The MAC Changes Course: Football Is Back On For This Fall

The Mid-American Conference, of which Ball State is a member, was the first major-college conference to postpone football and all other fall sports for the 2020 season, due to the coronavirus pandemic.  That decision was announced on August 8.  It appears, now, the MAC will be one of the last conferences to revert back to an autumn schedule on the gridiron. In an announcement Friday afternoon, the league will resume the 2020 season with a six-game, conference-only schedule beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 4.  The MAC Football Championship game will also be played on Dec. 18 or 19. The league schedule will be announced, soon.

All other fall sports — men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, and field hockey — are scheduled, for now, to compete in the spring. NCAA championships for those sports will occur, then.

“The Council of Presidents has been having fulsome discussions with our Mid-American Conference medical advisors,” said Council of Presidents Chair and University at Buffalo president Dr. Satish Tripathi, in a conference news release. “Throughout these discussions, we have underscored that the health and safety of our student-athletes, and our entire Mid-American Conference university community, is paramount.  As a result, our Conference’s medical advisors have established comprehensive protocols and procedures to safeguard our student-athletes during practice and competition. We appreciate the effort of the many medical professionals who have contributed to this sound plan to initiate the fall football season.”

MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher added, “I am pleased to inform our student athletes, coaches, and fans, that the Mid-American Conference will resume the fall football season. Our decisions, in August and again today, have been guided by an overriding concern for the well-being of the student athletes, institutions, and the community at large. Our medical advisory group, presidents, directors of athletics, and others, have worked hard to develop a plan that provides the opportunity for student athletes to compete. We will be diligent in monitoring the dynamic health environment across the Conference footprint and the country,” he said.

The conference news release outlined some of the testing procedures for MAC football participants: “The Conference will implement a COVID-19 testing program requiring four antigen tests per week with all positive tests needing confirmation with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Any student athlete with a positive test will enter a cardiac screening protocol.  The MAC’s approved COVID-19 testing protocols, including four tests per week, will begin Monday, October 5. The complete set of protocols will be released next week.

There are restrictions, both on and off the football field, according to Ball State officials.  There will be no general public attendance or tailgating.  The participation of the Pride of Mid-America Marching Band, and dance, cheer and spirit squads at football games will be guided by MAC protocols at institutional discretion, consistent with public health guidance.

“The pandemic has caused many challenges for our students, including our student-athletes. But I am gratified that our student-athletes who play football will be able to resume practice and competition this Fall,” said Geoffrey S. Mearns, Ball State University President, in the university news release. “I joined with all of the other MAC presidents in making this important decision based on the recommendations of a team of medical experts. Their recommendations include a robust testing protocol that will substantially mitigate the risk to the players, the coaches, and the other members of our University community.”

“In August, we were clear that at Ball State we would continue to explore opportunities for our teams to compete and keep the guidance from medical experts top of mind as our teams prepared for athletic activity,” said Beth Goetz, Ball State University Director of Athletics. “That guidance has led us to an opportunity for our football team to participate this Fall which we are thrilled about. I am grateful to our medical team, the Mid-American Conference medical advisory group, our student-athletes, coaches and staff for the diligent preparation. We will continue to create a safe environment for everyone involved. I can’t wait to see the football team in action and all of our student-athletes back in uniform soon.”

ESPN reports their sources say MAC games will take place on weeknights through the first few weeks of November and move to Saturdays in December.

(This story has been updated.)