Pac asking CFP to delay playoff

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Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is asking the College Football Playoff Management Committee to delay the start of the playoff due to surging COVID-19 numbers across the country. The committee will discuss the idea on Wednesday, per Jon Wilner of the Mercury News, but Wilner reports that sources did not "indicate a change is imminent."

The CFP has been steadfast since August that its three games would be played as scheduled following the season. The semifinals -- this year being the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl -- are slated for Jan. 1, while the national championship game will be played on Jan. 11. The committee will reportedly entertain the idea to show that all options are on the table, but there has been practically no movement to push back any part of the college football season.

Scott is coming from an understandable position. After initially eschewing a football season until the spring of 2021, the Pac-12 opted to play a modified, conference-only schedule that would, at most, produce seven games for its title game participants. However, the November start didn't allow for any wiggle room and the testing partnership with Quidel Corporation has resulted in some early headaches. Rapid spread of COVID-19 throughout the region has heavily impacted programs like Arizona State and Utah. Five Pac-12 games have already been canceled in the first two weeks of the season.

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