Pac-12 to begin seven-game football season on Nov. 6

Nearly three weeks after the Pac-12 announced a partnership with Quidel Corp. for daily coronavirus testing with rapid results, ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and Heather Dinich are reporting that the conference will start a seven-game league-only football season on Nov. 6. 

The Pac-12 title game will occur on Dec. 18. All conference teams will play that weekend, per ESPN. It's unknown when the league will announce a full slate of games for the campaign. 

Both the Pac-12 and Big Ten postponed football and other fall sports on Aug. 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the Big Ten unveiled last week that it will begin an eight-game conference season on Oct. 24. Logic suggests both the Pac-12 and Big Ten will now be eligible for the College Football Playoff, although the NCAA hadn't confirmed that as of Thursday.

Scheduling changes, such as postponements and cancelations, could eliminate teams from either conference from the CFP.  

Current California Department of Public Health guidelines prevent college sports teams from practicing in groups larger than 12, which limits how conference squads in those states can prepare for the season. The Pac-12 is working to receive clearance for its programs to host 11-on-11 scrimmages needed before competitive play commences. 

Earlier in the day, the Colorado football program and all other teams at the university were shut down for a minimum of 14 days via a County of Boulder order that prohibits significant gatherings of university students aged 18-22. While the Pac-12 would prefer all teams practice for six weeks before kicking off, it's assumed Colorado would be allowed to return to action after practicing for four consecutive weeks.