In planning what could be as much as a $1 billion loan program for cash-strapped athletic departments during the coronavirus pandemic, the Pac-12 has built the off-ramp for its college football season.
Whether the conference chooses to use it (or even cancels the season) remains to be seen. The mere fact that it’s been laid out and possible is ominous, however.
Word of the program, first reported by the San Jose Mercury-News, turned heads across a country where athletic directors are trying to salvage a season and entire departments are relying on football revenue.