Currently Cardinal, 8/11: Pac-12 cancellation news

The Pac-12 is at a crossroads on Tuesday, as they’re set to be the first Power-5 conference to actually make a decision on whether or not to play the 2020 fall athletics calendar. Sure, some have said they’re going forward with the season like they’re going to play, but that’s not really a ‘decision’ that they’ve made. That’s more of a way of thinking.

The Pac-12 is set to meet on Tuesday to decide on the season as a whole, whether to start at their new start time, postpone the start, delay it to spring, cancel it altogether or some other decision, but one way, a decision.

What follows next, though, will be even more important than the actual decision that the chancellors and presidents reach on Tuesday.

The decision is one thing, but it’s just the first step in returning to action, both in the classroom and on the fields/stadiums/arenas. The Pac-12, given very little leadership by the NCAA, can set the tone for the rest of the conferences with their actions following the ‘decision’ this week. How they handle the decision, whether to cancel or not, or postpone or not, will be paramount to collegiate athletics for the next 10-16 months at least.

There are plenty of questions and a ton of topics to cover after their decision is made, and they’ll likely be the first conference attempting to tackle the questions about when to play the season, how to safely play it, what to do about facilities and winter and spring sports, what to do about eligibility rules, scholarship limits, etc. The list of questions about what to do and how to handle the season after their decisions are seemingly endless.

And that’s what makes them so important for the Pac-12 to handle, and hand properly. We know the Pac-12 has been good at handling decisions in the past ...

But, in other news, here’s what is happening regarding your Stanford Cardinal athletics programs from across the country:

Stanford COVID-19 update | 247Sports

Can Cardinal bounce back from injury-riddled 2019? | Saturday Blitz

Stanford ‘21 Offensive Offer Board Mad Dash | 247Sports

Local families react to Stanford athletic department cuts | LA Times

New LA Women’s Soccer Team backed by Stanford soccer alum | The Stanford Daily

Stanford’s Chatman talks Cardinal offseason | 247Sports

5-star Harvard-Westlake PF-C Kiki Iriafen commits to Stanford | Scorebook Live