MAC football to return Nov. 4 with six-game season
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Mid-American Conference announced Friday that football will start Nov. 4 with teams playing a six-game, conference only schedule.
MAC presidents and chancellors unanimously approved a season. The championship game will be Dec. 18 or 19.
No general public attendance or tailgating will be allowed at games.
The MAC originally postponed its season on Aug. 8.
I am pleased to inform our student athletes, coaches, and fans, that the Mid-American Conference will resume the fall football season. Our decisions, in August and again today, have been guided by an overriding concern for the well-being of the student athletes, institutions, and the community at large. Our medical advisory group, presidents, directors of athletics, and others, have worked hard to develop a plan that provides the opportunity for student athletes to compete. We will be diligent in monitoring the dynamic health environment across the Conference footprint and the country.
MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher
A full schedule will be released at a later date.
The participation of Marching Band, Dance, Cheer and Spirit Squads at football games will be guided by Conference protocols at institutional discretion consistent with public health guidance.
The Conference will implement a COVID-19 testing program requiring four antigen tests per week with all positive tests needing confirmation with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Any student athlete with a positive test will enter a cardiac screening protocol.
The MAC’s approved COVID-19 testing protocols, including four tests per week, will begin Monday, October 5. The complete set of protocols will be released next week.
The Council of Presidents has been having fulsome discussions with our Mid-American Conference medical advisors. Throughout these discussions, we have underscored that the health and safety of our student-athletes, and our entire Mid-American Conference university community, is paramount. As a result, our Conference’s medical advisors have established comprehensive protocols and procedures to safeguard our student-athletes during practice and competition. We appreciate the effort of the many medical professionals who have contributed to this sound plan to initiate the fall football season.
Dr. Satish Tripathi, Council of Presidents Chair and University at Buffalo president