceled its football season this fall because of player health and safety concerns regarding COVID-19.” “The 12-member MAC is the first Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) conference opting not to play this fall. The MAC intends to try to play in the spring." |
This is a huge move, but not surprising as the SEC, Big Ten, and Pac-12’s decisions to not play non-conference games crushed the Group of Five financially.
But according to The Athletic, this was obviously not just a financial deal:
| “Northern Illinois athletic director Sean Frazier, who said his family has lost loved ones to the pandemic. “No one wants to have football or sports more than me. Football gave me all the opportunities I have today. But I can’t do it at the expense of people’s lives. I can’t do that and I won’t do that. Not on my watch.” |
We will continue to monitor the situation from Clemson’s perspective as they seek an opponent for the second game of the season.