On the morning of Sept. 13, handicapping the probability of a Pac-12 football season happening in 2020 would not have been a straightforward exercise. It had been more than a month since the conference announced it was postponing all athletic competition until at least January because of the coronavirus pandemic. And even though college football was being played in several regions across the country, governmental restrictions in California clouded the possibility for the Pac-12 to reverse course and join the party.
At that point, the conference didn't have much in the way of momentum. Factoring in the amount of time that Pac-12 health officials determined was needed to adequately prepare for a season -- at least a month -- it was clear it was running out of time.