CMU President Bob Davies says decision on fall football season expected by Monday
CMU president Bob Davies at an introductory press conference for new AD Amy Folan on Sept. 22, 2019 in Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
A decision by the Mid-American Conference on fall football is expected by Sept. 28, according to Central Michigan University President Bob Davies.
A resolution is expected by Sept. 28, but could come sooner, Davies said Sept. 22 during new athletic director Amy Folan's introductory press conference. The conference's university presidents met Sept. 19 to discuss health protocols.
"The presidents are focused on the testing and the protocols," Davies said, "(We must) all ensure the safety of our student-athletes, our coaches, as well as the community and the university.
"We're looking at the possibilities."
If football is to be played in the MAC, Davies said there would be no fans in attendance.
The MAC is one of three conferences not playing football this fall, along with the Mountain West and Pac-12. The Big Ten, which announced Aug. 11 that it would not play football in the fall, recently reversed its decision. It begins an eight-game season Oct. 24.
When the Big Ten announced its intentions to play a fall season Sept. 16, the MAC released a statement saying it had "no plans" to play a fall season.
One day later, Nick Piotrowicz and Dave Briggs of the Toledo Blade reported that coaches and administrators met to discuss the revival of a MAC football season. According to the reports, the season would start in October, have no fans and play an abbreviated schedule of either six or eight games.
With the calendar set to turn to October, the time to schedule even an abbreviated season is running out. Davies said that the presidents are doing their best to make the right decision in a timely manner.
"We know time is of the essence," Davies said.
