SALT LAKE CITY — Could Utah’s run of 100 consecutive fall football seasons be coming to an end? It is if multiple media reports prove accurate. Word is that the Pac-12 will cancel the season and possibly look to play in the spring if coronavirus concerns are alleviated.
An announcement could come Tuesday when the Pac-12’s CEO Group (presidents and chancellors) are scheduled to meet.
ESPN.com’s Kyle Bonagura is among those reporting that the conference’s medical advisory committee, which conferred with Pac-12 athletic directors on Sunday, will brief the CEOs on a growing concern about myocarditis. It’s described in the ESPN.com report as “an inflammation of the heart muscle often caused by a viral infection that has been linked closely to COVID-19.” The American Heart Association, continued the report, has “an exceptionally high risk of death caused by cardiogenic shock, fatal arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats) and multi-organ failure.”
Bonagura added that how the Pac-12 moves forward will be decided by a combination of several factors. Most notably, he writes, is how the other Power Five conferences — particularly the Big Ten — decides to act.
National sports radio host Dan Patrick reported on his show and said via his program’s Twitter account Monday that the Big Ten and Pac-12 plan to cancel their seasons on Tuesday. He added that the ACC and Big 12 are “on the fence” and that the SEC is “trying to get teams to join them for a season.”
However, there’s growing speculation that fall football is in serious jeopardy nationwide with the Mountain West Conference announcing it won’t play in 2020 — joining the Mid-American Conference in such a decision.
Utah athletics director Mark Harlan was unavailable for comment.
The Utes are scheduled to open the season Sept. 26 at Washington State in a revamped Pac-12 conference-only 10-game schedule.
For Utah, fall cancelation would come for the first time since 1918 when the Spanish influenza outbreak and world war Ied to an interruption of play. No other season has been delayed since then.
Utah football season openers since not playing in 1918
1919: Oct. 11 vs. Colorado College
1920: Oct. 16 Colorado College (Colorado Springs)
1921: Oct. 5 vs. Wyoming
1922: Oct. 7 vs. Idaho College
1923: Oct. 6 Whitman (Walla Walla)
1924: Oct. 4 vs. Drake
1925: Oct. 10 at USC
1926: Oct. 9 vs. South Dakota
1927: Oct. 1 vs. Colorado Mines
1928: Oct. 6 at Nevada
1929: Oct. 5 vs. Nevada
1930: Sept. 27 at Nevada
1931: Sept. 26 at Washington
1932: Sept. 24 at USC
1933: Sept. 23 vs. Montana State
1934: Sept. 28 at Drake
1935: Oct. 5 at Oregon
1936: Sept. 26 vs. Greeley State
1937: Sept. 25 at Montana State
1938: Oct. 1 vs. Montana State
1939: Sept. 30 vs. Santa Clara
1940: Sept. 28 Santa Clara (San Francisco)
1941: Sept. 27 at Idaho
1942: Sept. 26 vs. Santa Clara
1943: Oct. 2 vs. Fort Warren
1944: Sept. 30 vs. Idaho Southern
1945: Sept. 29 vs. Nevada
1946: Sept. 28 vs. New Mexico
1947: Sept. 27 vs. Oregon State
1948: Sept. 18 at USC
1949: Sept. 17 at Washington
1950: Sept. 23 Idaho (Boise)
1951: Sept. 25 vs. Montana State
1952: Sept. 20 vs. Oregon State
1953: Sept. 19 at Arizona
1954: Sept. 18 at Washington
1955: Sept. 17 vs. Oregon
1956: Sept. 21 at UCLA
1957: Sept. 21 vs. Montana
1958: Sept. 20 vs. Montana
1959: Sept. 26 at Oregon
1960: Sept. 17 vs. Hawaii
1961: Sept. 16 vs. Colorado State
1962: Sept. 22 vs. Colorado
1963: Sept. 21 vs. Oregon State
1964: Sept. 19 vs. New Mexico
1965: Sept. 11 vs. Montana
1966: Sept. 24 at Oregon
1967: Sept. 23 at Minnesota
1968: Sept. 21 at Nebraska
1969: Sept. 20 vs. Oregon
1970: Sept. 19 vs. UTEP
1971: Sept. 18 at Oregon
1972: Sept. 16 at Texas Tech
1973: Sept. 15 at Texas Tech
1974: Sept. 21 at UTEP
1975: Sept. 13 vs. Utah State
1976: Sept. 18 at Rice
1977: Sept. 17 at Oklahoma
1978: Sept. 9 vs. Idaho State
1979: Sept. 1 vs. Long Beach State
1980: Sept. 6 vs. Boise State
1981: Sept. 5 vs. Utah State
1982: Sept. 4 vs. Montana State
1983: Sept. 3 at New Mexico
1984: Sept. 1 vs. Weber State
1985: Sept. 7 vs. Boise State
1986: Sept. 13 vs. San Diego State
1987: Sept. 5 vs. New Mexico
1988: Sept. 10 vs. Idaho State
1989: Sept. 2 at Fresno State
1990: Sept. 1 at Utah State
1991: Aug. 31 vs. Utah State
1992: Sept. 5 at Nebraska
1993: Sept. 4 at Arizona State
1994: Sept. 3 at Utah State
1995: Sept. 2 vs. Oregon
1996: Aug. 31 at Utah State
1997: Aug. 30 vs. Utah State
1998: Sept. 5 at Utah State
1999: Sept. 4 at Washington State
2000: Sept. 2 vs. Arizona
2001: Sept. 1 vs. Utah State
2002: Aug. 31 at Utah State
2003: Aug. 28. vs. Utah State
2004: Sept. 2 vs. Texas A&M
2005: Sept. 2 vs. Arizona
2006: Sept. 2 at UCLA
2007: Aug. 30 at Oregon State
2008: Aug. 30 at Michigan
2009: Sept. 3 vs. Utah State
2010: Sept. 2 vs. Pittsburgh
2011: Sept. 1 vs. Montana State
2012: Aug. 30 vs. Northern Colorado
2013: Aug. 29 vs. Utah State
2014: Aug. 28 vs. Idaho State
2015:Sept. 3 vs. Michigan
2016: Sept. 1 vs. Southern Utah
2017: Aug. 31 vs. North Dakota
2018: Aug. 30 vs. Weber State
2019: Aug. 29 at BYU