Most Power 5 Conferences Planning For Football Amid Coronavirus Concerns

Three of college football's Power Five conferences intend to play the upcoming season in spite of the challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic. The SEC, ACC and Big 12 believe a fall season can be executed safely, despite concerns by the Pac-12 and Big Ten that forced the conferences to postpone all fall sports.

The potential long-term effects on athletes that test positive for COVID-19 played a major role in the decision by the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that can reduce your heart's ability to pump and cause rapid or abnormal heart rhythms, was at the forefront of those discussions.

Often caused by viral infections, myocarditis has been linked to the coronavirus. At least five Big Ten athletes have been diagnosed with myocarditis, ESPN reported Monday, and a source told The Athletic that the conference is aware of at least 10 players who have the condition.

“There has been a lot of discussion about myocarditis,” Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren told the Big Ten Network after the league's announcement. “Any time you’re talking about the heart of anyone, but especially a young person, you have to be concerned. We want to make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can to keep our student-athletes safe.”

At least for now, the remaining power five conferences are pushing forward with the 2020 season. The Big 12, ACC and SEC believe with the right protocols in place, they can keep players safe.

The Big 12 has announced a plan to start its season with a 10-game schedule for each team that consists of nine conference matchups and one non-conference opponent. The season is set to start on Sept. 26. The conference championship game is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 12.

Student-athletes that play what are considered “high contact” sports, including football, volleyball and soccer, will be tested for the coronavirus three times a week. Following positive tests, athletes will undergo an EKG, troponin blood test, echocardiogram, and a cardiac MRI. In the week ahead of a non-game conference game, each team’s opponent must adhere to coronavirus testing protocols that meet the Big 12’s standards.

Dr. Cameron Wolfe, a Duke infectious disease specialist, told Sports Business Daily that the conference could mitigate the risk of students contracting the coronavirus while playing football “at a level that's no different than living as a student on campus.”

“Our presidents met two days ago, and we went through all of that,” Florida State President John Thrasher said at a press conference Tuesday on concerns about potential heart complications.

“And the issues presented, frankly, none of them we had not considered before. We did agree that we ought to go look at the medial aspects again just one more time to make sure our protocols and the other teams’ protocols were in place and we’ve been doing that.”